Rose Pedals . . .: Today, We Rest!

Monday, July 29, 2013
Lake Michigan Ferry Crossing
Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan

Today is a scheduled day off the bike. We took a 4-hour ferry across Lake Michigan to the town of Ludington, Michigan, where we will resume our ride tomorrow morning. We are all going to appreciate a day off the bike after the several consecutive days of long mileage we've been riding. We did not need to get to the ferry until 1:15, so we had some free time this morning to sleep in a little and walk around and explore Manitowoc. The PAC Tour crew put on an omelet breakfast for us at 9:00, which was a real treat. Not only did they serve made-to-order omelets, but also a fresh fruit bowl and pastries. We loaded our bikes onto the ferry - the "SS Badger" - and then settled in for a relaxing 4-hour "cruise" to Ludington. We changed time zones again (for the last time on this Tour), and are now in the EDT, so we lost an hour. I'm having a hard enough time keeping track of the day of the week and the date, but I've noticed it totally throws me off when there's a time zone change. The ferry ride was quite pleasant - it was more like a watered-down version of a cruise ship than any ferry boat I've ever been on. There was a cafe, also a buffet/restaurant, they had a movie room with comfy chairs, a T.V. lounge, also with comfy chairs, bingo, games and a "boatique" where you could buy SS Badger signature items.

Did you know that Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great Lakes? Lake Superior is the largest.

The ferry landed in Ludington around 7:00 p.m. (EDT), and by the time we disembarked and rode our bikes the short one-mile ride to our hotel, it was 7:30 . . . almost past our bed time. So Art & I grabbed a Subway sandwich for dinner and made an early night of it. Tomorrow, we're back in the saddle!