The Battle of Lake Erie Reenactment

"I am Josiah Briggs!"

...or I will be him (briefly) for the historic reenactment of the Battle of Lake Erie this Labor Day! Josiah Briggs was an American private who served on the schooner Scorpion in this historic naval battle. 

This historic clash marked the first time the British Navy ever lost a battle. The Americans captured the entire squadron of British ships.

Commodore Perry wrote the famous message to his superiors to tell of the Victory:

"We have met the enemy and they are ours!"

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island

It is perfect timing to have this historic reenactment take place when I am embarking on my third Great Lakes Adventure, this time exploring many of the islands of the Great Lakes! This experience will be part of my third book, 

A 1,000-MILE GREAT LAKES

 ISLAND ADVENTURE

which will be published by Crickhollow books of Milwaukee in 2015.

Learn more about this historic event at:  http://battleoflakeerie-bicentennial.com/

And about my participation HERE. 

Tales from the Book Tour: 4 Events in 4 Days!

I traveled Michigan's midsection this week touring with my book. It's always fun to meet people who care about our Great Lakes!  I had events in Glen Arbor, Alpena, Big Rapids and East Tawas.

Alpena Public Library

I also had time to poke around the old Rockport Mine for fossils.

Rockhounding at Rockport Mine

Pier at Rockport Mine

I spoke to the Rock, Gem and Mineral Club in Big Rapids. They meet at Ferris State University.

Science building at Ferris State

Petoskey stone (in the rough)

Boots, Books, and ROCKS 

Lecture venue in East Tawas (sponsored by the Friends of the Library in East Tawas)

Thanks to everyone who came out to hear me read or give a talk about our Great Lakes!

Kayaking to Power Island (in Grand Traverse Bay)

Here is another island I've explored on my 

1000-MILE GREAT LAKES 

ISLAND ADVENTURE.

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

Pipers-a-Ploving

One of the components of my new adventure

[A 1000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure]

is to explore and take part in research projects 

on Great Lakes islands.

In July, I had the privilege of assisting

 with the conservation of the endangered 

PIPING PLOVER.

This diminutive shorebird has been dwindling in numbers due to loss of habitat and increased predation.

The majority of the Great Lakes population of piping plovers nests in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

This year there were nine nests on North Manitou Island

 and one on South Manitou. 

Male piping plover on South Manitou Island

I spent three days on South Manitou watching for the nesting pair there and their chicks.  

Then, I went to North Manitou Island to assist the naturalist Alice Van Zoeren in keeping track of the population there.

Dimmick's Point is closed during nesting season

Using the big scope to find

and identify the little birds

Naturalist, Alice Van Zoeren, near a nest exclosure

Since this bird is endangered, there is funding in place to help restore their numbers. One of the most effective tools researchers have is to identify the nest early and protect them from predators with an exclosure (called that because its function is to keep things out). Adult birds can get in and out to take care of the nests, but predators cannot get at the eggs. 

This intervention alone has increased the hatching success from ~30% to over 90%. Researchers will also take steps to collect any eggs that are abandoned and transport them to a biological station in Pellston -- run by the University of Michigan -- where eggs are incubated and chicks taken care of until they can be released into the wild again.

This is a piping plover nest (no eggs)

Dimmick's Point on North Manitou Island

Watching over the piping plovers was fascinating, difficult work.

The full story of my island adventures will be in my next book:

A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES ISLAND ADVENTURE

There are three birds in this shot. Can you find them all?

UP Bookstores!

Safe Harbor Books, Cedarville, MI

While on my adventures and book tour, I seek out and visit (& shop) indie bookstores along the way.

Books and ice cream? Yes, please!!

Safe Harbor Books in Cedarville also sells ice cream. GREAT idea!

Island Books & Crafts in Sault Ste. Marie  features arts and crafts from regional artists. 

Island Books & Crafts, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Les Townsend, owner of Island Books & Crafts

Thanks to these bookstores for stocking my books! Remember to support indie bookstores in your community and on your travels.

The Importance of Libraries

While touring the Pottawatomie Lighthouse on Rock Island, WI, 

I saw this wonderful piece of history:

The transportable library that the lighthouse service used

These lovely wooden boxes were jammed with books and were fully transportable. 

They could be swapped between lighthouses bringing new worlds to the keepers of the lake lights and their families.

Volunteer keeper shows me the inside of the library

 Imagine the excitement when a fresh library arrived in these remote outposts along the lakeshore!

While on Power Island in Grand Traverse Bay, I saw this festive little house:

Turns out it's an updated version of the little library.

Visitors to the island can borrow a book 

or add a book to the collection.

I think this is the only place where you find the author Jane Austen

shelved right next to Dorothy Allison.

Yes, Pride and Prejudice with Bastard out of Carolina.

I loved it!

I read two chapters of Bastard out of Carolina before kayaking back to Bowers Harbor!

Cana Island Kayaking

My newest adventure will include more than just hiking through the land.

Since I'm exploring the islands of the Great Lakes, I will explore some of these gems of the lakes from the lakes by using a kayak.

Cana Island Lighthouse

Cana Island on the lake side of the Door Peninsula was the first island I explored this way. 

[My kayak is from ADVANCED ELEMENTS and it is an inflatable, high-tech kayak. I love it!]

Check out the video:

A Kayak for my GREAT LAKES ISLAND ADVENTURE

When I began planning my new adventure

1000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure

I decided I would kayak part of the journey to see some of these islands from the vantage on top of the water.

I've done a bit of kayaking over the years, but didn't currently own one. Since my journeys take me far from my home base, I wasn't looking forward to having to hoist a kayak on my car and drive with it tied down up there.

SO, I researched the newest, high-tech inflatable kayaks.

After reading the reviews, I approached 

ADVANCED ELEMENTS

about partnering with me on this adventure by supplying one of their kayaks. It arrived in this canvas duffle:

Here are the specs:

LENGTH 10’5"  WIDTH 32"    

WEIGHT 36 LBS. PERSON/S 1

MAX. WEIGHT 300 LBS. CHAMBERS 7FOLDED SIZE 30" X 17" X 10"

And here is a video showing the easy transformation from duffle to kayak:

Promotional Consideration Given

Rock Island, Wisconsin

 Rock Island, Wisconsin, is just north of Washington Island.

It is a state park and is geologically part of the Niagara Escarpement.

I hiked around Rock Island in June...

Boat house on Rock Island

Interior of boathouse

A large portion of the island was once owned by a wealthy inventor, Chester Thordarson, who made his fortune in the early 1900s creating generators and other things to handle and transmit electricity. He had this lovely boathouse built from limestone on the island.

Limestone on the island

Thousands of forget-me-nots bloom on the island

Pottawatomie Lighthouse

Columbine in bloom