- Michael's Frozen Custard
- Babcock Ice Cream
- Dotty Dumpling's Dowry Burgers
- Beer on the Union Terrace
Here's our post from Lake Michigan too, written on the boat:
Well, no post from the lake itself - who wants to pay for wireless anymore? - but I'm sure nobody was waiting on pins and needles to hear about it...
Saturday we slept in a bit then went for a long barefoot run on the beach. Rory's aunt and uncle live on a stretch of beach just south of Ludington and we fell asleep to the sound of waves both nights.
Luckily for us the wind was southerly for a few days too, so the water temperature was in the seventies. We spent a leisurely afternoon on the beach with Nancy and Dennis, then drove up to Ludington State Park for a little hike. What a beautiful place - the "Queen of the North" they call it. Dunes, beaches, an enormous lake and gorgeous trails. We didn't hike far but did manage to see the new dams, in the same place as the originals, built there to facilitate the lumber trade that justified settlement there back in the day. Dennis told us that pretty soon salmon would be swimming upstream to spawn. Unfortunately for them, there's no fish ladder, so they spend there last days futiley throwing themselves at the dam and being picked off by jubilant fishermen. Dennis wasn't sure why they even swim up that river, because they certainly weren't born there, but nobody ever said fish were very smart. (Erica thinks that's funny coming from a former future-ichthyologist - but people study moss too and that's a lot dumber than fish.)
And the ferry.... Despite some minor seasickness on Erica's part the crossing has been delightful. It was crazy windy early on, following some spectacular thunderstorms early this morning. (Erica's hair doesn't normally look like this.)
Stacks of deck chairs and chaise lounges were blowing in clusters across the decks and the trash cans would have followed if they weren't thoughtfully tied to the rails. It was windy enough that Rory wouldn't get close to the rails except to grab with one hand. It's easier to get blown over when you're taller than average... (The other hand was busy holding his shirt on - it was really windy, windy enough that "you can feel your eyelashes blowing around" according to Erica.)
We hunkered down with a few other brave souls on the lounges near the bow bulwark, although nobody had warned us to bring sleeping bags like some of the others. Soon enough the wind died and the sun came out and we both promptly fell asleep. So easy with the sound of the waves and the wake and the gentle rocking of the S.S. Badger.
As to the ferry itself: don't be fooled by its humble name and obscure ports of call. This is a big, big boat. We watched it come in to Ludington last night - a popular tourist passtime - and it is massive from the side. Originally it was built to transport railroad cars, with passenger cars only filling the top deck. Since then it's been converted to passenger-cars only (plus the occasional tractor) with about 40 cabins to rent, a couple galleys, a movie theater, an arcade - with Big Buck Hunter! (but no pinball, obviously) - a museum, a "boatique," and a kids playroom. There's bingo and trivia in the dining hall, which draws a crowd, but we've spent most of out time on the deck. Oh, and it burns coal. That's right, coal. Crazy. The bingo man says its the largest coal-fired steamship in the world. We figure its the only coal-fired steamship in the world . . . but both of those things could be true, and we're really not that up to speed on world shipping trends.
After we land we'll hit the candy store, then head south to Whitefish Bay and Greendale. Tomorrow, on to Madison.
Time to go - land ho!
P.S. We did hit the candy store. Special thanks to Erica's mom for the books on road food. Beerntsen's Candy is a cute little shop serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and lots and lots of chocolate. Very mom-and-pop feel and very tasty treats. Definitely a jewel of Manitowoc.
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