Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 9

The book tour took me to NW Michigan and then across the lake to Wisconsin in July.

I had the great pleasure of being hosted by the 'Book & a Dinner' book club on the shores of Hess Lake. What a great group of women, and the food was all Lake Michigan-themed!!

Thank you to Cindy and her great group of friends for the fantastic discussion, many laughs, and delicious, Michigan-themed dinner!!

Revisiting the Lake Trek: Segment 9

This segment spanned the 91 miles between Manitowoc and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It took me 5 days to hike, and was some of the most rugged lakeshore I encountered on the entire trek. This stretch also had the largest algae blooms (clodophera) I had ever seen on the lake.

I walked the first day of this segment alone, but was then joined for the remainder by my college friend Stephanie ('Stew') Lyon. Lois, from Sheboygan, also joined us for the morning of the second day. Stephanie's cousin Dave joined us for most of the last day. It was wonderful to hike with friends at my side.

Note: You may want to press the 'play' button, then pause it and let it completely load before resuming play. This will allow it to play smoothly.

You can find all videos from the Lake Trek on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/lniewenhuis

Segment 9 Day 1 Manitowoc->Whistling Straits 17 miles

High of 74 degrees.
August 26

I began this segment in Manitowoc and made my way south along the shore. It was great to be back on the lake trek.

This stretch of shoreline varied from sand to rock to very tall reeds. I met Lisa along the way. She was picking up trash on the beach. She said that she used to think, "Someone should pick that up," when she passed trash on the beach. Then it occurred to her that she was someone, so she began picking up trash regularly.

There was an enormous algae bloom (cladophora) along this stretch [bottom photo]. I'd seen patches of this algae other places along the lake, but never like this. The zebra mussels are contributing to these blooms by clearing the water and allowing more sunlight to penetrate the water. The algae can fasten itself to the mussel shells and then feed on the waste from the mussels. When they team up, they can cause these massive, matt-like blooms that the waves then toss up onto the beach. This is a complicated problem to solve.

Lake Crossing

I crossed Lake Michigan on the Lake Express, high speed ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee for the beginning of Segment 9. This catamaran zips along at 35 knots and crosses the lake in 2 1/2 hours.

I drove north and dropped in at LaDeDa Books & Brew in Manitowoc and met Bev Denor, the owner and fantastic cappuccino brewer. She has a funky store that I immediately loved.

Bev set up a dinner for me and Phil and two of Bev's good friends, Terry and Jackie. We talked about books and plays and movies and musicals. It was a delightful evening and I was happy to make new friends in Manitowoc.

Segment 8 Complete!

Segment 8 took me south from Escanaba along the edge of Green Bay to the city of Green Bay. From there I took two days cutting across land on the Door Peninsula to the city of Manitowoc. I took the Badger car ferry across Lake Michigan on the midnight crossing. It was foggy and the lake was calm, so it was like moving in a liquid dream through the night.

This segment was 155 miles total. The total for the trek now stands at 818 miles!

WKZO's morning host, Lori Moore, had me on her show today. It's always great to speak with the woman who puts the broad in broadcasting!

Don't forget to click on the hat on the sidebar to get updates and for a chance to win a Lake Trek hat.

Thanks for following my adventure.

Segment 8 Day 9 Denmark->Manitowoc 25 miles

High of 74 degrees. July 22

This final day of this segment I said goodbye (and a huge thank you) to Vickie. She dropped me back in the town of Denmark and I walked the trail, then country roads all the way to Manitowoc.

It was fantastic to finally be back on the shores of Lake Michigan. I walked my longest day this day, 25 miles, then took the midnight ferry across the lake to Ludington, Michigan. It's a 4-hour passage and the lake was calm and foggy.

A father and son were on the ferry making their way from the city of Green Bay to (of all places) Battle Creek for a baseball tournament. They gave me a lift to my home town. Thanks, guys [and if you e-mail me your mailing address, I'll send you two hats!].

Pictured Rocks

Since I had two days off, Phil and I drove up to Munising and caught the Pictured Rocks cruise on Lake Superior. This was the first national lakeshore designated in the nation.

The next segment begins on Tuesday, July 14. I will hike and camp my way down the shore of Green Bay into Wisconsin. Then, for the middle part of this segment, my friend Vickie will drive me to and from the city of Green Bay to the trek.

I'll finish this segment in Manitowoc and will take the Badger ferry across the lake back home to Michigan.

I can't wait to begin the next segment.