The only place in the world where nothing gets in your way

I have known for a long time that there are lighthouses in America where you can spend the night or live longer. Modern lighthouses do without caretakers, work in automatic mode, and the living space is empty. In such places they make small hotels or rent rooms through Airbnb.

I came up with the idea of a birthday present for my girlfriend a few months before the trip, and the most difficult thing was to find a suitable lighthouse. All of them are located in very beautiful places and beautiful in their own way. But the middle of July is the height of the holiday season, all the sweetest places were booked six months ago.

After a hard search, luck smiled and I found something very special. Goose Rock Light. The lighthouse was not on the shore, but in the middle of the ocean. And most importantly - apart from us, there would not be anyone there. Complete privacy. There was little to agree with the owners. Lighthouses in the USA are private property, but at the same time historical monuments. Many are over a hundred years old, and they require care and restoration. To find money and save the lighthouse for future generations, it is leased. This is not a hotel, there are practically no amenities at the lighthouse, but you can feel like a caretaker.

The path to the lighthouse is not long and difficult. We left a car in Rockland.

Departed by ferry to the island of North Haven. It took an hour and a half.

From here they had to sail to the lighthouse already in a motor boat.

But before that they decided to look around. North Haven Island and the eponymous town is so small that you can get around it in an hour on foot. And life here is different from the "mainland."

The main occupation of those living on the island is fishing and breeding lobsters.

The wonderful rural America of the times of Tom Sawyer is still alive here. There is a fountain in the square in honor of fellow countrymen-veterans.

Souvenir shop. We have not heard about Chinese consumer goods here. And for some reason they sell brooms.

Before the lighthouse you need to eat. Ate a delicious lobster roll.

Returned to the port. Elsie (the caretaker's daughter) and her boyfriend were already waiting for us there.

The lighthouse looked like a wedding cake, and, as it turned out, this is the name in America. In life, he looks much cooler than in photographs.

Our home for the next two days is a 127-year-old lighthouse in the Atlantic Ocean!

You can climb inside a narrow staircase, and during high tide it can be difficult. The guys talked about the structure of the lighthouse, explained how it works and left us alone.

Around not a soul. We are two hours from the coast, and there are only small uninhabited islets nearby. It is difficult to convey in words the feelings when you find yourself in such a place.

The lighthouse is like a real living museum. We seemed to be at the beginning of the twentieth century. There is no electricity, only gas and kerosene lamps.

The good Edison gramophone works and makes an already unusual house truly magical. An old typewriter, pendulum clocks, filmstrips yellowed from time to time - all this is not surroundings for guests, but things with history.

The lighthouse has six storeys, five up and one down from the entrance level.

Two bedrooms with tall wide beds, now they don’t! Do not forget, once the family of the caretaker lived here. There is enough space for everyone, but how did they get along on such a limited area? Unless went to sea to catch lobsters.

Galley. The batteries needed for the lighthouse itself are stored right there. I wrote that there is no electricity. The lamp is powered by batteries, but spending their charge on lighting inside is also impermissible luxury and pampering. The only light is here in the basement so that you don’t break your legs if you go to the toilet.

Upstairs are extra beds, apparently the children of the caretaker were once sleeping on them. The bedding with lobsters is wonderful.

Cherry on the wedding cake - a glass tower on top. The windows are glued with red film, with the exception of one narrow strip. This creates a directional beam of light that can be seen for many kilometers. Goose Stone Lighthouse stands at the entrance to the open ocean and protects ships and boats from the shallows that are dangerous and invisible during high tide.

A small circular balcony and a table for two. An ideal place to meet the dawn!

On the main floor we have something like a living room. Two kayaks are “parked” here. You can swim to the nearest island for blueberries and hare. Here is the gas grill, on which we cooked unforgettable steaks.

I always run out of time. It flies too fast, I do not have time and I am furious. There, at the lighthouse, time flows in a completely different way. Slowly, unhurriedly, as if letting you feel and remember every second.

Buoys on the surface show places where traps for lobsters are hidden.

The next day, at 12 o’clock, the rangers returned to take us to the island. It's time to go back.

You probably ask: "How much did the pleasure cost?" Expensive. But traveling and general impressions with a loved one are those few things in life that are really worth spending money on.