Portage Lake Lift Bridge

Houghton (Sunshine and breezy High 69 Low 54)

Subtitled: Officially the Houghton-Hancock Bridge

Thought we would share a little of why we have done so little sightseeing while in Houghton. Our site backs up to the Portage River. Here is the view of the lift bridge from our site.

As we mentioned before we just like to sit outside and read and watch the boats and ships go by. Here is tug boat hard at work.

Here is "The Ranger" approaching the lift bridge taken for our chairs outside our Cameo. "The Ranger" provides passenger service from Houghton to Isle Royale National Park and other places.

The Ranger getting closer.

Getting even closer the bridge is starting to raise.

The lift bridge raising.

The lift bridge at the top.

As it two names suggests this is a lift bridge that connects the towns of Houghton and Hancock across the Portage River. The middle section at its lowest is four feet of clearance and at its peak has 100 feet of clearance allowing Great Lakes freighters to pass underneath saving 100 miles if the Keweenaw Peninsula was circumnavigated. This bridge is the world's heaviest and widest double decked lift bridge.

Here is a picture we took when we walked the Houghton Waterfront Trail from our park to downtown Houghton.

Here is another one with the decks raised also from the Waterfront Trail.

As you can tell we really like Lift Bridges and to have one this close to us is amazing.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo