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Gilbert Lodge   Since 2004

                 Gilbert Lodge Blog
         The life and times of Mark and Paula Persons

May 14, 2010:  Mark and Paula arrived at the marine port terminal in Milwaukee, WI.  It all seemed like Grand Central Station on this mostly sunny 55 degree day.  

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Paula posed with the Lake Express ferry boat, which she and Mark booked passage on to cross Lake Michigan.  The boat will hold 400 passengers and 8 crew.  Some people arrived by taxi to make the crossing.    

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Cars were lined up in a holding area including Creampuff, Paula's car.  Interestingly, security was similar to air travel.  They were checked for ID's and the car was looked at from underneath for explosive or other odd devices.  The ferry carried cars, trucks, motorcycles, a bicycle, and of course a lot of people. 

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Cars were driven on to the lower level of the vessel, which has a maximum capacity of  44 vehicles.  They were loaded by weight with the heaviest vehicles down the center line of the boat and the lighter ones on the outside.  The good part was that Mark and Paula did not have to pitheir bags when wthey got to Michigan, the bags were already in the car.      

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The passenger area was roomy and looked much like a commercial airliner.  There is a galley aboard where hot food can be purchased.  Our joke was that they showed the movie Titanic on the trip.  Next trip they are going to show the Poseidon Adventure.

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Hi-Ho...It's off to sea we go! 

Mark and Paula posed near the front of Lake Express.  Behind and below them is the pilot house where the captain spent most of his time.  The boat has four life rafts, each capable of holding 100 people and a zodiac.

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Looking back, the city of Milwaukee was fading into the distance.  The destination was Muskegon, Michigan, some 85 miles away.  With a cruise speed of about 30 knots(33 miles per hour), the trip took about three hours.  There was a 30 mile per hour tail wind from the west and seas were running about 1.6 feet from trough to crest.  The Lake Express is a catamaran, which means it has two hulls to slice through the water with good efficiency and very little pitch and roll. 

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The boat has four 3000 horse power diesel engines coupled to water jets.  The jets are independently steered so docking is easy even in moderate winds.

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Quote of the day:  It was a great adventure for everyone.  Mark