Wednesday, August 30 - Ludington

Wednesday, August 30 - Ludington

We waked up to some significant fog in Manistee, so delayed our departure until 10:00.  No problem for me.  The trip to Ludington was only 25 miles, so we didn’t have to rush. 

The water was great the whole trip.  There are dunes all long the western shore of Michigan.  They are very pretty, but I still haven’t been able to get a good picture.  Maybe I should just buy some postcards.

Another lighthouse, another beach, and another lake for anchorage.  This lake is Pere Marquette, and the town is Ludington.

Deb and Gil pulled into the Municipal Marina just ahead of us.  Craig and Sherry on Cha Cha pulled in right beside us, Kelly and Terrie and Dan and Jean were on the next dock over, so we had a nice group of Loopers. 

The marina is very nice.  This is the first dishwashing sink I have seen. 

The main tourist attraction in Ludington is the Badger, a car and passenger ferry that crosses Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, WI.  The ship and its boilers are registered historical sites in both Michigan and Wisconsin as she has been sailing for over 60 years.  Her engines run 24 hours a day from the first day of operation in the spring until she stops for the winter.  The fee is $177.00 for one car and two passengers - one way!
 
The real show is the ferry coming into the dock at 7:00 pm.  It comes in very fast, spins 180 degrees, drops its anchor, and backs into its berth. (Excuse the duplicate pictures.) 

All of us Loopers enjoyed the show. 

We unloaded the bikes and took a spin around the marina park.  There is a series of bronze statues depicting the heritage of the area.  I especially loved the father and son.

From the park, we looked straight west toward Lake Michigan.  The sunset was breathtaking!  I took LOTS of pictures, you only have to look at a few.