August 24 – 28, 2023

The two texts above – from Kathleen, Pat’s sister and Bill, her husband – aptly describe our voyage from Leland, Michigan to Frankfort, Michigan. We finally get a decent weather window, after five days in Leland, to head to Frankfort. We make such good time, we decide to skip Frankfort and go another 20 miles or so to Ludington.

The wind is at our back and Captain Pat steps up the speed (and the fuel usage!) This is our longest voyage for this year, at almost 80 miles.

It’s fun to see the sand dunes from the water – another perspective.

We spot a helicopter hovering close to the lake, near the fishing boats. There was a fishing tournament over the weekend at Frankfort. We think that’s the reason for the commotion.

We hear on the radio “64-year-old male, brown hair, thin, tall, is missing from his boat.” We later discover a fishing charter sank. Four passengers are rescued; one dies after the rescue. Unfortunately the captain of the ship is never found. What a tragedy.

Fuel prices are always an issue – who has the cheapest price? Diesel at Ludington is $4.18 a gallon – 50 cents cheaper than the last stop – so we head to the fuel dock before proceeding to our slip. We inquire about a pump-out – it’s only $5, so, yes, let’s do that too. It’s even better news when we learn pump-outs are free with $100 fuel purchase.

The dock hands are the usual teenagers who tell us about their school and sports, etc. ‘Reece’ even gives us a restaurant tip – Keeper’s Fish Shack – where her sister works. We do eat dinner there and it’s the best perch ever. Nothing fancy, just good food. It’s a family owned business – they live winters in the Keys.

The ice cream shop across the street – House of Flavors – is a 50’s style bebop diner with era music and decor. We have eaten so much ice cream on this trip!

The S.S. Badger

The first thing you notice at the Ludington marina is the S.S. Badger, a ferry that crosses Lake Michigan, taking passengers and vehicles from Ludington to Wisconsin. The Badger is not in service as of August this year because of unexpected damage to its ramp system, and will not resume service this season.

The S.S. Badger is the last coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States. She has provided a fun, reliable and affordable shortcut across Lake Michigan for more than 70 years and has transported millions of passengers since her re-birth in 1992.

In 2016 she received the nation’s highest historic honor when the Department of Interior officially designated the Badger as a National Historic Landmark. She is the only NHL that moves! The 410 foot S. S. Badger can accommodate 600 passengers and 180 vehicles, including RVs, motorcycles, motor coaches, and commercial trucks during her sailing season – mid-May to mid-October.

Aboard the Badger passengers have access to free movies and satellite television, Wi-Fi, Badger Bingo, lounge areas, gift shop, a toddler play area, an arcade, private staterooms, two food service areas, two bars and sprawling outside decks for lounging or walking.

Fishing in Ludington

We are amazed at the number of fishing boats in the water surrounding Badger. They stay way into the evening, even after dark.

I strike up a conversation with a woman in an RV, and I ask her about the fishing. “We go out every year at this time. Yesterday we caught six salmon!”

She is kind enough to share photos with me. I am amazed at the size of the salmon. Captain Pat and I need to learn to fish.

Ludington’s Waterfront State Park

The state of Michigan does a terrific job with the waterfront state parks and memorials in the small towns we visit. Ludington’s lakeside park has metal statues with historical explanations, and a playground. What a fast and pleasant to learn the history of the town.

I’m especially impressed with two of the memorial statues. One pays tribute to the farmers and their hard work. The other is a horse-drawn carriage that edifies that in addition to being majestic and fast creatures, horses have provided countless services to Americans.

Visit with Margie and Bill

Our Looper friends Margie and Bill, who took us to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, also dock in Ludington. One evening we enjoy walking around town and dinner at a local diner.

Margie is more resourceful than me. The grocery is not within walking distance. She inquires at the marina office as to transportation options and discovers there is a public transport service. The price per person is a whopping $1 per trip! So off to WalMart we go. This is quite the eventful ride with some entertaining passengers and driver.

We both depart early morning and head to Grand Haven, where we will dock on the wall for one night. We so enjoy their company and help. Here is their Grand Banks, Crustacean, departing Ludington.

Windy Walk to the Beach and Lighthouse

Captain Pat and I walk one windy afternoon to the breakwall by the beach, to see the lighthouse.

We decide it is just too windy to walk out to the lighthouse. We do see the Maritime Museum and Stearns Park.

We so enjoyed our visit to Ludington. Here are more photos from our stay: