Return of the Badger
The SS Badger is a vehicle/passenger ferry that has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. Its home port is Ludington, and it sails daily during its May-October season to Manitowoc, WI. The ferry is over 400 feet long and is the last coal-fired ship on the Great Lakes. The crossing takes roughly four hours.
I was interested in photographing the Badger as it returned to port. Our visit was in October, just a week before the Badger’s season ended. Its daily return from Manitowoc was at 7:00pm, just 15-20 minutes before sunset. Based on the position of the sun, low, in the sky, I knew there would be some good light on the ferry during our visit.
I wanted to photograph the Badger in context with the city of Ludington, so I decided to try and photograph it with the city lighthouse. Standing near the Badger’s dock, I was able to photograph it as it entered the harbor passing the lighthouse. Using a very long lens (200-600mm), I was able to compress the distance. The ferry ended up very large in the photo!
I’m hoping to return to Ludington soon, perhaps over the winter for some cold weather photography!
My wife and I rode the ferry a few times back in the eighties, trying to avoid the crazy traffic along the southern border of Lake Michigan. I have family in upstate Wisconsin or did then; we live in northeastern Ohio, the route made sense. We never failed to get queasy from the rough ride. We decided the road was a better option. It is an old ship, built for mine sweeping, it does some rock and roll.