Every motorcycle trip brings with it new sights and new adventures. As we head north out of the urban environs of Illinois, the population density gives way to farms, fields and forests in Wisconsin.
On this first day, we encountered the Chain O’ Lakes, the Kettle Moraine, the SS Badger and the Great Lakes.
However, the first novelty of the day was Magellan’s motorcycle.
He sold the venerable Honda Gold Wing which he rode on our prior trips, and is riding his Harley. As such, all three of us have the same bike: Harley Limiteds. We sound like thunder driving down the road. But we all go the same speed and have the same fuel range.
We are also communicating this year. After years of prodding from my Southern friends, I finally broke down and bought a headset so I can participate in the conversation. I am in constant communication with Magellan and Buttercup and am on the CB radio every single second. They should have thought this through more thoroughly. At the end of the first day, I’m through my memoirs -- year two. And there is a lot of riding to do.
We began the day in a McDonald’s parking lot: an inauspicious beginning to an auspicious day. Rather than the traditional departure celebration, we did a sound check and we were off. That is the scourge of the pandemic. We headed north, through the Chain O’ Lakes, which is a series of lakes which are very popular with recreational boaters, and into Southern Wisconsin.
Kettle Moraine
After crossing into America’s Dairyland (the Wisconsin motto), we shortly came upon the Kettle Moraine region. A moraine is the debris in the front of a glacier. Glaciers are immense, and as they move, they level everything in the way – hills, forests and lakes. A moraine is a large mound of lumber, soil and debris in the front of the glacier, much like the mound in front of a snowplow.
The Kettle Moraine is a large moraine created when the Green Bay Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet on the west, collided with the Lake Michigan Lobe of that glacier, leaving sediment. What that means in English, is that this is a huge moraine. A large moraine can have huge kettles. By way of example, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is a kettle. And that is a big lake. A small kettle looks like the following:
The moraine is dotted with kettles caused by buried glacial ice that calved off the receding glacier and was entirely or partially buried in glacial sediment and subsequently melted. This process left voids and depressions ranging from small ponds to large lakes and valleys. Water-filled kettles range in depth from 3 to 200 ft.
The topography of this area ranges between the lakes and kettles and the hills of glacial deposits, which can rise up to 300 ft from the lakes.
We rode the Kettle Moraine Scenic Highway, which at times seemed like a trail.
Note the kettle on the side of "Kettleview Road."
Magellan didn't like Kettle Moraine much. It reminded him of a swamp.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a beautiful state filled with wonderful people. They love their beer and their bratwurst – which is just fine with me. I just don’t get the Packer thing!
People in Wisconsin like to eat, which is fine too. We stopped for some Italian subs in Manitowoc – which is where our ship departs. The sandwiches were huge and fantastic. Buttercup ate his sandwich over two meals.
This is François social distancing at lunch.
SS Badger
The SS Badger is the last coal-fired passenger and vehicle ferry plying the Great Lakes. It is a national historic landmark which shuttles people, cars, RVs and commercial traffic between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin - a distance of 62 miles.
Our ship left from Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Note the coal for fueling the ship.
Both towns are delightful.
The trip takes about four hours. But that is much quicker than driving down to Indiana or over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When out in the middle of the Lake, you cannot see the shore on either side.
We are waiting for clearance to drive our bikes onto the Badger.
The ship can hold 180 cars and 600 people. It is very large.
We are required to lash down our Harleys. And I'm pleased to report there were no casualties.
The ship has "staterooms." I saw one. It is incredibly small, and it is obvious they like vinyl.
It has a nice deck. It also has a bar. After all, this is Wisconsin - the land of beer.
Some liken the Badger to the QEII. But the main attraction on the boat is "Badger Bingo:" amateur comedy and bingo at $1/card -- the show starts with polka music.
The Badger navigates some tight turns, without thrusters or a tug. It was pretty impressive.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes in the upper Mid-West, reaching the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River. They comprise lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area, and second-largest by total volume containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. The total surface area is 94,250 square miles (244,106 km2), and the total volume (measured at the low water datum) is 5,439 cubic miles (22,671 km3), slightly less than the volume of Lake Baikal (5,666 cu mi or 23,615 km3, 22–23% of the world's surface fresh water). Due to their sea-like characteristics (rolling waves, sustained winds, strong currents, tides, great depths, and distant horizons) the five Great Lakes have long been referred to as inland seas. Lake Superior, which we’ll see in a few days, is the second-largest lake in the world by area. Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is entirely within one country. The amount of fresh water in this region is staggering.
Taps
COVID changed everything. At hotels, check-in is altered including reduced hours. Because of all of the issues, our hotel choices were more limited.
We ended up staying at a fantastic, family run hotel on the shores of Lake Michigan. Ludington is a very nice town.
Evening time: After a tough day of riding our hogs, we settled into a micropub. The menu was a thing on the table that you have to use in conjunction with your cell phone. You turn your cell-phone camera on, point it as this haiku, and a menu appears on your phone. Three geezers like us found that task impossible, and fortunately a millennial helped us. Well, the millennial helped Magellan and me. Buttercup had the waiter root around for a paper menu.
I will close by saying that one of us ate healthy.
It wasn't Buttercup as he has to eat pig every day, and had not had his daily ration before dinner. And it wasn't Magellan, as he had a burger as large as a catcher's mitt. Just sayin'.
It was a beautiful day. We did 240 miles today. Last year, on the first day, we did 750 miles. Tomorrow, it is on to Traverse City.
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Hello from Nashville! Enjoy your trip!
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