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.

Paddling Pearl 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/

I continue to paddle the inland lakes in the Traverse City area. These lakes funnel water to nearby Lake Michigan and the health of these lakes impacts the health of our Great Lake.

Today, I kayaked Pearl Lake west of Traverse City. This lake has land protected by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, so it is not completely ringed by cottages. 

[*Note: If you try to find the boat launch on Wagner Road, it is NOT well marked, so drive slowly to find it.]

Here are some photos and videos from this lovely paddle:

An eagle's nest (below):

A dragonfly emerges...

Kayaking 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/

The entire state of Michigan (both upper and lower peninsulas) are in the Great Lakes Basin. This means that every bit of flowing water you see in Michigan is heading to one of four Great lakes (Michigan, Superior, Huron or Erie). 
Check out this map of the Great Lakes watershed:

This is unique. All of the other Great Lakes states and provinces bordering the lakes have only a portion of their lands draining into the lakes. 

Illinois and Indiana have very narrow bands of their state that drain into Lake Michigan, just those portions right along the western and southern edges of the lake. The majority of both of these states drain into the Mississippi watershed. 

I often kayak some of the interior waters of Michigan. One of my favorite small lakes is Cedar Lake. There are always loons there. Little creeks flow into the lake and then flow out to connected lakes. These waters eventually find their way to Lake Michigan.

Enjoy Cedar Lake (west of Traverse City) 

with me:

Remember, these waters are on a journey.

Taking to the Water

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

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures 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've had time to kayak lately, so I've taken to the water.

I joined a large group of kayakers to paddle a 10.5 mile stretch of the Boardman River. If you've been in Traverse City, you've probably seen the Boardman winding lazily through town. 

This river is over 30 miles long and its headwaters are in Kalkaska. A section of the Boardman has  class 1-3 rapids as it descends into Traverse City!

The section I paddled was from the Brown Bridge Quiet area to Beitner Road. There were only class 1 rapids on this stretch, but several miles past Beitner Road are crazy with rapids.

Here are a couple of photos from that paddle:

And here are a bunch from a paddle I took on Cedar Lake west of Traverse City:

Paddling my Advanced Elements Kayak

Is that a loon?

Yep, a loon!

Spot the turtle

Underwater...

Post Viewed Most in 2014

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

Thank you all for reading my blog! It has now surpassed 150,000 page views!

Here is the most-viewed post from 2014 featuring a unique B&B in the beautiful 
Les Cheneaux Islands:

Dancing Waters B&B

Jim and Betty Struble have life figured out.

Jim and Betty Struble

They own the Dancing Waters Bed & Breakfast 

located on Hill Island which is part of the 

beautiful Les Cheneaux archipelago.  

This collection of Islands snugs up against Michigan's Upper Peninsula about ten miles 

east of Mackinac Island.

This is a watery place that invites boats of all sorts to come and play in these sheltered passages. The Struble's B&B is located on the southern point of Hill Island, so watery views abound.

View from the table that Jim made

The Lakeview Room

I had the "Lakeview Room," but I renamed it the "Peeping Deer Room" because I awoke one morning to a deer looking in my window!

Perfect view

 I brought my Advanced Elements kayak with me and launched it from the B&B's dock. 

Talk about convenient!

I launched my kayak from their boathouse dock

Dancing Waters B&B is comfortable, the owners incredibly knowledgeable about the area, and Betty makes her own breads!

Betty's bread is rising...

Two of the finished loaves (Cherry Walnut and Pecan Apricot!)

The view is breathtaking

Deer visit all day long

Jim is building an addition to the B&B and he has a grand vision for the future. He is a builder and a master woodworker. 

A spiral staircase with a single, central cedar tree trunk will one day grace the outside of the structure.

Jim's woodworking shop

Jim is crafting every aspect of the addition, and the work is impressive. When I found out that he is doing most of it by himself, I was astonished. 

Top of the World!

Treasure Island on Lake Mindemoya

While on Manitoulin Island, I kayaked to the largest island in a lake on Manitoulin.

Kayaking to Treasure Island on Lake Mindemoya

Yep. An island on an island.

A perfect day to kayak

Exposed roots from a tree blown down in a storm

Limestone underneath water

Manitoulin Island is the largest island in the Great Lakes basin. It is also the largest island on fresh water in the world. I spent almost two weeks exploring the island and can't wait to share it with you in my upcoming book, 

   A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure.

Les Cheneaux Islands: Dancing Waters B&B

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

Jim and Betty Struble have life figured out.

Jim and Betty Struble

They own the Dancing Waters Bed & Breakfast 

located on Hill Island which is part of the 

beautiful Les Cheneaux archipelago.  

This collection of Islands snugs up against Michigan's Upper Peninsula about ten miles 

east of Mackinac Island.

This is a watery place that invites boats of all sorts to come and play in these sheltered passages. The Struble's B&B is located on the southern point of Hill Island, so watery views abound.

View from the table that Jim made

The Lakeview Room

I had the "Lakeview Room," but I renamed it the "Peeping Deer Room" because I awoke one morning to a deer looking in my window!

Perfect view

 I brought my Advanced Elements kayak with me and launched it from the B&B's dock. 

Talk about convenient!

I launched my kayak from their boathouse dock

Dancing Waters B&B is comfortable, the owners incredibly knowledgeable about the area, and Betty makes her own breads!

Betty's bread is rising...

Two of the finished loaves (Cherry Walnut and Pecan Apricot!)

The view is breathtaking

Deer visit all day long

Jim is building an addition to the B&B and he has a grand vision for the future. He is a builder and a master woodworker. 

A spiral staircase with a single, central cedar tree trunk will one day grace the outside of the structure.

Jim's woodworking shop

Jim is crafting every aspect of the addition, and the work is impressive. When I found out that he is doing most of it by himself, I was astonished. 

Top of the World!