From Ludington, MI to Michigan City, IN

Ludington

September 11,12

Like many other towns, Ludington was a nice stop with downtown nearby. There was also a beautiful park right next to the marina, with many sculptures that depicted the town's history. One sculpture, Reflections, was a symbol of Ludington's past when schooners carried lumber from Ludington to other Great Lakes ports. It was also a symbol of the present, representing the pleasures of boating on the waters; and a symbol of the future, moving Ludington forward. This sculpture, one of many, was made by Cleveland artist Irina Koukhavona. Another sculpture, created by Cleveland artist Ron Dewey, represented Ludington's lumbering era and the role it played on Ludington's development.

This park was a great way to learn about the history of the area, without going to museums which often cause museum fatigue!

Ludington is home of the Badger, a coal-fired car ferry that makes daily runs from Ludington, MI to Manitowac, WI. It is the largest and last coal-fired steamship built in the United States that, due to environmental concerns, will soon be converted to diesel. The ship is massive, and watching it dock was impressive. It drops a huge anchor off its bow, and pivots around to dock.

There were a lot of cute stores in town, the best of which was Todd and Brad Reed's photography store. The father-son team puts a new meaning to the term scenic photography. If you want to see amazing photos of Ludington, visit toddandbradreed.com.

We have been having a really nice time with our friends on Mint Julep, General Delivery and Ladybug, meeting for occasional happy hours and dinners, and sharing stories about our adventures. We have been told, and have read about, how gracious people are as you travel the loop. People are genuinely kind, and go out of their way to be helpful. Here's an example. We needed oil, which was hard to find. Rob found a transmission store, and told the owner, Clyde, what he needed. Not having it in stock, Clyde arranged for it to be delivered from Bear Lake, to Manistee, to Ludington. When we went to get it, he knew we had walked there, and without hesitation, had someone from his office drive us back to the Marina. We heard that this is common, especially when traveling down the rivers. As a matter of fact, we were told that it's common for people to just toss over their keys to loopers if they have somewhere to go!

Ladybug, Lady Royal and Mint Julep Docked

Ludington Light House

Louise and Louie

Pam, Bob, Linda and Jim

Russ and Cindy

Russ Watching the Badger Dock

Reflections

Sunset on the Beach

Sunset Behind the Clouds

When in Doubt – Walk It!

Grand Haven

September 13,14

Grand Haven's history is also in lumber. Back in the 1800s, it was nicknamed “Furniture City” because it was one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the United States. We stayed at Grand Haven Muicipal Marina, which was right in town. Shopping, restaurants, and a farmers market were all nearby. And that's not all they have! Right in town was an Eagles Club! Being members, we were very excited about visiting. We had never visited a guest club, and we found out that as a welcome gift, the second drink is on the house! The people were really nice, and the club was huge. We later found out that this is the third largest club in the country. One of the highlights at Grand Haven is their nightly, choreographed music show called Musical Fountains, but we didn't have a chance to see it since the season ended a few weeks ago. We had a great dinner at Kirby's Grill Room, with Bob, Pam, Jim and Linda. I had the best salmon ever and Rob had amazing scallops.

Say No More!

Bob, Jim, Debby, Rob, Linda and Pam

Sunrise

Saugatuck

September 15,16

Saugatuck is a great town. It's an artsy community with many galleries, restaurants, great clothes stores, and specialty stores, including one that sells spices and another that sells oils and vinegars. Our very favorite gallery was Bruce Baughman Studios and Galleries. His new works were awesome. He paints in the reverse on plexiglass, creating abstract images of elements in nature. His works can be viewed at www.brucebaughmangallery.com (David and Ivy.... you would love these!) Saugatuck's history went back to lumbering, and was later turned into a resort town area. We stayed at Singapore Yacht Club, right in the heart of town, where we met a couple who offered us their keys if we wanted to go somewhere out of the area. We had great italian food at Marro's, with Bob, Pam, Louie, Louise, Russ and Cindy.

Pam, Bob, Louise, Debby, Louie, Rob, Cindy and Russ at Marro's

Lighthouse

Shopping!

Saugatuck Ferry

Rob and Britto at Saugatuck

South Haven

September 17,18

When settling in at South Haven, I stayed onboard and worked, and Rob ventured off to check out the town and pick up some groceries. While shopping, he struck up a conversation with Betty, who then gave him a ride back to the marina. (To any kids reading this blog, we don't condone this behavior!) Still with the same boat buddies, we got together at the marina's gazebo for cocktails and appetizers. We've learned something about appetizers: "KISS"... or Keep it Simple, Sweetie! Some mixed nuts, potato chips, or cheese and crackers suffice. The marina was on the north side of the Black River, and town was on the south side, so we walked over the bridge and had dinner at Clementine's. The next day, we walked around, visited the farmer's market, and hopped on a loop bus to go to Walmart, the perfect rainy-day activity! After a long day fasting, we had cocktail hour on Lady Royal, breaking our fast with some wine, chips, made-from-scratch salsa, guacamole, cheese and crackers. Dan and Ellen, It didn't meet up to your break-fast spread, but it was still pretty good! Off to Michigan City!

Beating the Storm

Leaving the Harbor