Detroit Area Book Tour

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

I headed to the east side of Michigan for 7 events in mid-July.

My first talk was to the Rotarians who meet at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Just prior to this meeting, I was interviewed by Ted Everingham for his cable show "Great Lakes Log."

War Memorial building

Interview with Ted Everingham for Great Lakes Log

President of the Rotary Club

Library in the War Memorial

I traveled all over the metro Detroit area. Libraries and a new indie bookstore -- Pages Bookshop in Detroit -- hosted me for the remainder of my events.

Warren Library 

Salem-South Lyon Library

Romeo Library

Plymouth District Library

Pages Bookshop

Events pamphlet for the Ann Arbor District Library featured ME on the cover!

The Detroit Free Press listed these events as one of the "Best of the Best" things to do in the Detroit area during this week!

I am beginning to book events for 2016, so if you have a library, group or club looking for a speaker, please contact me at:  LakeTrek@gmail.com

Tannery Bay

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

Tanneries (places that cure hides into useable leather) use a lot of water in the tanning process, so historically they have been located near bodies of water. 

There was once a tannery on the shores of White Lake in NW Michigan (the towns of Whitehall and Montague are on the shores of this inland lake).

A developer has been trying to build condos on the old tannery site for years. It took time to do the clean-up on the site, then it took time to get the money together to fund the project.
He named the development "Tannery Bay."

Discarded signs for the development 

 Some of the machinery from the tannery still sits on the shoreline here:

Huge tumbling drums where the hides were mixed with chemicals

Told you they were huge...

 Some of the details of the tumbling drums: 

Inside one of the tannery drums (through a spider web)

Equipment from the tannery

 Discarded bricks

Discarded equipment

 Tanneries were responsible for a lot of chemical pollution both in small lakes like White Lake, and also in the Great Lakes (White Lake drains directly into Lake Michigan).

Restoration of White River in NW Michigan

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

After my presentation in Montague, Michigan the library had arranged for an interpretive walk along the White River.

The White River as it approaches White Lake

Jeff Auch (former executive director of the Muskegon Conservation District) led the walk. Funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) helped restore wetlands, exhume materials from the historic city dump, and plant native plants in the area. 

Jeff Auch stands on clear evidence of the lumber industry in Montague

Jeff points out where the old city dump used to be

Wetlands are a natural cleaning area for our waters and are vital for maintaining the health of the Great Lakes. White River flows into White Lake which flows directly into Lake Michigan.

Japanese Knotweed is an aggressive invasive plant found near these wetlands

As it matures, the stems resemble bamboo

White River Lighthouse

While in Montague, Michigan on my book tour, I had time to tour the White River Lighthouse situated on the channel where the White river merges with Lake Michigan.

White River Lighthouse, built in 1876

It's always exciting to climb the tower steps

Classic "lighthouse library" that could be swapped between lighthouses

4th order Fresnel lens

View from the tower out to Lake Michigan

This wooden prow from a timber schooner circa 1870s sits on the grounds of the lighthouse

Big Rapids ~~ Big Gifts!

I recently had an event at Great Lakes Book & Supply in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Friends (Jan & Diann) from Three Rivers took a road trip to Big Rapids to see me!

You may remember that master woodcarver Bette Hartig lives in this city. She carved a wondrous walking staff for me and presented it to me at my last event at the bookstore.

This time, she presented me with a custom walking stick chronicling my 

GREAT LAKES ISLAND ADVENTURE.

Bette Hartig & me with the two walking sticks

Head of walking stick

Top of stick with custom grip

The covers of all three books adorn the stick along with the tracks of many Great Lakes animals and birds

Now I have a pair of custom sticks...more ART for my home

New Indie in the City!

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

There is a new indie in town...

and it's in  
Detroit's 
 Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood 

on Grand River. 

Pages Bookshop in Detroit's Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood 

A very "bookish" table runner

It's lovely to see a new bookstore in the city of Detroit! Owner Susan Murphy has a passion for reading, books, and connecting this community with books and authors. 

Owner Susan Murphy holds a copy of my new book

The shelves of Pages Bookshop

I will have an event here on 
Thursday, July 16 @7pm

For a complete list of my author events, go HERE.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

I'm often asked about my favorite parts from my over 3,000-mile exploration of the Great Lakes.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 
on Lake Michigan is always on that list.

While touring with my newest book, I took some time to hike the Empire Bluff Trail along this stretch of lakeshore.

And I played around with the panorama setting on my camera to try to capture the scale of this overview...

 This last shot bowed the water out into an arc giving new perspective on that junction of land meeting water.

Leland, Michigan

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

My book tour recently took me to Leland, Michigan where I spoke at the library...

The Library in Leland

...and then signed books at the lovely bookstore in town, Leelanau Books. 

The bookstore always has fresh flowers for their authors!

Thanks to everyone who came out to hear me speak and to get their book at the lovely indie bookstore. Leelanau Books has signed copies in stock, so hurry to get yours!

Perimeter: A Contemporary Portrait of Lake Michigan

While in Traverse City on my book tour, I had a chance to see the art installation:

PERIMETER: 

A Contemporary Portrait of Lake Michigan

at the Dennos Museum.

The Dennos Museum

 Originally commissioned by the Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee, this photographic installation by photographer Kevin J. Miyazaki is now traveling the region.

The "lake wall" 

Portraits are displayed around the room...can you find me?

There is also a screen showing some of the quotes by subjects in this project

 I was honored to be a subject in this project exploring my favorite place, Lake Michigan.

Perimeter will be on display in Traverse City Michigan through 
September 6, 2015.

Learn more HERE.