Day 36 – Ludington, Michigan 7 miles
Fun Facts about Ludington:
Today Dan leaves Wisconsin and enters his seventh state, Michigan. To get to Michigan, he will travel 60 miles across Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes, on a ferry ship called the S.S. Badger. The ferry ride will take four hours.
The ferry will take Dan to a town called Ludington, which is named after a man called James Ludington who owned a lumber mill there over 100 years ago. When Ludington was first built, people there earned their income from logging or Great Lakes shipping.
Ludington is very scenic, with bike trails and a large park, called Ludington State Park, that offers lake beaches and lots of outdoor activities. In the town, there are two lighthouses – North Breakwater Lighthouse and Big Sable Point Lighthouse – which helped guide ships on Lake Michigan with their lights that can be seen for many miles.
At this time of year, Ludington holds the annual Midwestern State Fair which, like our own Ohio State Fair, offers a midway, grandstand shows and 4-H exhibits with children showing the sheep, cows, chickens, and rabbits they raised.
Activities for Children:
Do you think Dan’s ferry ride took a long time today? A great tool to use to help your child understand time is an oven timer. Let him or her help set the timer when you cook.
Here’s a website that has a map and lots of information about the Great Lakes http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/chat/answers/greatlakesmap.html You can help your child find Lake Michigan and Ohio on the map and talk with your child about how we use natural resources such as water, for drinking or bathing or watering plants and flowers.
Books for children about lighthouses that you might find at your local library include Safely to Shore: The Story of America’s Lighthouses, by Iris Van Rynbach and Jules the Lighthouse Dog, by P.T. Custard. You can also look for books about boats, such as Busy Boats (Amazing Machines), by Tony Mitton, or books about maps, such as Me on the Map, by Joan Sweeney.