Washington Island, Wisconsin

Ironwork on the door

While on Washington Island, I toured the Stavkirke chapel.

Unique Stavkirke chapel

It was constructed in the 1990s following plans from Norwegian chapels built in Medieval times. 

There be Dragons adorning the chapel

I LOVED my time on Washington Island at the tip of the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin.

This is a special place, and the Stavkirke is a unique chapel on Washington Island.

Interior

It is a monument to the Scandinavian heritage of a large number of the inhabitants of Washington Island.

Model of Mackinaw schooner floats overhead

Jackson Harbor Inn

 As always, I will share with you some of my favorite places to stay along my journey. Washington Island at the tip of the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin is a special place.

This island community has around 600 permanent residents and is a friendly place. Many of the inhabitants are descended from Nordic and Icelandic peoples. Sturdy folk used to the ice and cold and not shy about the hard work it took to tame this island...

In June, the most wild thing about this island were the out-of-control lilacs blooming everywhere!

As I rode my bike around the island, the smell of lilacs surrounded me all the way to Jackson Harbor Inn at the NE corner of the island.

 This fantastic inn has a water view and comfortable, spacious rooms.

And when was the last time you fell asleep on sheets dried on the line...smelling of fresh lake air, lilacs, and summer?

AMAZING!!

Sheets drying in the Lake Michigan air!

Spacious, comfortable rooms with fridge and microwave!

View from my room: Jackson Harbor and Rock Island!

 Comfortable outdoor areas to enjoy.

From the inn, it's a short walk to catch the Karfi ferry to Rock Island State Park (which I'll blog about soon!).

Promotional consideration given.

A Fellow Adventurer!

Many people have contacted me about my 

1000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures 

and they've told me about what 

challenge they are going to undertake. 

Many have sought me out to ask questions about the logistics of hiking a thousand miles...twice!

Recently, a good friend of my son, Ben, contacted me for advice.

Josh DeLacy is a thoughtful young man 

and he is on a unique journey. 

Josh DeLacy

From his blog:

The Mission

I am hitchhiking across America in search of stories, and I have some guidelines for my trip:

• No money: no cash, no checks, no cards.
• No interstates: stick to small towns and back highways.

Really? No money? No credit cards?
Yikes!

If you've followed my adventures, you know that if it's going to be a cold night and there's a B&B nearby, I stay at the B&B. 
They are delightful! They even cook you breakfast!

Josh is undertaking an adventure mixed with a social experiment:

Who will pick him up and give him a ride?

Will he be met with kindness along the way, or with anger?

How is America doing along the byways and almost forgotten places?

It's a brave and bold experiment and 

I've enjoyed following his journey so far...from Seattle all the way to Michigan...

Cabin built in 1880 in Eastern Washington 

Colville, WA

Highway 2 in Montana

Josh in Minnesota with some of the people who have been kind to him along the way

That's right. Josh is "Traveling On Trust" in search of the heart of America. You can find out more of the "whys" of his undertaking and follow his adventure here: http://travelingontrust.com/

And while you're there, check out 
"The Inspirations" tab on the blog to find out who has inspired this young man...

Johnson's Island

The first island I explored on my new adventure 

was 

JOHNSON'S ISLAND in Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie.

Deer on Johnson's Island

The quarry on the interior of the island is now an inland bay with a luxury development

Me, my sister Leslie, and cousins Gina and Carrie

There is rich history on this diminutive island connected to the Civil War

Graveyard where the Confederate POWs were buried if they died while on the island

This statue overlooks the bay at the cemetery, forever keeping watch

I will explore many more Great Lakes islands on 

my new adventure!

The NEXT Adventure

Yes, there will be a NEXT adventure.

Just as my first hike around Lake Michigan gave rise to my second journey touching all five Great Lakes, 

the later journey gave rise to my newest adventure:

Exploring the ISLANDS of the

GREAT LAKES

Did you know that there are over 30,000 islands in the Great Lakes and connecting waterways? 

It would take several lifetimes to explore them all! 

So, I will explore a thousand miles of these islands by hiking, kayaking, and even bicycling.

I also plan to explore and even help with some of the research projects on the islands:

• The moose/wolf study on Isle Royal in Lake Superior
• The study of the piping plover on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan
• The Lake Erie water snake research on South Bass Island

I have been weaving this island adventure in with my current book tour. I'm having a blast exploring and researching some our fascinating Great Lakes islands and will blog about them soon!

This adventure will span two years, 2013-14.

It is:

A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES ISLAND ADVENTURE

Walk, paddle, and peddle along with me...

Author's New Title Indie-Only for Three Months

Shelf Awareness has written this article about my idea of pre-releasing my book to the indies!

Author's New Title Indie-Only for Three Months

Go Indie Bookstores!

Go Indie Bookstores!

[If you need help locating the indie bookstore nearest to you, go to Indiebound.org and just put in your zip code!

WHERE you buy your books is important!]

Tales From Book Tour in Wisconsin

The book tour took me to Wisconsin 

this month where I had several events.

The first was at the 

Schlitz-Audubon Nature Center (SANC)

in Milwaukee 

where I gave a lecture on the Great Lakes.

Immature bald eagle at SANC

 This is a wonderful center located right on Lake Michigan!

Jean introduces me to the crowd

 I then headed up the Door Peninsula, taking time to visit the

Cana Island Lighthouse.

Cana Island Lighthouse

 Then I headed to Washington Island where I had the unusual task of delivering copies of my new book to the bookstore there,

Islandtime Books, because my new book was backordered!

A very special delivery!!

I didn't have my car on the island, so I loaded them into the basket of a rented bike and paddeled them to the store. This store hosted me for a signing while I was on the island.

Columbine in bloom

Owner Kathleen Dixon at Islandtime Books, Washington Island

Baileys Harbor bookstore!

My final event in Wisconsin (for now) was at Novel Ideas Books on the Door Peninsula. What beautiful country up that way, and warm, friendly, "book" people!

Anyone curious about why my backpack was along for the tour...?

Tales from the Book Tour!

My name in lights!!

The book tour is taking me all over the Great Lakes region.

Earlier this week, I had two engagements on the same day!

There was an enthusiastic crowd at the Houghton Lake Public Library.  Houghton Lake is Michigan's largest inland lake and it (and the town) are named after Michigan's first geologist, 

Douglass Houghton.

Noontiders in Glen Arbor, Michigan

I also gave a lecture to a men's group, 

The Noontiders of Glen Arbor. 

Lecturing in Glen Arbor

Chatting with members of the Noontiders after giving my lecture

Flanked by Frank (L) and Peter (R) at Noontiders

I'm having a fantastic time on 

my book tour and 

I hope to see YOU along the way!

Book Tour Travels to Grand Rapids

 This week, the tour with my new book

A 1,000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK

took me to Grand Rapids and Lansing.

My first stop was at WJRW in downtown Grand Rapids.

The Grand Rapids River is back within its banks after flooding last month

Host Dave Jaconette welcomes me in studio

I had some time before my appearance that evening in Lansing,

so I visited the Gerald R. Ford Museum

AND

the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum). 

Art at the GRAM

Great exhibits at this museum

The Ford Museum is right on the Grand River

The day closed with an evening appearance at the 

B&N at Lansing Mall.