June 24, 25 Pentwater to Ludington

June 24, 25  Mon, Tues   Pentwater to Ludington

Fog greeted us this morning as we rose.  We were only traveling about 14 miles so we ventured out slowly.  Slowly is the key word as the fog was dense.  The radar was helping us navigate, the manual fog horn (Tom) was sounded and our eyes were concentrating on any dark shadows on our route.  The Badger, the car ferry, left Ludington about 45 minutes before we arrived.  That was a good thing because we missed one side of the break wall entrance and did a circle out front to find our way in.   We crawled forward until we found the municipal marina and relaxed a little once we were safely in our slip.  The fog persisted throughout the day until the rain fell and a squall went through.  It was very calm afterwards and visibility improved.  Tom was ready to get out into town after being confined to the cabin quarters for the afternoon.  The Badger returned this evening and brought the fog, rain and cold back with it.  It has been a weird weather day.

The wind blew all night long and the waves were crashing over the break wall by morning.  The sun was out tho which made for a bright morning.  We got our shoes on and started our walk along the river's edge. We were stuck in Ludington many years ago, again due to fog and wind.  At that time the marina was full so we stayed at a small local fishing marina.  We followed the rivers edge and  found that local marina - Thompson marina - looked just the same after all these years.  We walked back to the downtown area and had lunch at the Old Hamlin restaurant.  (It could have been Tom's Family Restaurant) - the salad bar, the decor, the waitresses, regular customers and of course great food.  Back at the boat, the rain came again and Tom napped.  After soup dinner, we walked the channel path and watches the arrival evening of the Badger.  That is a big ship!

Ludington Municipal Marina ( taken the day we left, no fog)
looked alot different in the fog

Squall coming in, luckily safely in a slip

The S.S. Badger returning from Manitowoc, WI. at the end of
the day. She makes the 60 mile trip in approx. 4 hours. The
tickets were $ 89.00 person round trip if you return in 48 hours

Passengers, cars and semi's save time having not to go all
around the lake to get to Wisconsin. 

Backing into her slip. The Captain does a magnificent job of
maneuvering her

Big Sable Point lighthouse north of Ludington. We are headed to
Frankfort.