Clay Cliffs

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 hit the trail today. 

It was lovely to get out to the lakeshore and get a few miles under my boots.

With Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore closed at this time (people were not social distancing on popular trails there), I hiked Clay Cliffs Natural Area on the Leelanau Peninsula. This land is protected as part of the Leelanau Conservancy.

This video is the view from the overlook on this trail. The Manitou Islands are in the distance.

Wild leeks were pushing up along the trail...

Downed trees were carved by beetles...

This is a nice loop trail to explore just north of Leland.

Houdek Dunes Natural Area

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 set out on a mild, January day to explore another hiking area preserved by the Leelanau Conservancy. It is located just north of Leland. 

*Note: between this area and the town of Leland, watch for the Yak farm on the east side of the road. Yes...YAKS! 

[They weren't in the pastures today.]

 The Houdek Dunes Natural Area has several trails looping through the property and I hiked most of them. 

Trails are blazed and marked. 

Other creatures leave their marks, too.

A small stream winds between the rolling dunes.

There are many conservancy properties to explore on the Leelanau Peninsula.

And the winner of the MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN AMERICA is...

When people ask me about my favorite stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, I answer without hesitation:

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

Well, it's no longer a secret because it was just voted the most beautiful place in AMERICA by viewers of Good Morning America!









I hope this honor encourages the Great Lakes States (and the nation) to protect and preserve Lake Michigan and the entire Great Lakes system. Funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is an important step in this direction.

We have a national treasure here and it needs our attention and protection so it remains "The Most Beautiful Place in America"!

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 2

Pintail or Merganser Duck??

Duck enthusiasts and experts, please comment: Is this a pintail or a merganser duck? I saw many of them in the greater Leelanau Peninsula area, usually with large broods of chicks.

Seeing this reminded me of the children's book
Make Way for Ducklings

I saw a lot of wildlife during my Lake Trek and tried to convey the wonderful 'wild places' we still have along Lake Michigan's shoreline in my book. Advance copies should be in my hands next week, and I'll be sending out ARCs to reviewers, many bookstores, and to those who walked at my side on the Lake Trek.

The book will be available everywhere March 2011.

From my stack of reading...

Leelanau: A Portrait of Place in Photographs & Text by Ken Scott & Jerry Dennis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book combines the photographs of Ken Scott with essays by Jerry Dennis. And it's all about the Leelanau Peninsula, one of my favorite places in Michigan. Through all four seasons, this team portrays the riches of Michigan's 'pinky,' that spike of land jutting off the NW of the state's mitten.

Ken Scott is a master photographer and his images draw me back to this book. Jerry Dennis lives in this region; he knows it well because it's a part of him. His essays pair wonderfully with the images, rounding out each photo with stories that live.

A great holiday gift for people who love Leelanau!

I read a huge stack of books while doing research for my Lake Trek and I'll share some of them here over the next months leading up to the release of

A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach
March 1, 2011

Here's what Jerry Dennis had to say about my upcoming book:

"In her walk around Lake Michigan, Loreen Niewenhuis accomplished what many of us have only daydreamed about. Her adventure is told with verve and boldness, and she is a clear-eyed observer of the lake and its beautiful and sometimes ravaged shore. This book is a welcome addition to the literature of the Great Lakes."

- Jerry Dennis, author of The Living Great Lakes

To the Lighthouse...

I spent last week living and working at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse located on the northern tip of Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula. This lighthouse warned sailors of the shallow waters and guided them into the safety of Grand Traverse Bay from the 1850s until it was decommissioned in the 1970s.

We volunteers had a variety of tasks over the week. We staffed the gift shop and museum, put up decorations for the holidays, raked leaves, and helped install new museum displays.

Of course, there was time to hike the lakeshore and watch the sunset from the lighthouse tower. It was a full week, and I'll be posting more photos and stories soon.

Segment 5, Day 7 Leland->Suttons Bay 13 miles

High of 86 degrees!

This was by far the warmest day of the Lake Trek so far. And, since I was running out of time on this segment, I had to cut across the Leelanau Peninsula instead of hugging the shore to the tip and then back down. I was sorry to miss the town of Northport, and hope to get back to this lovely area in the fall to cover these miles if time allows.

The first photo here is of Lake Leelanau (the north portion), the second photo is where I crossed between the north and south parts of the lake at the narrows.

I stopped in at Brilliant Books in Suttons Bay. This bookstore had a great selection of Great Lakes books. And, even though I had to carry it for several more miles, I bought a book that I had not seen anywhere else.

This segment ended just south of the town of Suttons Bay at the Inn at Black Star farms. I'll post about this idyllic place soon.