The long walk leading to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Photo by Esha Samajpati. All rights reserved ©
Day four of our whirlwind trip (as a friend put it) saw us getting up early, picking up our coffee and heading to Rockland Breakwater Light. It is an inviting old building, at the end of a 7/8-mile-long breakwater, with plenty of windows, housing a tiny gift shop and offering a rewarding view from the top. Although I did spot a couple of dudes in flip-flops and a woman in heels, I would suggest sturdy walking shoes for the event. It’s not because I hate flip-flops (okay, maybe a little) or fashion, it is just that you will be walking on a rocky uneven surface for almost two miles.
It may not look like a long-haul on paper (or screen for that matter) but here’s what it says on the lighthouse website: “This was a “stag” station, meaning the keeper’s families did not live at the lighthouse. The keepers usually traveled by boat to Rockland Harbor, two miles away, rather than making the long trek over the breakwater.” The steps inside the lighthouse are uneven as they didn’t have building codes back in the day…but if you like me, find beauty in imperfection you are going to love every nook and cranny of the oddly shaped house.
Always one for idle thoughts, I wondered if I have what it takes to be a lighthouse keeper. Why not? It is an exciting enough job where you don’t have to commute, and you have the solitude you need to get started on that novel you always wanted to read or write. Plus you are saving lives. How’s that for job satisfaction?
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