Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Hilton and Capital Grille

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Capital Grille is a block from the Hilton

By the time we checked into the Hilton in the late afternoon, we were both feeling a little punchy. Front desk and concierge staff were well intentioned but not particularly helpful, advising us that parking across the street is cheaper than the adjacent hotel ramp.

Unless $35 is now less than $25, the answer was wrong, so we dilly dallied with parking until deciding on the ramp -- very convenient and accessible to the hotel via the second floor.

We're staying on a Groupon ($254 for two nights in a king room). As usual, I opted for the highest room possible, despite Bob's fears about evacuation in case of an emergency. We're on the 21st floor, with a great east view of the city and Lake Michigan in the distance.

Bar at Capital Grille

We had appetizers (clam chowder, sirloin tip sliders, parmesan truffle fries, fresh bread) and drinks (scotch for Bob, cabernet sauvignon for me) at the Capital Grille, a restaurant familiar to us because of a gift card from son Chris several years ago. Great ambience and delicious food.

We were very tired and went to bed early, enjoying the view as the sun set behind us. Darkness fell quickly.

Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: S.S. Badger

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By the time we woke up (too early!) on Thursday morning, my disappointment over missing the Lake Express from Muskegon to Milwaukee had faded and I was looking forward to crossing Lake Michigan on the old (1953!) S.S. Badger. I remember being bored on our last trip in the other direction, but that was a life ago -- maybe 2005 -- and I was more critical then, as I broiled in the hot sun on the deck with nothing to read and nothing to do.

S.S. Badger is old ... but good

The morning was coolish so we both wore long pants and a jacket. We boarded the ship shortly after 8:00 a.m., an hour early as instructed, and almost immediately began to wander to various locations around the ship.

Driving off the S.S. Badger

We lost our spots inside, where people were already gathering for Bingo not scheduled to begin for at least 90 minutes. We sat in the bar for awhile, but it was too early for a drink, especially since walking on the ship wasn't all that easy. It wasn't like crossing the Bay of Fundy in a snowstorm (extremely challenging) -- more similar to walking in a moving motorhome (manageable, with experience).

By the time the sun came out, we were sitting in the stern of the ship looking at Michigan in the distance. A fellow Minnesotan carrying a Vikings blanket stopped to talk to us. She was a professional driver (limousines, private cars etc.) who had driven all the way from St. Paul the night before and crossed to Michigan during the night to pick up her 14-year-old niece for the weekend.

"Aunt Kimmy" is a gregarious person with a good sense of humor. She was Prince's preferred driver during the last five years of his life and confessed that she cried every day in the first year after his death. His phone number is still in her cell phone.

The best part of the trip for Bob was watching S.S. Badger crew drive vehicles on and off the ship. They did so very efficiently, running back and forth between the ship and the parking lot, backing up large vehicles easily, without the need for any kind of adjustment. Three semis were already in the ship by the time we arrived, but we did see them drive out.

We waited about 15 minutes for our vehicle. I43 was under construction so the 80-mile drive to Milwaukee was a little longer than anticipated.

Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Traverse City

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We had planned to stay longer in Traverse City but the promise of the guidebooks wasn't fulfilled as we drove on the town's downtown, a typical unplanned and overcrowded area full of cheap stores. Eating lunch at McDonald's, we pretty much decided to move on.

Old Mission Lighthouse

Stopping at the visitor center changed our minds a little. The office is staffed by helpful volunteers, one of whom convinced Bob to visit the area's wine country. We drove north on Hwy 37, surrounded by prosperous vineyards and beautiful views of Lake Michigan. We stopped at the Old Mission lighthouse, very windy on this late summer afternoon. Time enough for a few photos, but the little lighthouse was full of tourists so I didn't even go in.

Wine tasting at the Château Chantal

On the way back, we turned into the Chateau Chantal Winery. The location overlooking the valley reminded us a of the Napa Valley, where we visited several wineries many years ago. I was a little surprised to see a charge for tasting, but that really is the way to go. No slurpers at the bar, testing every damn wine in the place. Instead, we paid $5 for a taste of three wines (in our case, a pinot noir, a Riesling and a rosé), which we drank on the patio. We were given one of the three glasses to keep as a souvenir. Other tasting options provided the opportunity for full glasses of wine, but we preferred a taste, especially knowing we had an afternoon's drive ahead of us.

Onward, on 2-way Hwy 37, then Hwy 31, to Ludington. Our decision to cross Lake Michigan on the Lake Express at Muskegon was thwarted when I couldn't get a reservation on the 10:15 a.m. crossing. We abruptly turned off Hwy 31 (a nice 4-lane between Ludington and Muskegon) and called the S.S. Badger, where we got a reservation for Thursday morning. My disappointment lifted when we checked into a new Comfort Inn less than ten minutes from the Ludington dock.

We were dead tired by this time and happy to stop for the day.