Day 87 Green Bay to Ludington 81km

As thankful as we were yesterday after arriving at our hotel tired and dirty, and in my case a bit sore and sorry, we are even more grateful for four solid walls this morning when at 0600 we take a peak outside and are greeted with a wall of water. The thunder rolls, the rain falls heavily and the humidity is 100% as we pack up and breakfast. We are on a schedule today, the ferry leaves from Manitowoc at 13:55, and we are more than 40 miles away. The planned departure time is 0800, but we are out the door by 07:30, our weather luck sticks, and it has stopped raining. The fog is as thick as pea soup, but combined with warmth and very sticky humidity makes for another bizarre weather experience. Kerstin is cursing in every language she knows (which makes for a lot of cursing) as we head out of town on county road R. The surface is filled with unavoidable large cracks, it is wet and slippery and the traffic is occasionally unforgiving of bicycles, we get a few rude horns and dangerous passes. The only bright spark is the beaver we startle in a quiet moment, who runs off at great pace, tail wobbling. Respite is found in Denmark


Not as large as the original, but having some of the same charm as well as the same respect for bicycles, the road from here to Manitowoc is a breeze. And what awaits us in Manitowoc is worth the miles and the swearing, a ferry ride! (and if you know Kerstin well, you know she loves a boat ride). The S.S Badger, the only coal fired passenger ship in the US will take us and our bikes over the immense Lake Michigan, 4 hours of ferry riding and we will cross another time zone! We share the 1952 built ship with a large group of Amish, who show just as much interest in our bike trip as all the other people we have met. The fog is so thick that I am glad the ship is modern enough to use radar. Kerstin is in her element, and we settle in for a smooth ride across the lake.


Midway across the fog starts to clear, but in all directions the only view is water, this is one BIG lake! We dock in Ludington whilst talking to our good friends from Missoula, Jenn and Rob, and receive both some good advice and an uplift in spirits from this conversation. With eyes and hearts once again renewed by positivity we spontaneously invite a couple of cyclists, also traveling on the SS Badger to join us for dinner. From Milwaukee, today is the first day of their two week tour of the lakes. Over shared dinner and drinks we share lots more, thanks to Kathy and Sandy for the company and proof that kindness from strangers is not lost! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad