Across North - day 36 - Manitowoc, MI --> ferry
Today we crossed Lake Michigan by ferry. The day began with a 3.5-mile ride to the ferry,
also called a carferry. This boat is big enough to carry fleets of cars, including tractor
trailers, across about 60 miles of Lake Michigan. Leaving the dock looked like heading out
to sea because there was no hint of land for hours. Two of the loads that went through the
yawning maw of the loading platform were enormous loads of coal delivered by tractor
trailers that had no trouble backing onto the boat.
The lake was 60 degrees and the high in Manitowoc was only 71. I was glad that I'd packed
jeans and a coat for being on the deck. Inside, there were a movie room, a main lounge, a
children's play area with structured games for groups of them, and more that I didn't see.
We loaded our bikes into an area of the boat's storage area and parked them in a compact
way. That is where we had to leave them for the duration. When the boat docked, we went
to unpack them as a stack operation (last-on, first-off). Then we rode to the hotel about
3 miles away. With the crossing of the eastern time zone, we lost an hour and arrived at
the hotel at about 7:40. Not much time was left for dinner or anything else. Tomorrow's
wake-up call is at 4:45.
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