Departing Ludington

Departing Ludington

Our morning began with a visit to Ludington's Sterns Park, a lakefront park with FREE parking, a soft sand beach, and of course, a lighthouse. Built in 1924, the North Breakwater Light marks the entrance to Pere Marquette Lake, and Ludington's port where the historic S.S. Badger extends US Route 10 60 miles across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

2013 marks the 60th year of the Badger's operation as a car ferry across Lake Michigan. The 410 foot vessel makes the four hour trip across the lake twice a day. 180 vehicles can be loaded on the ship, along with 600 passengers, and 60 crew members. A friend of mine was a crew member for a number of years, and often talked about the experience working on a real steam ship.

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