| On Saturday, September 20th, a hardy group of motorcycling
enthusiasts braved 50 degree weather to begin the annual trip around Lake
Michigan. The first leg involved going north through Wisconsin with
the final destination being the port town of Manitowoc. We would
then take a ferry across Lake Michigan to the town of Ludington. The
second leg would then take us from Ludington south through Michigan and Indiana
then back into Illinois.
We started north up Route 12 and followed it past the Lake Geneva
area. From there we continued through the Kettle Moraine State
Forest areas on 67 which was a twisty, scenic road on which to ride. We
were surprised to see that there were already some leaves that had begun
to change color.
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We stopped for lunch in a town called Lomira. There
by the gas station was a little stand with a sign "Brat Fry
Today". Being in Wisconsin and with lunch time approaching, we
decided to check it out. The brats were great and came with optional
toppings of sauerkraut and/or onions. We chowed down and then headed
on our way. Our direction at this point was to stay on 67 and follow
it northeast toward the Manitowoc area. |
| Our group had to stop in the town of Kiel due to mechanical
difficulties - Jon's right tail light had fallen off. Luckily Paul
saw it and pulled the group over so that we could make the necessary
repairs.
We had pulled over in front of a farmhouse with several people sitting
on the front landing of the house. The were watching us intently and
soon came over. They explained that they were also fellow
bikers and that they wished they were riding that day too.
They offered their assistance and when they found out we had already
completed the repairs they offered to take a group photo for us! It
was good to know that good samaritans still abound. |
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We got to Manitowoc around 1:00 p.m., which is the
recommended time by the Lake Michigan Car Ferry organization to allow for time to load
the ship before the 2:00 departure. We checked in and it was only a
short wait before we boarded the S.S. Badger. We drove our bikes into the lower
level of the ship and then secured them with the required two
tie-downs. We grabbed what we needed from the bikes and headed
upstairs. It was then that we all appreciated our magnetic tank
bags!
We settled in on deck and were surprised that the ship departed exactly
at 2 - not one minute before or after. There were a lot of people on
board, actually more than we had expected. |
| The ship offered a variety of things to do: you could lounge
around on any of the decks, you could eat or drink in the restaurant and bar, or you could hang out in the game or TV rooms. They even
offered staterooms for people interested in staying in the ship overnight.
We hung out on deck in the sunshine and talked to the other bikers who
happened to be on the same cruise. The four hours went quicker than
expected and before we knew it we were pulling into port in Ludington,
Michigan. |
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Once in Michigan everyone had the opportunity to choose the
type of accommodations that they wanted - there were hotels, campgrounds
and some cozy B&B's. Half our group did the hotel route with the
other half taking a chance and camped. Town was bustling as it was
the last weekend of Salmon fishing season so there were people everywhere.
We drove off the boat and the two groups split in order to setup their
accommodations for the evening. My group got to the campground and
proceeded to setup camp. There were people on our site since we had
checked in so late but they left graciously and were very friendly.
Since it was already cool we were grateful that
they had a fire going. They later came over and offered
us homemade ice cream and the use of one of their extra lanterns for the
night. |
| The next morning that same group invited us over for
breakfast. Turns out it was a group of fathers that took all of
their kids camping for one weekend each year. They had quite the
spread of food available since there were lots of hungry mouths to feed.
We broke camp, packed up the bikes and headed south down old BR 31. We then hit County Road B15, which is a curvy, scenic road that
hugs the shoreline. From there we hit County Road A2 which also did
the same. In between there were many lakeshore type back roads that
you could take if you really wanted to get close to the water or drive by
some magnificent homes. |
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We stopped in several harbor towns, including Grand Haven,
to take in the sights. We stopped for lunch in a quaint little town
and ate in a restaurant that was attached to their bowling alley.
The roads from that point south were primarily along the lakeshore so
there was
plenty of opportunities to stop on a beach and get into the water.
When we got into Indiana we hit the returning weekend traffic, so we
got off of the highway we were on and got onto the Indiana Skyway.
From there we ended up going through downtown Chicago. It was dark
at this point but it was a clear night and the skyline looked
beautiful. It was a fitting ending to a very scenic and fun trip. |