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The S.S. Badger

Left:
Passengers enjoy there time on the open upper deck, as we pull out of Manitowoc.

Below:
One of the television lounges. The ship has satellite television. These are pleasant enough places to sit, read, or watch television.
The SS Badger caters primarily to tourists, these days, and so naturally has a gift shop.
The ship includes a video arcade, so that teen agers can irritate their parents, and vice versa, arguing over all that they are missing by not being on the upper decks.
A small room is set aside as a museum, and quiet room. This is not a bad place to get a brief glimpse of some Great lakes maritime history, as well as maybe catching a little snooze.
Actually, the best place to catch a nap is probably the movie room. The seat recline way back, the room is dark, and no one bothers you. The movie being shown was Blackbeard.
Left:
One of the staterooms. These are fairly comfortable, and offer a fair degree of privacy. In the fall, The badger offers an overnight stay in Ludington, in these rooms, including breakfast.

Below:
The main deck lounge, on the lower deck. This is where most passengers seem to congregate, read, eat, and talk. It is the noisiest place on board.
At the front of the main lounge are the ship's clocks, and the navigation screen. The navigation screen shows the ships position, heading, and speed, as well as time elapsed, and predicted time of arrival.
The ship offers a full menu, and even has a bar. Prices are reasonable.
The main stairway leads from the main lounge, to the Upper Deck Cafe
A look back down the main stairway.
The lower deck hallway, leading to the staterooms, and the movie room, store, and museum, as well as the children's area.
Left:
One of the forward stairways, leading to the upper deck.

Below;
The stairway leading down to the automobile hold. There is no admittance, while the ship is at sail.
The protected aft section, of the lower deck, is a good place to sit, and watch the waters pass.
A look back within the protected lower decks. The stairwell to the right goes down to the car deck. the door off to the right, goes into the main lounge.
A look aft, as we churn our way through the waters of Lake Michigan.
At the aft end of the lower deck, is the entrance to the aft steering room. The Badger backs into it' s berthing, and requires a control station at the rear of the ship for docking maneuvers.
A shot taken through the window of the aft control station.
Passengers hang on the rails, as we catch sight of Michigan. The  overcast is gone, and we have sunshine on the Michigan side.
Badger Bingo is a nice enough way to pass the time, and you might even win a nice T-shirt, a hat, or some other prize. I have not played Bingo since I was a child. It was quite a bit more fun than I thought it would be.
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