I started writing this story with the headline of “OMP Beaches Packed on July 4th Weekend!” But after editing my photos from our drives around the Old Mission Peninsula on Saturday (July 4) and Sunday (July 5), I would say that yes, there were a lot of people at the beaches – swimming, sunning and off fishing in their boats. But also no, I wouldn’t say the beaches were completely packed.
Haserot Beach – Crowded with Cars Parked Along the Road
Haserot Beach was pretty crowded on Saturday, July 4, with not much room to move around. And of course, the parking lots were full, with cars parked in the no-parking zones along the street there.
Help Support Old Mission Gazette - Click Here
Also, though, there were a lot of cars in the overflow parking lot next to the Legion Hall, so hey, Peninsula Township! People are starting to discover that lot! Getting people to notice and use that overflow lot has been a struggle for the past few years.
Lighthouse Beach – Not So Crowded, Because There’s No Beach There
Also on Saturday, we stopped by Mission Point Lighthouse, and there were maybe a half-dozen families scattered along the beach there. But, that’s also because there’s just not much beach at the Lighthouse these days, and thus, not much room for beachgoers.
And when I say “not much beach,” I mean that if you were able to find a couple feet of sand between the grass and the water, you were doing good. Notice in the photos below that people were basically putting their stuff on the grassy area and using whatever beach they could find.
That being said, the Lighthouse parking lot was packed with cars, and there were also cars lining Center Road there. So I’m guessing that most of those people were farther down the beach by the swingset. Although there’s not much beach there either, it’s a long stretch of beach, so you could fit a lot of people there if they’re spread out.
There were also several cars at every turn-off before you get to the Lighthouse, so people were definitely using whatever beach they could find along there.
Kelley Park – The New Guy
People are starting to discover Kelley Park, the beach just south of Haserot Beach where the new boat launch will go in, hopefully by this fall.
The parking lot there was full on Saturday, July 4, but the beach was by no means packed – although there were quite a few people sunning and swimming there, and a few boats pulled up close to the beach.
Bowers Harbor Boat Launch – Crowded Parking Lot
Meanwhile, over at the Bowers Harbor Boat Launch, the parking lot was packed with cars and trailers, with cars also parked in the overflow parking lot. Based on the photos I took of the shoreline out at Power Island, I’m guessing some of those boats launched at Bowers Harbor were out at the island.
Saturday was definitely more crowded than Sunday, so maybe people were heading back downstate on Sunday.
Power Island and Bassett Island
In Europe, communities have proven that social distancing ( six feet or greater), wearing masks when indoors or when unable to maintain distances outdoors and frequent hand washing will reduce the spread of the virus. Hope the folks in your photos were doing all of that. It’s science pure and simple and not political.
I can 100% guarantee they were not doing that.
That is so sad to hear. As Dr. Fauci said , what can be said to convince us all to care for each other? As a people, I hope we are not that ignorant or selfish. We all want the same thing: control of the virus, resumption of the economy, and health. As a retired nurse practitioner, I can’t imagine us doing this to ourselves.