Lighthouse keepers (for a day)

Except for the sound of a lawnmower. Looking down, there was Dave, headlights zooming in haphazard circles below.

"It's the first time I've mowed the lawn in five years," he explains cheerily the next day. "I pay someone to do that at home."

Dave works for Boeing. Since the war in Iraq began, he's been putting in 14-hour days that leave little time for household chores.

But here on this pork chop shaped island a mile from Newport, known for its majestic mansions, Dave gets to mow the lawn and clean toilets for around $200 a night.

There are more than 600 lighthouses in the US, with Michigan home to the most, according to the United States Lighthouse Society in San Francisco. All but the oldest, the Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island, have been automated, no longer requiring keepers. Some 350 are open to the public. A handful offer overnight stays.

Preservation groups that began to form in the late '70s to restore and care for abandoned lighthouses now have a formal channel for acquiring them through provisions in the 2000 Lighthouse Preservation Act. Integral to their efforts have been the time and money infused by volunteers and visitors.

As I tag along on the morning rounds, I find myself asking the Hazelwoods 'why' a lot: Why do they monitor wind speeds and rainfall, or the amount of water and electricity used each day? The answer, in part, has to do with educating visitors about conservation. But why the log books - filled with notes on a day's work that no one seems to read? Truth is, these entries may be the closest visitors to this - or any lighthouse - come to the actual experience of keeper.

"One time we had a blade of grass growing in a crack" in the lighthouse's concrete foundation, recalls Mr. Mikkelsen, the former keeper. Gingerly, with a pair of scissors, he says he cut the blade. Knowing the logbook would make its way, unread, into a basement in a government building, he made this entry: "Mowed lawn."

Rose Island Lighthouse, R.I. (roseislandlighthouse.org) "Keepers" bring their own food and help maintain the lighthouse and grounds. Depending on the season, week-long stays in the modern quarters upstairs cost $900 to $1,800. Overnights in the downstairs museum are $155 to $185 and entail less work.

Keeper's House Inn, Isle Au Haut, Maine (keepershouse.com) Arrive by mail boat to this extremely remote lighthouse and inn on an island that is part of Acadia National Park. Rates, including three meals, range from $310 to $385 a night.

Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Ludington, Mich. (bigsablelighthouse.org) From April through November, volunteer keepers tend the lighthouse for two week stints. To be eligible for this true working vacation, you must become a member of the lighthouse's association (annual fees start at $25 per person) and go through an application process. But if selected, the stay is free.

Kilauea Lighthouse, Kauai, Hawaii (recreation.gov/detail.cfm?ID=1454) Overlooking the Pacific, Kilauea Point is a wildlife refuge and nesting home to seven varieties of Hawaiian seabirds.

Newburyport Lighthouse, Newburyport, Mass. (800-727-BEAM) Rent the lantern room of this 53-ft. lighthouse for an afternoon or evening. Choose anything off the menus of five local restaurants, with offerings that include fresh seafood. Up to four people can be accommodated, at $350 per couple.

For more information go to the United States Lighthouse Society at www.uslhs.org

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