The weather was sunny and calm today and looked like a great travel day. It was and, sorry, the video will be a bit dull. From Frankfort to Luddington is almost a straight-shot down the coast with one 30 degree turn. Close to Ludington, we passed the famously photographed Big Sable Lighthouse and the beaches of Ludington State Park.

Big Sable Lighthouse and Ludington State Park Beaches and Dunes

The entrance the Ludington Harbor was marked by the North and South Breakwater Lights and led to a very protected cheery harbor.

We tied up and went into the town to explore a large town full of restaurants and stores. Clearly a resort town, we were told the summer population exceeds 100,000 a 10-fold increase over its year-round number of residents. The harbor referred to as Pere Marquette Lake still celebrates the legacy of the French exploration of this coast.

One of the fascinating residents of the town is the SS Badger - one of the last coal and steam powered passenger/car ferries plying the Great Lakes. We saw this huge ship come in and marveled that after 60 years it still manages to do its job on a 19th century technology and is not a museum. Here she is returning at 7pm on here only run of the day (down from two in the high season) - you can smell the coal burning in the evening as apparently the steam engines have to remain heated 24/7 as they take many hours to heat up to operational status.