When we decided to go to Sleeping Bear Dunes, we had to decide how we would get back to Wisconsin to continue our itinerary. You see, we didn't want to drive through Chicago, so that meant we would have to go all the way back around Lake Michigan or go way over - but then we found that there were ferries that cross the lake.
We originally planned to take the historic S.S. Badger from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. But last summer, they had an issue with the loading dock so they ended their season abruptly. They worked in the off season to get the repairs done, but they weren't quite sure when their 2024 season would begin, so we altered our plans to take the Lake Express High Speed Ferry from Muskegon, Michigan, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The ferry takes about 2 1/2 hours to cross. We were scheduled on the 10:15 ferry, so we were in line around 9:30 AM. There were only a few cars already there. We had booked our tickets in advance to be sure we could cross when we needed to. That was a good idea because the ferry was full of vehicles.
When we arrived at the ferry terminal, we went through security. The security officer wanted us to lift the hood and trunk for inspection (he has to do so many for each load), but we couldn't figure out how to open the hood! (We looked it up and know how now.) He let us pass with just the general visual inspection underneath. I was afraid when we popped the hatch on the back of our Outback that things might have shifted and fall out. Thankfully that didn't happen.
Here is the ferry coming in.
DH drove our vehicle onboard while I boarded with the other passengers.
We went up top to get a few pictures and then settled into the cabin for the ride. We met a couple of older ladies who had been visiting where they grew up in Michigan and were headed back to Wisconsin. They were fun to talk with and helped make the time go fast.
About 10 minutes before we were docking in Milwaukee, we were instructed to go to our vehicles so we would be ready to exit the ferry. It was so efficient and we were off the boat pretty quickly once the ferry was tied up at the dock.
From there, we drove the 10 minutes into downtown Milwaukee where we stopped at Usingers and the Wisconsin Cheese Mart to pick up summer sausage and a variety of cheeses. We had been in Milwaukee in 2011 and stayed at the Hyatt hotel near there and had walked over nearly every day we were there. It was a bit nostalgic to go back - and we have been enjoying the summer sausage and cheese while still on the trip!
Have you had summer sausage from Usingers?
Do you have a favorite type of cheese?
~ Cindy D.
No comments:
Post a Comment