Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse

Amanda's fingers tightened on the railing of the windy lighthouse gallery. She shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun and scanned the gray horizon. A distant glimmer caught her attention, the sparkle of Isaac's shiny, brass  oarlocks. The dory took shape and ponderously crept closer until Amanda could discern the wool-capped heads of her two sons and Isaac's arms moving rhythmically at the oars. Nearly two weeks had passed since Isaac left for the mainland to get supplies and have the boys fitted for new shoes.

Mount Desert Rock lies in the Atlantic Ocean, off Maine, some 22 miles from Mount Desert Island (both are pronounced "dessert"), and 26 miles from the mainland. The rock is a scant half-acre with the highest elevation being only 17 feet above high water. The station is assigned Light List number 1by the Coast Guard, the first light of our aids, which are numbered from north to south and east to west. It is also one of the most desolate stations ever conceived by our government.