Neal Rubin West Michigan ferry offers fond memories
Neal Rubin West Michigan ferry offers fond memories Nostalgia for travels on SS Badger drives memorabilia sales at online auctionThe SS Badger has Wi-Fi, which is both difficult and amazing and provided what were probably the only tense moments when she made her first trips of the season Thursday.
While the Great Lakes' oldest car ferry was chugging peacefully across Lake Michigan from Ludington to Manitowoc, Wis., and back, some of the passengers were on their laptops, enthusiastically engaged in an online auction of artifacts from the Badger and some of her sister boats.
They were floating on history while they bid on history, and along with all the shorebound participants, they managed to flood the server and essentially torpedo the last half hour of the auction.
Lynda Matson, who oversees marketing and customer service for the Lake Michigan Carferry Service, thought she was in for a paddling when the phone began to ring Friday morning — but it turned out people wanted to recollect, not wreck her day. They'd once squeezed an orange-colored life ring ($425) or stood on tippy-toes and peered through a porthole ($150), and winning the auction felt like going back in time.
What the Bob-lo boats are to southeast Michigan, it seems, the SS Badger is to the western side of the state. It has a younger, faster competitor nowadays, the Lake Express from Muskegon to Milwaukee, and it's dodging cannon fire from the EPA. But the mention of its name sparks a memory and a smile.
Service since 1953The Badger splashed into service in 1953 carrying railroad cars, automobiles and passengers who wanted to cut some time off the roundabout drive through Chicago.
Only 19 years later, however, the robust Lake Michigan ferry business had dwindled to three boats. Come 1988, the Badger had the field to itself as the rail trade withered. Two years after that, the owner declared bankruptcy and the Badger was idled — but help was on the way.
Charles Conrad of Holland bought it, refurbished it and put it back in service in 1992. The last coal-burning steamship in the United States no longer carries boxcars, but it has a bingo room, a movie room and a play area for kids.
Once a curiosity, the coal has become an issue. The Badger dumps coal ash from its boilers into the lake. The EPA has given the company until 2012 to switch fuel or find a better way to handle the ash, a substance the company president contends is no more harmful than sand.
Ferry Lake Michigan - News
Few places offer a more dramatic display of contrasting geology. The Lake Huron loop road returned me to Michigan at the Sault. Before crossing the Mackinac Bridge, I resisted the temptation to board the ferry for Mackinac Island and spent the next 200
Only 19 years later, however, the robust Lake Michigan ferry business had dwindled to three boats. Come 1988, the Badger had the field to itself as the rail trade withered. Two years after that, the owner declared bankruptcy and the Badger was idled
Here you have the option of making the Lake Michigan tour a half-circle, courtesy of the slow SS Badger ferry ride to Manitowoc, Wis. Two passengers and a car will cost you about $200. A great idea, but we were sticking to the road, which winds through
LUDINGTON, Mich. ()-Ludington's coal fired car ferry may soon become one of the greenest vessels on the Great Lakes. According to the SS Badger website, Lake Michigan Carferry Service is working with DTE Energy on a plan to possibly power the SS
LUDINGTON, Mich. (WOOD) - The SS Badger car ferry first set sail across Lake Michigan in 1953, but recent US EPA regulations have the vessels operators wondering what the future has in store. The SS Badger is a coal burning ship and one
Car Maintenances » Blog Archive » Cars at the Lake Michigan Ferry
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RT : Considering a road trip east to Michigan or farther? high-speed ferry offers fast, relaxing start. 
Considering a road trip east to Michigan or farther? high-speed ferry offers fast, relaxing start. 
milwaukee lake michigan ferry
I guess Tom Izzo is a fan of the ferry across Lake Michigan too. Ferry Lake Michigan - Bookshelf
S.S. Badger, The Lake Michigan Car Ferry
Today, only the Badger remains.Through a unique collection of archival and contemporary images, this book documents the S.S. Badger's historic career as a ...The Great Lakes Car Ferries
The boats will then be able to handle piggy-back loads and tri-level automobile cars which at present are too high for any of the Lake Michigan car ferry ...Lake Michigan passenger steamers
The Milwaukee Cross-Lake Ferry Line The ferry line directly across the Lake ... dated from the Wards' pioneer operations on Lake Michigan in the mid-184os. ...LIFE
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CAR FERRY IS LAUNCHED WITH A SWOOSH IN LAKE MICHIGAN In Manitowoc, Wis. on Sept. 18, the world's biggest car ferry (length 400 ft., ...The Federal reporter, with key-number annotations ...
LAKE MICHIGAN CAR FERRY TRANSP. CO. (Circuit Court of Appeals, ... 1, the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Company, •For other cases see same topic ...Day-to-day Posts Directory
Lake Express - Lake Michigan's High Speed Ferry
America's first high speed auto ferry has delighted travelers on Lake Michigan with its unique blend of modern comfort and speed since 2004.
S.S. Badger
Lake Michigan car ferry that operates from spring through fall between Manitowoc and Ludington.
Lake Michigan Ferry
Lake Michigan Ferry SS Badger. Click on the heading above for everything you want to know ... For lots of reasons, we are partial to the Lake Michigan ferry S.S. Badger. ...
Lake Michigan Ferry - Lake Michigan Car Ferry - Ferry Across ...
Lake Michigan Ferry. Read about the two vessels that serve as the Lake Michigan car ferry to Wisconsin, the SS Badger and the Lake Express.
Lake Express - High Speed Car Ferry crossing Lake Michigan ...
Service on Lake Michigan runs each year from late April/early May through October. ... Lake Express - Lake Michigan's high speed ferry - Crossing between ...
