Sunday morning came early for us. We left the Double JJ (good riddance!) a little before 7am, and made our way to Ludington and the embarkation point for the SS Badger. We had to be at the dock by 8am
We arrived in Ludington about 7:30 and since we already had reservations we skipped the ticket office and went right to the boarding area. As requested we drove our car into one of the numbered slots, grabbed our personal belongings and left the key in the car; the ferry staff would handle getting the car on and off. We then made our way to line of other passengers waiting to board.
There was quite a queue by the time they let us board at 8am. We made our way to the main deck, found the Cruise Director’s office and got our room key — we paid an extra $49 for a room with two beds (one that converted into a desk) and a bathroom. Small, spartan and basic to be sure, but quiet and a place to stretch out for a nap — which I did after we set sail.
Speaking of Spartan, one of the older ferries, no longer in use apparently, was indeed the SS Spartan. It looked in poor shape and is probably used for parts for the Badger.
The day was overcast but no rain and the crossing was so smooth you hardly knew you were on board a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan!
Some four hours later, a little after noon local time, we pulled into the dock at Manitowoc, WI. We waited for about 20 minutes or so before getting our car back. The young folks who were the staff drivers would bring a car out, park it, and then head back inside to the far end of the ship to get another one. One girl, probably no more than 20, would literally sprint back inside; we watched her do this at least a half dozen times. Probably a cross country runner was my thought.
After getting our car back we headed north toward Sturgeon Bay and our B & B for the night. After one incredibly long detour and a long succession of pretty bad roads we pulled into our destination for the night, the White Lace Inn.
After checking in and unpacking we decided to head out and see a bit of Door County before driving back into Michigan the next day. We made our way to the coastal road along Green Bay up to Egg Harbor where we turned back south to Sturgeon Bay and home for the night. For dinner we walked three blocks to downtown and the Inn at Cedar Crossing for the best meal we’d eaten since leaving home.
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| cars lined up ready to go on board |
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| hallway of staterooms |
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| room 25 |
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| note the handle in the upper part of the photo -- the desk pulls down to convert into a bed |
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| the main cafe |
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| early morning fisherman |
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| our lifeboat was no. 3 |
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| hanging out at the bow |
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| saying good-bye to Michigan. . . |
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| . . . and looking forward to Wisconsin |
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| the stern, or loading end of the ship |
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| the entrance to Manitowoc, Wisconsin |
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| White Lace Inn, Sturgeon Bay, WI |
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