We began our day today with a sail across Lake Michigan from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The sail was aboard the SS Badger, the last coal-fired steamship in service in the country. Although the crossing took four hours aboard the boat, it saved at least 8 hours of driving around Lake Michigan, including through Chicago. Not my idea of a good time!

We had to be at the pier at 8:00 am for boarding. Although we got to sleep late the night before, we made sure to get up in plenty of time to arrive early. So did quite a few other passengers.

The SS Badger is a venerable ship that was first commissioned in 1953. It was used for almost 40 years to transport railroad cars across the lake. In 1992 it was converted to a car ferry, but the evidence of its earlier days remains in the railroad tracks embedded in the lower deck.

When we got settled on the ship for the crossing, we discovered we had claimed seats in the Bingo lounge. Apparently a favorite tradition on the Badger is a spirited four-hour session of Bingo! Who knew? The lounge was crowded with a group who played every version of Bingo ever invented for the entire crossing. The caller’s jokes were older than the boat, too. Still, everyone was having so much fun that we had to laugh along. And take necessary walks to get a break now and then.

One of the features of doing a car ferry on the Badger is that the crew loads all of the vehicles. You leave your keys in your vehicle and board on foot. This gives you the strange experience of watching your vehicle back onto the boat under someone else’s control, like this:

The process is reversed when you land on the other side of the lake. When you walk off the boat, your vehicle is waiting for you in the parking lot.

After we were reunited with our home on wheels, we headed for Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. We would be spending a few days with Sharon Lubkeman and her husband Andy Welhouse. Sharon is my father’s god-daughter, and I spent a few days with her and Andy last summer when they came to visit my dad at the Cape. While we were together, Sharon mentioned that they have a “camping spot” near their home in Beaver Dam, and we were welcome to join them there if we were in the area. Not being one to pass up such an invitation, I planned this route with a visit in mind. And am I glad I did!

Sharon and Andy’s camping spot is a 35-acre property about a half hour drive from their home. Part of it is a cornfield rented by a local farmer, and the rest is an outdoors person’s paradise. There is a large building housing lots of equipment and tools that share space with an open kitchen, living area, and wood-fired sauna on the first floor. Sleeping quarters are upstairs. There’s a big front porch to shelter from the rain and sun. There’s a big fire pit with a grill and benches to sit around. There’s a large garden where pumpkins, squash, cabbages, beans, the occasional tomatoes, and other veggies are happily growing. There is a cultivated mushroom patch, and a wild one, too. There’s a stream running through part of the property, great for cooling off and summer fun. There’s a set of disc golf holes. And on top, it’s also heaven for dogs. Our Gracie and their handsome collie, Roy, had a ball running through the grass and brush, chasing a ball and chasing each other, and having non-stop dog fun. I’m sure Gracie would say that her days there were her favorite part of the trip!

There was a full day of exploring planned for the next day, so we went off to get some sleep. More adventures to come tomorrow!