MOR trip on the Badger Carferry?

We had a great turnout, 16 MOR members met in Luddington for a wonderful trip across lake Michigan. Weather was perfect, accommodations on the boat were very nice. the 4 hour trip gave us time to visit. I highly recommend the trip.

Hi, Pete, Dan & steamboating colleagues:
Dan is on the money Re: the recent MOR trip on the S.S. BADGER from Ludington, MI to Manitowac, WI and return. The ship's ad logo heralds "Big Ship, More Fun!" recalled the days of the lake steamers for a number of us. 'The Lake Michigan Car ferry Co.' is one well thought out and slick operation. The 410 ft. BADGER definitely gives the look and feel of a big ship. In spite of her 54 years she is remarkably sleek and modern outside and in. Her Foster-Wheeler type D coal fired boilers and 2 Skinner Unaflow four-cylinder steam engines rate 3,500 hp each with two 15,400 lbs each steel propellers drive the ship smooth up to 18 mph. Safety/security regs forbid any viewing of the boiler/engine spaces or bridge and with the heavy truck, auto, RV, motorcycle load aboard it was easy to see why. Vehicles are expertly parked aboard within inches of each other by trained crew mostly appearing to be college age. Animals are provided with kennel service on the lower deck. Sister ship S.S. SPARTAN is docked just astern at Ludington, MI and according to Fred Rutter has provided a ready supply of vital parts and equipment.

The interior of the BADGER is immaculate, mostly painted white with blue decks and bright wall graphics. All falls within marine safety regs and I don't recall seing one stick of wood aboard. Two cafeteria facilities, small theater, museum, gift shop, children's play room, Purser/Cruise Director offices, two well appointed bars, lounges. Activities keep children from being bored with games, crafts along with light entertainment with games and music for adults. All of the 43 staterooms were booked going east and west. The MOR cabin was fitted with two lower berths, sink/lavatory--sorry, no shower in the room as that was down the deck. Lay overs in Manitowoc was just a little over two hours due to the heavy summer season. A number of us walked from the pier next to the huge BUD LITE brewery to the farmers market to taste great sausages along with fine pastery, breads etc. sold by a lovely Amish family. The maritime museum is big including the U.S. Navy submarine COBRA. A few hiked across the draw bridge but most of us remained on the pier side so's not to miss the boat. State food reglulations require cafeteria offerings to be either consumed or disposed of at either end. As a result an announcement was made to 'come and get the remaining free food before landing.' Many passengers had been driving all night or day at either port and promptly fell asleep in the cabins, lounges or outside on deck lounges. It gave me the real sense of a working passengers, cargo, vehicle ship of previous years and my memories of the classic S.S. SOUTH AMERICAN were revived.

Smelling the coal smoke and steam brought back memories for many of us. The BADGER coal is brought on the lower deck and dropped through a steel grating to the bunkers below where it is feed automatically into the roaring boilers. There is some 'movement' in Lake Michigan due to wind and waves similar to the ocean. Fred Rutter, and other fellow passengers, recalled crossings on her in 52 knot winds with 18 ft. seas. Her officers are old professionals and know how to wheel the BADGER in and out of port. Her stern bridge/tiller room can be viewed through glass windows as officers tend to the docking using the wheel, telegraph. Sorry, her steam whistle wasn't blown with the air horn being employed. Her pilots docking in Ludington have the touch to 'bounce' her off the heavy wood pilings at the dock so her stern drops in the 'key' before lowering the big gangways for vehicles.

The LMC Co. owing the BADGER is one ambitious venture. They have full cooperation of the civic entities in both ports and contribute greatly to the economy along with boosting the tourist base spring, summer and fall. Our meeting and two trips were not only memorable but slightly different from the previous meetings centering on rivers, steamboats and even canals. The BADGER is a real gem and we all wish her well for many years to come. Many thanks to Frank Prudent and Barbara Hameister for handling bookings, ticketing and other arrangements for the meeting. A report with photo is planned for the September REFLECTOR.

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick - Leland, MI, summer.

Thanks for the review Dale...you are correct on all accounts...
After cruising Badger a half dozen roundtrips I can attest to the environment onboard!

Like the Delta Queen, I'm also a 3rd generation SS Badger passenger!
My former 1992 Buick Regal GS coupe was also a "repeat passenger", having made the 3 of those roundtrips!

Dear Pete:
I knew you would be one to know the S.S. BADGER well. The account of shipping your auto is interesting. The deck crew, as stated, park all vehicles within inches of each other complete with side mirrors turned in to avoid busting them off. Two Harley Davidson clubs boarded at both ports with cycles for the transit. There are still remnants of the old train rails on the lower deck harkening to her rail work as built for C&O Railways. 'Easy access' facilities are provided for those challenged walking or in wheelchairs. Her bow is doubly reinforced for ice breaking conditions in the days when the BADGER and SPARTAN ran in tandem through the winter. I can't begin to conceive what a winter crossing was like in those days. While underway steam escapes from the lower sides above the water and, on looking closer, you can see the underwater jet of coal ashes. Fred Rutter got a closer look than I did during the coaling operation and said the fuel is smaller than nuggets--more like granules. The big coal truck drove in on the Wisconsin side, tipped up, shook a few times to dump the coal down through the steel gratings to the bunkers. On the return trip east later in the day crew members hosed and scrubbed the decks down. It was cool and windy with a storm front blowing up from the south. Forget cell phones in mid Lake Michigan. We called Woody and Bee Rutter back in Marietta, Ohio and tried to reach Doc Hawley on Frank Prudent's phone but with no luck. Coal smuts were evident but not as bad as some expected. The MOR group held a brief memorial on the port side in memory of the late 'Butch' Guenther presided over by Mike Jones with cameras clicking. As far as I know the MOR group was the only--and largest--group of its type aboard for both crossings. A number of passengers and crew approached us with questions as to who we were and where we came from showing such interest in the ship and her propulsion. I'm sure if we had a clutch of S&D brochures we could have nailed a few new members. During the docking operation in Ludinton, MI I talked to two ladies who had been driving for four days from British Columbia to attend a reunion in Michigan. Lots of interesting people from here and several foreign countries were aboard: Central America, Germany, France, England.

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick - Leland, Michian - summer.

My cell phones have worked in the "middle" of the lake when I've crossed...or what I thought was the middle by timing the length of time (on a clear day it's easy) or the brief period where land is not visible to the eye...

Being built for "year round service" is something the Badger has advertised all along, especially since the Lake Express started the Milwaukee/Muskegon route again...

Had a pleasant day trip to Wisconsin's beautiful & popular "east coast" today...otherwise known as God's Country!!! :+) The fresh smell of Lake Michigan's clear-"green" water was refreshing!

I was fortunate on my trip to Kewaunee (which included a stop at Tom's Bakery famous for sauerkraut rye bread, Czech kolaches & Belgian pies!!) on the beautiful & scenic WI HWY 42 to have seen the SS Badger coming from the east off "Twrivers" as the locals say..."Two Rivers" to the rest of us...

Upon my return southward towards US10 & US151, I ventured to the Badger landing in downtown Manty...

Several semis were waiting to get on in addition to a large number of cars, trucks, RV's & motorcycles! I also saw a tour bus waiting to head east that had Quebec license plates... I suppose if it wasn't busy this weekend, it'll never be!
It was refreshing to see the Badger and the crowd of onlookers who had parked on the street alongside her, young & old...even a few families who had a picnic lunch right on the sidewalk! It was nice & breezy, low humidity, some high cumulus clouds and roughly 80*!

In the time I was walking around, I witnessed two truckloads of coal being offloaded...I thought it neat to see on the side of the semi trailer "powered by American fuel"!!! The odor of coal "smoke" was wafing through the lot...and it smelled pretty darn good to me! 2 thumbs up from me!!!!

On a side note...it was nice to see the new road cut in alongside the Anheuser-Busch malt factory & dock that linked right up to 8th Avenue alongside the new city library!

I've always been partial to Manitowoc as my great-great grandparents were married there in 1852 and they lived there for a short spell before returning to Racine as my great-great grandfather was a schooner captain...my great-great-great grandparents also lived there & my g-g-g-grandfather is buried there in Evergreen Cemetery.

Anyways, after all that, a fervent search of the armrest compartment, gloveboxe & trunk of my Roadmaster sedan did not turn up my camera, which I later found sitting on my kitchen counter! Good place for it! I did snap a few pictures with my cellphone...and when or if I get the chance to figure out how to upload them to my computer...I'll post them!