The 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures

Sunday, December 14, 2014

A Different Kind of Walking Stick

While hiking Wellesley Island in the 1000 Island region of the St. Lawrence River, I took a break underneath a tree to watch the water for a few minutes.
When I stood up, I went to brush a stick from my shoulder and found this walking stick insect.









Sunday, December 7, 2014

Up North INDIES


 My final events for 2014 were "Up North," so I stopped in at several bookstores that will participate in the pre-release of my 
Great Lakes ISLAND book 
in May 2015.

All set up for my signing at M&E in Petoskey


Petoskey, MI



Horizon Books in TC


Traverse City decked the streets!


Brilliant Books, ready for holiday shoppers!


Glen Arbor's book shop


Watch for updates about the pre-release of my new book and see the growing list of participating bookstores HERE.


Friday, December 5, 2014

The Parade of Horses


There are over 500 horses on Mackinac Island during the mild months. They are the literal work horses of the island doing everything from pulling visitors in large wagons on tours of the island to shuttling carts full of fresh supplies from the docks.


In November, all of these creatures are shuttled off of the island by ferry to take the winter off on farms on the mainland. 
























Read more about it HERE

Friday, November 28, 2014

Happy INDIE Holidays

I visited many indie bookstores today in Southwest Michigan as they were gearing up for Small Business Saturday.

The Nature Connection in Kalamazoo


Kalamazoo's indie, Kazoo Books



Great Lakes books at Kazoo Books


 Kalamazoo has chosen 
The Living Great Lakes 
by Jerry Dennis as their Community Read for 2015. 
Great choice!

Great indie in St. Joseph

AND, I was able to visit Lake Michigan 
on this wintery day.  


Snow dunes...




Lake Michigan!



Lake Michigan in motion


Yep. This is my lake.


South Haven's Black River Books


Reader's World in Holland


Support your local indies on Small Business Saturday AND all year long!
All of these stores will take part in the May 2015
 pre-release of my upcoming book.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Invasive Round Goby

There are many invasive species in our 
Great Lakes. The majority of them were transported here in ballast tanks of ships from freshwater ports all over the world.

One of these recent hitchhikers is the Round Goby native to central Eurasia. They arrived in the 1990s and in less than a decade had spread to four of the five Great Lakes.

Water snakes are loving this fish...for dinner. Since Gobies tend to just sit on the rocks on the bottom of the lake, the clever water snakes sneak up on them and grab them by the head.








They then drag them to land and swallow them whole. I captured this "revenge on invasive Gobies" struggle on Manitoulin Island.



And, no, the Goby doesn't look too happy about it.

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com



Saturday, November 15, 2014

Handfuls of Manitoulin Island

While on Manitoulin Island -- the largest island in the Great Lakes basin -- I found many fascinating fossils and stones:




Crinoid and quartz



This last one is a fossilized sponge

Manitoulin Island is the largest island in the 
Great Lakes. This is one of the many islands I explored for my upcoming book.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Video Highlights from my Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure



Here are some highlights from my third 
Great Lakes odyssey exploring the 
islands of our magnificent Great Lakes.

Friday, October 31, 2014

A GRAND Finale

On October 26, over 40 friends and family and followers of my adventures gathered on 
Mackinac Island for the Grand Finale of my 
1000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure.

We had a gorgeous day for the hike 


Hiking final miles with Stephanie "Stew" Lyon 

Over 25 people hiked the final miles of this adventure on Mackinac Island.

 I brought along the walking stick carved for me by Bette Hartig of Big Rapids, Michigan. It was an honor to hike the final miles of my final adventure with this custom walking stick.

Hikers ready to head out

Milene, Leslie, Marlene and Theresa stand and wave to the crowd (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser) 

The final steps up to the Grand Hotel (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)

Giving a short talk before dinner (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Toronto's indie bookstore

Toronto!


As you all know by now, I am a fan of indie bookstores. While in Toronto exploring the Toronto Islands (yes, there are islands there), 
I found Ben McNally Books.

Interior of Ben McNally Books

What a great store! I bought two books on the history and geology of the area.

Window shopping

Stop in next time you're in this Great Lakes city, or check out their website HERE.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Second Anniversary of Great Lakes Walk

Two years ago, I completed my
1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk 
at Niagara Falls.


The dramatic finish line




The final miles were along the Niagara River 


Many friends and family members hiked these final miles with me


Gorgeous fall hiking!


The enthusiastic hikers!



Now, two years later, I am on the cusp of completing my 
1,000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure
on Mackinac Island.

I'll blog about that finale soon!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Toronto Islands

I explored the Toronto Islands 
for my upcoming book. 
These small islands tuck up against Toronto's shoreline and are accessible by ferry.

Map of the Toronto Islands


The view from the islands back at Toronto


View from the ferry


Mature trees give these islands a lush, natural feel

They are a wonderful retreat for Toronto's residents and visitors.

Boardwalk along the Lake Ontario side of the island



Plaza and fountain on one of the islands


The ferry

Learn more HERE.