Last summer, I was able to cruise Lake Michigan from Manitowoc to Ludington to take advantage of…read moresome opportunities in Western Michigan (another entire story) so the Badger and I became reacquainted. This is my third voyage (I think) on the SS Badger since it began sailing as the Lake Michigan Ferry. On my trip, I got to visit another survivor, the SS City of Milwaukee, sister ship to the PM 21 and PM 22. The SS City of Milwaukee is a floating museum in Manistee, Michigan and you can ever stay overnight in a stateroom!
My family lived in Michigan for a couple of years when I was very young, and we made the Lake Michigan crossing often. My favorite ferries were the Pere Marquette 21 and Pere Marquette 22, ships that had been built in the 1920s and were loaded with Art Deco décor and fixtures. They were absolute royalty on Lake Michigan and it broke my heart to hear they were both scrapped.
Sailing on the SS Badger is like old times, well, sort of. The Badger is very modern compared to her old sister ships. Modern? Built in 1953? Okay, a newer antique I suppose, the last coal-fired ferry on the Great Lakes, in fact, maybe the last coal fired ship on the Great Lakes. (The coal industry was a major customer of the C&O Railroad, so what other fuel would they have used?) The Badger has all kinds of features that scream "1950s!" but she has been modernized with flat screen televisions in the lounge areas (with satellite programming) food service, and there's a bar. The kids can do a scavenger hunt around the ship and there's even a Bingo game in one of the lounges.
Me? I'd rather sleep. Easy enough to do until the kid in the row behind me began kicking the seat. So, I went to take some more photos.
Why not? We were in that part of Lake Michigan where Wisconsin has disappeared and Michigan couldn't be seen yet. Oh sure, you can see both shores at 35,000 feet in the airplane, but you can't have your car along. My car was about 50' below me and should have bene waiting for me when I got ashore. Actually, it was one of the first cars onboard, so it was one of the last ones off. Which was okay because I got to take some more photos.
If you're planning a trip to Michigan this summer, consider going up to Manitowoc and taking the SS Badger across to Ludington. It's even a shortcut to St. Ignace and the Mackinac Bridge. (Same if you're going from Michigan on your way to the Land of Cheese. When you arrive in Manitowoc, you're only a half hour from Lambeau Field so you can tour a shrine of football.)
Not to mention, it's a great, four hour cruise. Just like Mom, Dad, my brother Joe, and I used to do every summer until we moved back to Brown Deer.