ESSENTIALS - Wisconsin - page 797

Many Midwestern states are beginning discussions about creating a Midwest rail net-
work, with Chicago as the hub and Milwaukee/Madison as one of many branches. Express
light rail between Madison and Milwaukee will probably be debated until the end of time.
There was a minor uproar in 2011 when the state's new Republican governor vetoed any
Wisconsinparticipationinanyoftheseplansand$800millioninfederalfundingwentelse-
where.
BY WATER
The SS Badger ( www.ssbadger.com ), the only active passenger/car steamship left on
the Great Lakes, runs daily in season between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington,
Michigan. A new ferry to Michigan from Algoma, WI, has also been bandied about for
years but nothing yet.
Milwaukee has the high-speed Lake Express ferry (866/914-1010, www.lake-ex-
press.com ) to Muskegon, Michigan, a blessing for those not wanting to suffer the white-
knuckle tour of outer Chicago's interstate arteries.
On a much smaller scale, one of the few remaining interstate ferries left in America, the
Cassville Car Ferry, operatesseasonally insouthwestern Wisconsin.Itshuttlespassengers
across the Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Iowa.
BY CAR
The largest number of visitors to Wisconsin come from the south (read, Chicago) via I-94
(to Milwaukee via Kenosha and Racine) and I-90 (to Madison via Beloit and Janesville).
From Chicago to Milwaukee (I-94 W, 92 miles) takes around 90 minutes. From Chicago
to Madison (I-90 W, 148 miles) takes 2.5 hours. If you're planning to visit Door County
from the Chicago area, as most are, from Milwaukee you'd hook up with I-43 N to Green
Bay and then WI 57 N to Sturgeon Bay in Door County. The trip is 155 miles and takes 2.5
hours.
Next,manycomefromthewest(read,Minneapolis)viaI-90andI-94.FromMinneapol-
is to Madison (I-94 E, 273 miles) takes 4.5 hours; add another 80 miles from Madison to
Milwaukee. If you're coming from Minneapolis to Door County, you'd take I-94 E to WI
29, which is four lanes all the way to Green Bay, and then take WI 57 N to Sturgeon Bay;
the trip is 327 miles and takes nearly 5.5 hours.
However, many in Minneapolis prefer the Bayfield and Apostle Islands National
Lakeshore since it's closer to home. In that case, the route is I-35 N to US-2 E; it's 234
miles and takes four hours.