Today’s journey was a long one, approximately 92 miles down the Michigan coast.
We say goodbye to Leland around 9 am and the fish smokehouses are busy doing their thing!
Smokey FishtownLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is fairly calm today. We head out into the lake and around the shoals by the North Manitou Shoal Light Station.
The light station sits 8 miles off the shore of Leland.
The North Manitou Shoal Light Station, put in service in 1935, marks a shallow shoal in the Manitou Passage. The United States Coast Guard manned this lighthouse, called the “Crib” by locals, until 1980. From 1980 until 2016, the “Crib” stood vacant and uncared for, although it remained an active aid to navigation with automated solar power equipment. In 2016, four families together bought the lighthouse at an auction and founded the North Manitou Light Keepers, a charitable organization whose purpose is to restore the lighthouse and promote educational historical lighthouse tours. In 2021, with most restorations done, the light station opened for tours. The cost to tour the lighthouse today is $150 per person along with a $25 member fee to the North Manitou Light Keepers.
Since Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the US, it is not surprising we encounter a few more on our travels this day.
North of Frankfort and South of the the Sleeping Bear Dunes lies the Point Betsie Lighthouse, operating continuously since 1858 safely guiding mariners on Lake Michigan. This lighthouse, sitting on Lake Michigan’s shoreline, offers seasonal 1/2 hour tours for $5.00. Those desiring a more in depth experience as a keeper, can arrange an overnight stay in the keepers quarters for a nightly rate of $550.00. Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands tall in the Ludington State Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Erected in 1867, the lighthouse tower is 112 feet high and for $8.00 you can make this climb to the top and be rewarded with an awesome view! Unfortunately, the lighthouse site is one of constant erosion and keeping the foundation in place and the water from undermining its structure is a recurrent and expensive battle. In 1943, the fog signal building, succumbing to the erosion, fell into the lake.Our final light house marker is at the entrance to the Ludington Inlet! We have arrived!Prime 11 docked for the night.
We dock at the Harbor View Marina, which is a very nice newer marina with an amenity not seen much in Michigan… an outdoor pool! Of course, it is closed now, but for a hot day in the summer, a very nice option to have. The laundry room and the boater lounge are both very nice and, as our dinner plans fail from the lack of wait staff at the nearby restaurant, we spend our evening grilling burgers on the marina’s nice grill and catching up on laundry.
Ludington is a small town which seems to have found itself on some hard times. While there are some small stores, a few restaurants, and some local breweries, my walk around town was mainly along streets with boarded up window fronts. I see glimpses of new and thoughtful injections of community improvements and beautification which hopefully will continue.
Community fire pit, shelter and of course the clock tower manufactured by no other than our Cincinnati Verdin Company. The clock tower is a must for every Michigan town!
A community Love Lock Sculpture. Write your name on the lock, secure it to the heart statue and you will “seal your love forever!”.
Ludington is perhaps best known as the home of the SS Badger. The SS Badger is a large passenger and vehicle ferry that has been in service since 1953 and is registered as a historical site in two states, which is quite unusual. From May to October, the SS Badger, named after the University of Wisconsin athletic teams, crosses Lake Michigan’s 62 miles from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It is the last coal fired vessel operating in the US and, with its large deck, has the capacity to haul large tractor trailers and even massive wind turbines. Our marina is located next to the ferry dock, giving us a nice vantage point of viewing its arrival that evening and its departure the next morning.
The SS Badger
Another quick one night stay. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures going lower and the lake getting rougher. One more stop at Grand Haven and then Prime 11 will hibernate until spring.
