"A Visit to an Old Friend" Ludington by riorich55

Back in 2003 I reconnected via the web with my best friend from my early teen years. We were the best of friends for about 3 years and since he was a year older then me I always considered him like a big brother. His dad was transferred after my freshman year in High School and even though we communicated with each other for a few years we eventually lost touch when we started our college days (way before the internet age).

So reconnecting after 35 years was exciting for me. We eventually got together for dinner a couple of years ago when he and his wife were in Chicago for a conference (they are both university professors) and in early August, 2012 my wife and I travelled the 240 miles up to their home in Ludington, Michigan.

The picture is their home behind the old hotel sign. The old hotel is actually behind their house.

Looking Toward Downtown

When my wife and I go on road trips we do make frequent stops along the way. This trip was no exception. We had left our house at 10:30 a.m. and by the time we pulled into my friends driveway it was about 5:15 p.m. (lost an hour due to time change). After a tour of their house, we settled in for the evening of friendship and food.

The next morning after breakfast, we took a stroll through town visiting several of the numerous antique stores, the harbor front and generally soaking up the atmosphere of a small midwest town.

Ludington is a tourist town through the summer with many people from the Chicago and Detroit area heading further north to escape the summer heat. It would be very interesting to visit the town in the fall with the beautiful fall colors or taking in the winter when Lake Michigan puts on its winter coat of ice and snow.

Sand Dunes

All along Lake Michigan's eastern border you will find miles upon miles of sand dunes since the winds typically flow from west to east across the lake. On the afternoon of our second day we took a short tour and hike of Ludington State Park which was about a 10 minute ride north from the heart of Ludington.

When you get out and walk among the dunes you get a good sense of Mother Nature and her ever changing moods. Earlier that morning a rather quick violent storm had moved through the area which downed several trees and blew some of the sand around so that once clear walking paths were covered with the shifting sand.

My friend dons cross country skis during the winter months and skis these walking trails.

• Pros:Friends, Shops, Harborfront
• Cons:Not Close Enough to Chicago for a Day Trip
• In a nutshell:Tranquil Small Midwest Town