Frankfort/Ludington/Muskegon
These next 3 towns are typical of many
in that they lie close to Lake Michigan shoreline with a channel
entering into a good sized harbour or lake. Most of the residents and
tourists have boats and fish! We have anchored in the harbours or
docked at the marinas & fishermen come & go from early in the
morning to late at night. Apparently the last 3 seasons have been
poor fishing and as summer comes to an end and everything freezes
over they are making the most of it. We also found that the towns are
closing down for the fall. Many of the shops depending on tourism
close up all winter as do the tourist attractions.
Frankfort had a lovely harbour and a
small town with a few shops close by but we needed to walk distances
to find what we needed – usually further than the locals told us 'a
couple of blocks up that way'. We were surrounded early morning and
late at night by the inevitable fishermen. We counted over 30 in the
entrance as we left in the morning. We saw water breaking over the
breakwater walls & nearly had second thoughts about going but
after checking the forecast & chatting to a fisherman out there
we decided to go. It was a long and tedious bow thumping trip with
water regularly breaking over the bow. The last 2 hours calmed and we
ended our 8 hour plus trip anchored in Ludington harbour. Lake
Michigan, being such a large body of water, acts much like a sea with
choppy waves, rolling swells and wind causing conflict &
confusion. Although, as Colin says, this is nothing after working out
of the Whakatane bar for years. We often watch for fins or think we
have seen dolphins (of course not, its a Lake) but there's little
life to see – even birds are scarce.
Ludington was another small village but
with the added attraction of some murals. The harbour was large with
a lovely park on the edge and we had a prime spot to watch the famed
'Badger' car ferry come & go close by us as well as all the
fishing boats. It is the only coal fired steam ship of its kind in
the world still in service, is 60 years old, the ship and the boilers
are heritage listed and it crosses Lake Michigan at least twice a
day. When it enters the harbour it drops it's anchor in the centre &
then swings itself around on the anchor to back into the docking bay
with skill – an amazing sight for all who see it for the first time -(no bow or
stern thrusters on this baby!)
Some shops had closed for Tuesday &
most didn't open until 10pm. However I did find a rack of cheap
summer clothing & bought a pair of denim shorts for 99cents! We
decided to go and see their 'Historic Village'. Lots of towns have
these and we have seen our fair share but this one was one of the
best we've seen with over 39 small buildings/sites and being near the
end of the season we were the only tourists there. Most buildings
were furnished in the period with all the appropriate items and
information. It was a bit of a trek to get there -'just up a short
hill and you're virtually there' said the Information lady. There
were 2 and a half hills and Colin was glad we had taken his bike in
the dinghy and motored to the closest landing point. His legs have
not been able to cope with long days of walking but the bike is fine.
Tomorrow it's Muskegon and looking forward to the navy museum.
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