Stats: We rode 40 miles in overcast misty conditions with temperatures in the mid 70's. It rained the better part of the night in Plymouth and continued to drizzle into the morning. That meant I was packing up my gear and tent in the wet for the first time during the trip. Packing in the rain has always been one of our greatest concerns. However I was somewhat delighted to have the opportunity to learn how to deal with it and deal with it I did. After delaying our departure from breakfast at the Mill Street Grill as long as we could hoping the rain would stop, we finally left for Manitowoc in the rain. The first 8 miles were on a bike path where I had another flat tire. It is always fun to change a flat in the rain. Shortly thereafter the rain let up, but we were already thoroughly soaked. Fortunately today's ride was short since we had to cross Lake Michigan in the afternoon. At mile 38 we had a wonderful lunch at the house of a former Cycle America employee which was just a mile from the ferry dock in Manitowoc. We sailed on the SS Badger at 2 pm for our 4 hour crossing of Lake Michigan. On the ferry we took pictures, played bingo and drank a few beers as we crossed. The SS Badger is a coal fired ferry built in 1953 for transporting railroad cars, trucks, cars, motorcycles and of course bikes across Lake Michigan. After docking in Ludington, Bob and I set up camp at Dejonge Jr. High School and headed into Ludington where we joined Tom ( NETH) for a late dinner. The mile bike ride back to camp after dinner was in the dark. With the time change and hour late ferry departure, we didn't get bedded down until 11:30pm Saturday night. At least Sunday is a rest day in Ludington so I could sleep in - which I did until 7am.
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