Growing up in Muskegon, I have many memories of Lake Michigan and of all the other Great Lakes and lakes and rivers that my family visited while vacationing and camping in Michigan. But in summer 2018, I had the unique experience of taking a trip on the M/V James L. Oberstar, an 806-foot ore carrier, with a 31,000-ton capacity. My brother-in-law, Captain Joe Ruch (retired in 2019 after 40 years working on the Great Lakes) invited us to take this five-day trip. We joined the Oberstar in Detroit, made our way up the Detroit River, through Lake St. Clair, up the St. Clair River, into Lake Huron, through the Soo Locks and into Lake Superior. The final destination was Marquette, where we loaded taconite before doing the whole trip back to Detroit. It was a wonderful trip and something that most Michiganders do not have an opportunity to experience. If you are a “boat nerd” and follow the lake freighters, the Oberstar back in Captain Joe’s days was the boat with beautiful flower boxes, flamingos/holiday decorations, and flying a MSU flag, unless he lost a bet on a game with one of his crew!

Pictured: EGLE staffer Suzann Ruch's photo aboard the M/V James L. Oberstar