Leaving Manistee Municipal Marina, we headed back out the channel and past the break wall and lighthouse to head a bit southwest in Lake Michigan. We even saw deer on the dunes on our way out.
It’s a beautiful day with calm seas and light winds. Everyone seems to be out enjoying the water today. We have the company of several sailboats, lots of fishing boats and a few cruisers like us.
The coast of Michigan continues to be sand dunes as we travel along about one mile off shore in 40-50 feet of water.
After about two hours we cruise around Big Sable Points and it’s Lighthouse.
Here we turn more southerly to our next port of Ludington. On the way we pass a dammed Lake Hamilton and Ludington State Park.
At the south end of Ludington State Park it is quite evident the park ends as the dunes now sport lots of homes, some very large.
We pulled into the marina and filled up with fuel and emptied the holding tank. That accomplished, we pulled into our slip and connected to water and electricity.
It was lunchtime, so we grabbed a bite to eat in town and walked around. The town of Ludington follows the same history as Manistee with the lumber and saw mills and salt brine harvesting, but differs with Ludington having railroad car ferries transporting railroad cars and passengers between Michigan and Wisconsin.
There is still one operating coal fired steamship that is used today, the USS Badger. She is 410 feet long and seven stories tall and capable of transporting up to 180 vehicles and 600 passengers. The Badger is quite an impressive sight!
After marveling at the Badger, we wandered around the old downtown which is mostly antique and gift shops and restaurants and offices. We found some very old buildings, one a Masonic Lodge and an old courthouse building.
Also walked an older residential neighborhood where homes dated back to 1897. Even talked with one of the owners of a old home who was bemoaning the upkeep required. He and Bill puzzled through how to replace some wooden porch posts.
On our way back to the marina we could not pass up ice cream, so we indulged in Moosetracks!
We then walked the waterfront park with its bronze statues and read the placards describing the history of Ludington as we headed back to the boat. We are all walked out!
Day 100 and 101 Lay days in Ludington
Took these days to wait out the weather. Rained this morning and the wind has whipped up the lake so there are breakers on the break walls. Will be Thursday before the winds and seas calms down.
So Bill and I did chores, relaxed and visited with other boaters. Had dinner with Pat and Cindy from Sunshine one evening.
We did visit the Maritime Museum and enjoyed seeing how boats played a part in lumbering, salt extraction and transporting goods and people. The museum is housed in a 1934 Coast Guard Station building.
Was fun to look at the pictures and models of the variety of boats that plied Lake Michigan from sailing sloops and tugs, and fishing boats to steamers and freighters.
Bill tried to steer the auxiliary wheel of a steamboat that was used if steam power was reduced or lost. He found it was hard to turn, as it usually took two or three men to steer the wheel with steam power loss.
The museum also displayed a local artist’s painted mural depicting life in Ludington during its lumbering heyday, in the late 1890’s. The painting was on a piece of canvas about eighty feet long and 18 inches tall. The mural was displayed along three walls of one room in the museum.
The museum also showed us the role of Life Saving Stations and the Coast Guard in Lake Michigan. A display went into the details of a 1940 freak snow storm that caused 22 ships to run aground or wreck on that day in Lake Michigan. The boats ranged from fishing tugs to large freighters.
There was also a video that took you on a voyage on the SS Badger, showing you her operation as the last remaining coal fired steamship in the US. Was amazing to watch how all the crew work to keep the old ship in operation. We saw how they loaded the railroad cars originally and now how they load cars, trucks, semis and RVs. The ship has several restaurants, a TV Lounge, movie theatre, game room, cabana and outdoor sitting area. All that to entertain the up to 600 people that can be aboard for the 4 hour trip from Michigan to Wisconsin.
There was also a display of Fresno lens and lighthouses that told the story of lighthouses along the Michigan coast and displays of lighthouses from all over the US.
Here are a few we have passed on our trip.
Took a shot of the view from the third story museum window of south beach and the boat channel.
On our way home, Bill saw a large prop and, of course, had to have a picture taken with it. He can't let a prop go by without a photo op.
