The 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Trails

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 


To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/


I have enjoyed being an Adopt-A-Trail volunteer this year for the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Each month (April thru September), volunteers hike their assigned trail and report on any downed trees, pick up trash, and greet visitors on the trail.

My trail is the Farms Trail which is part of the Bay View series of trails.



It has been wonderful to see this trail in three seasons. This month, the leaves were beginning to change and the old apple trees on the trail were laden with fruit. 
Did you know you can forage in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore? 
Yep. 
It's perfectly fine to pick a few apples along the way.












I usually head to the lakeshore after my hike. This time, the lake was calm and lovely.







Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Revisiting Cedar Lake

 Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 


To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/





One of my favorite places to kayak is Cedar Lake just west of Traverse City.








Loons nest there, so by returning to paddle the little lake I get to see them keeping the eggs warm, swimming with young chicks, then watching them feed the chicks as they get as large as the adults. 



And there are many turtles there. 

This one is a particular friend:


And lots of frogs, but they were too busy to pose for photos.