While the rest of the campground was still fast asleep, we packed everything back in the car (and I mean packed) and headed off to find the ferry. We were second in line and waited while the sun came up. The SS Badger has been a ferry on Lake Michigan for almost 70 years. She has a capacity of 600 passengers and 180 vehicles. We were nowhere near full capacity, and John and I shared the Upper Deck Café area with about 10 other folks. The lower deck areas were more crowded, but we were ok with missing out on the bingo, trivia games and movies. The SS Badger slogan – Big ship, more fun! The lake was a little rough, giving us a slightly rocky ride, but it was a beautiful day to be on the lake. 4 hours later (3 by the clock, as we moved to the next time zone) and we landed in Manitowoc, WI.

Second car on the ferry meant second car off, so we were on the road quickly. Just north of the city we passed the Biden motorcade heading in the other direction. It would have been fun to join in, but that darn Covid keeps getting in the way!

Next stop was Minneapolis to wander in the Sculpture Park, another stop on our Atlas Obscura tour to see the Spoonbridge and Cherry and giant blue rooster . Fun sculptures, nice gardens, and a pleasant break to stretch our legs. It seems like a popular spot for families to spend time – lots of kids running around and families enjoying the nice weather.

A short drive north brought us to our next Hipcamp location. This was Flying “L” Vineyard in Isanti, MN. We had a nice spot for our tent in a field with young fruit trees. There was another group camping on the other side of the property near the vineyard, but far enough away that we couldn’t tell they were there. Our host provided lots of firewood, so we sat by the roaring fire after sunset. We thought we heard a fox yapping as we were turning in for the night, but otherwise had a quiet night. Up again early to make our camper pickup appointment!!