Day 58 – Aug 9, 2015 – SS Badger Crossing Lake Michigan

Day 58 – Aug 9, 2015 – Crossing Lake Michigan SS Badger

We made it to Ludington MI. A new state. We did not really have to ride far, we maybe rode 7 miles today. The crossing was very pleasant, sitting and relaxin the whole time.

The ferry crossing was great. I love ships and this one was special. The SS Badger is the only steam coal fired ship running in the United States. As Gregg said “she’s not a beauty” but there is some nostalgic and a bit romantic about a ship crossing. It is not a ocean or a sea, but a great lake, yet still super cool. The ship was full. We barely fit our bikes into the last stowage left on the ship. There were even about 10 dogs crossing, all in there dog crates barking away. The ship had movies and Bingo and lunch and even 2 bars. It was comfortable. For me it seemed like time flew. A 4 hour crossing felt like an hour or so to me.

I had another trail angel experience today on the SS Badger crossing. I signed up for a massage on the upper deck. It was scheduled for a 20 min massage but I was late. Since we are not riding I don’t really have a sense of the time, and since we were sailing to Michigan our time changed, we are now on eastern time, our last time zone. Ruth, the angel, asked me what I need and she would rush through it while my time lasted. She was wonderful, one of the best massages I have had. Not only that, she was from the same tribe. She had ridden her bike for 2000 miles in Australia, and she is considering, and will most likely do, the AT or the Appalachian Trail this year. There was a lot of healing power in her hands. And for the first time on our trip I felt like I really communicated with someone. She understood and I understood. What a wonderful moment on this trip. Thank you Ruth.

I also had a moment to become a tiny little trail angel myself. We met Jared on the ship. Jared is from Pennsylvania and is studying wilderness and outdoor medicine in Anchorage Alaska. He rode his bike all the way from Alaska, has 1000 miles on us and a very lonely road behind him since he is doing this solo. I felt for him. He said it was not really the physical but the mental challenges that taxed him the most. I can understand that. He is also on a slim, very slim budget, so he has slept in parks, in gas stations during storms, and where ever he can for free. Not anything like what we are doing. I give Jared a lot of credit. It must have been super difficult to do this. He said he had 7 bear encounters all on his bike and none of the bears really paid too much attention to him. But he was tired, very tired. He was having a hard time pushing himself to do the last 800 miles. His eyes looked tired. We talked, we listened, I bought him a beer and tried to encourage him to persevere. He will. Go Jared.

We stopped at an old hotel just off the ferry, the Stearns Motor Inn. It was built in 1905. It is old and rustic but the rooms are super clean and nice. It reminds me of a European hotel, and something that most Americans may not like since it is “old”. I like it and it fits the theme of the day, SS Badger was built in 1953.

Tomorrow we ride again into the countryside of Michigan, a new state for us. Nice meal in Ludington, pot roast for Gregg and crab legs for me.