Ludington, tourist town

The guy rides through all these tourist towns, but he never stops to enjoy them, you’re thinking? How come no pictures of what America looks like?

I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.

What with riding to cover the distance, and the grey weather, moving on seemed like the right thing to do.

Then I noticed that I wasn’t having so much fun anymore, and the miles seemed long. I was tired. Luckily Ludington was a little bigger place. Here, the SS Badger car ferry crosses the lake twice daily. And I have a room for $101 for two nights, in a nice plain motel a few blocks off the beach.

I meandered around most of the day. Don your shades, the sun finally showed up.

First the Marina.

Then the older part of town, with lower priced homes.

Main street, with the post office and typical shops.

You might come here and want to stay longer, in a cozy motel, or perhaps a quiet B&B.

I spotted a toy horse on the sidewalk, and got a tour of Sandcastles Children’s Museum—a non profit, 3-story, kids hands-on experience for the young to pre-teen crowd with their parents. Very popular. On a rainy day last summer they had 800 people in there.

There was a charming trinkets and junk kind of place.

Why do people come to a town like this in the summer? Duh, well Hello, there’s this lake over here, several actually, with lots of sand, and the typical summertime warm, and sun, and unwinding.

Funny thing for me, when I walked the quiet morning streets, with a few kids playing outside, and robins and sparrows calling in the trees, I found myself back in Edmonton, when the milkman came by each day with his horse drawn cart. I remembered our shady street, taking the neighbor’s beagle Dusty for walks, playing with other kids on the block.

I remembered going further afield with my bike, around grade six, to the junkyard for wire and ball bearings, then riding to the Frosty Bar with friends at night around age fourteen.

I am here in Ludington, but I wasn’t really here this morning.

The world is so large, and overwhelming, and I keep coming back to those safe moments from growing up, and times spent exploring. I felt amazingly sad and wistful about all those little kids I knew and went to school with.

Last night at dinner with Tom, Jan, and Peter we talked for two hours, just flowing where the conversation went. And we were essentially strangers. Or kids playing in the world outside.

Life is strange. I like adventure and new things, and then something sends me back to the simple places of old. Maybe that’s another good reason to come to Ludington.

It’s also a good reason to ride on and get back to Suzanne. Set a spell. She’s still my favorite person. Ever.