Michigan and Beyond 2016: TWO AT A TIME.........

OK, so I skipped a day in there but here you go, two for the price of one!

THURSDAY

We were unusually casual in getting up and getting going this day. We knew that we had until 8:30 to travel and besides, it is hard to leave Charlevoix. We did finally leave about 8 and stopped for breakfast on the main street but soon figured out that we all had something that we needed to do before we left. Cherif had to go back to the cottage and both Kim and I needed to shop for things we were short of. Good thing we had a lot of time.
If the other day we did the 'thumb" today was going to be the little finger of the hand that is Michigan. We rode south from Charlevoix to traverse City then North to Northport and then south again along the western shore of Lake Michigan and eventually to Ludington where we had booked passage on The Badger, the car ferry that would take us across Lake Michigan to Manitowak Wisconsin. Our plan was to take the ferry and stay on the west side of the lake. Well you know what they say about plans...............
After perhaps the best day yet of riding, We arrived in Ludington in time enough to have a really good dinner at a local barbecue joint. After waiting in line at the ferry, loading our bikes and tying them down, we settled comfortably on deck only to have them announce there would be at least 2 hour delay in sailing. That meant that we would get to our hotel in Wisconsin around 2 am, so, we opted to cancel that reservation, re book for the morning boat and find a hotel in Ludington. We settled in about 9:30 or so and I was so tired I just went to sleep.

There are always lots of pretty marinas to stop and enjoy the views and check out the boats.

Our best lighthouse of the day was The Grand Traverse. As usual it afforded some really nice vistas to enjoy but we were unable to go to the top of this one. An added treat was a side building that housed a museum dedicated to the Great Lakes role in WWII.

One of the real treats of the day was to visit The Sleeping Bear Dunes national Lakeshore. There are several entry points to this natural wonder, We chose one of the south entries which took us along a 7 mile road with a number of overlook access points. As you can see, it was well worth the stops.

FRIDAY

Breakfast then lining up for the ferry (again). Last night there was a small group sailing but this morning the lines were long and we waited almost an hour to board. Boarding with a motorcycle involves parking the bike and then "tying" it down in case of rough passage. It is always interesting to watch the new travelers figure out how to do this task. One good thing is that while we have to wait to be last on the ship, We get to be the first off. From the terminal in Manitowoc it is a 77 mile ride to Milwaukee and our destination, The Harley Davidson Museum.
Cherif and I were able to visit the museum a few years back but for Kim, this was a first time visit and she was very excited.
If you own a Harley, a visit tho this museum is a lesson in the history of the motor company as well as it's intertwining in the history and culture of our country since the early 1900's. It is great to see the evolution of motorcycles and the similarities of the early bikes to the ones we ride today. While the technology has advance, the basics remain the same.
After a few hours at the museum, we visited a local dealer and then rode back to Manitowoc, had dinner and retired for the night. Tomorrow will be another ferry trip, east this time and maybe some more riding on the coast south of Ludington.