Day 32 Whitehall, MI

Good evening from Whitehall, MI. What an awesome God we serve. Today was another glorious day. We woke early this morning and headed to breakfast. You have to love Super 8's, they always serve a nice continental breakfast. After we ate, we packed up, then headed for Manitowoc. It was 137 miles away and we needed to be at the ship yard by 12:15p.m. I wanted plenty of time to spare for those unexpected delays. We were heading toward Green Bay and we didn't know how bad traffic was going to be. We also needed to find a couple of ratchet straps for the ride. We were on highway immediately and remained on it almost all the way. The sky was cloud covered and the sun was trying to peek through. The news said it would burn off by mid day. It was a comfortable 52 degrees and we left our rain gear in the side bags. We saw more of the farm country Wisconsin is known for. Dairy farms, very large dairy farms. Between the farms were grass for grazing but the cows weren't out. The properties had four to five huge barns and several silo's. We figured each farm held around 1,00 head or more of dairy cows. We were impressed with the size of them. We stopped for coffee and a short break around 75 miles into the ride. We were making excellent time so we could rest for a bit. We stopped at a large truck stop just of the highway. It wasn't just a gas station and store, it was also a casino. The Indians are taking back what we took from them so many years ago only in the form of cash. We couldn't believe that so early in the morning people were gambling. The Indian casinos are certainly a trend in the upper mid west. Every state we have been in since we have returned is loaded with casinos. It's sad to see the poverty in the towns but the willingness to gamble. The store had ratchet straps but they were in four packs and we only needed two. We had a coffee then headed out after twenty minutes. The road to Green Bay was fast and steady so we really had no problem getting through. Before we knew it we were in Manitowoc. It was a pretty town with a population of 34,000. As we neared the ship dock you could tell that the town had sprawled to the outskirts. The village was run down and a lot of properties were vacated. There seemed to be a heavy Hispanic population in the village. It was 11:00a.m. so we had plenty of time to find a hard wear store. We stopped at a Car Quest and found two straps in the sale bin. Thank you Lord, they were only $4 each. We stopped for another coffee then headed for the ferry. I checked in and they had us wait with another couple who were on a bike. The ship was being loaded with coal. The S.S. Badger is the only coal running ferry left in the world. It runs twice a day from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI. I know what you are going to say, “we cheated”. We needed the break and we still wanted to make progress. We rode our bike onto the ferry, strapped it down, and headed to the upper deck. We found a couple chairs on the port side of the boat and waited for the rest to be loaded. At 1:15p.m. they were loaded and we set sail. About fifteen minutes into the ride I decided to take a walk about. Tracy was reading a book so I headed off. I started chatting with the couple that had the other bike and they noticed they were getting black soot in their drinks. The smoke from the stack was billowing to the rear and port sides of the boat. Just as they noticed Tracy rounded the corner commenting she was getting dirty from the smoke. The wind was blowing from the north so the port side was not an option for seating. The boat was large, it is 410 feet long and had two decks. There was sleeping quarters for rent, two eating facilities, a lounge, two T.V. Rooms, a movie theater, gift shop and bathroom facilities. You could sit outside on the upper deck or down below. We had a nice lunch then walked around. We decided to sit on the lounge chairs at the bow so I could take a nap and Tracy could read. The four hour cruise went quickly and soon we were in Ludington. We were off the ship and on the road in twenty minutes. We had gained back another hour so it was 6:30p.m. We rode out of town and headed south. We rode for around an hour and decided to call it a night. The road had patch work on it and trees were on both sides close to the shoulder. We were in deer country, it was dusk, and the speed limit was 70m.p.h. The pain between my shoulder blades was returning so we called it quits. We are only 170 miles from our next destination so it will be a nice ride tomorrow. They are calling for good weather. Thanks for keeping track of us and may God Bless. To God Be The Glory !!!