Today is the fifth anniversary of where all of this began! On March 16, 2009, I stood on Navy Pier in Chicago and then began my walk
all the way around Lake Michigan.
My visit to Navy Pier earlier this month
This adventure became my bestselling book,
A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach.
This year I will complete my third Great Lakes Adventure, this time exploring many of the wonderful islands of the Great Lakes. In May, my journey continues on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. There, I will assist researchers with the Wolf-Moose Study. There are thousands of islands in our Great Lakes and I've had fascinating experiences so far on this journey. I can't wait to share them all with you in the book A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure. The book will be released in 2015.
This has been a frigid winter with polar vortices, snowfall breaking decades-old records, and widespread ice formation on the Great Lakes.
Lake Michigan was just over 93% covered with ice on March 8, setting a new record.
Ice near Chicago
Overall, the Great Lakes were just over
92% iced over on March 6,
not quite breaking the record.
Windrow ice near Chicago
The lakes are dynamic, so the ice breaks up, gets pushed around, and then stacked near the shore making elaborate formations.
Close shot of windrow ice
Peak ice coverage for each Great Lake this year:
Lake Erie – 96.40% on March 6, 2014
Lake Huron – 96.30% on March 6, 2014
Lake Superior – 95.74% on March 5, 2014
Lake Michigan – 93.29% on March 8, 2014
Lake Ontario – 61.52% on March 6, 2014
Some reports stated that Lake Ontario has less ice coverage due to its volume-to-surface-area ratio, but this ratio is similar to Lake Michigan's which had higher ice coverage. I think it's more likely that the inflow from the Niagara River disrupts ice formation at the western end of the lake. The river also carries dissolved minerals from upstream into Lake Ontario which depresses the freezing point of the water. Another consideration is the effect of industrial and municipal usage and return of water at the western edge of the lake which may increase the temperature of the water. One additional factor may be the retention time for Lake Ontario which is only 6 years compared to Lake Michigan's 99 years. This means that the water in Lake Ontario is moving much faster than in Lake Michigan.
I've blogged about the importance of independent bookstores, most recently here. And I've blogged about the indie bookstores visited while on my Great Lakes Adventures. I've even mentioned bookstores encountered when I'm not hiking, like my recent visit to Chicago's awesome Sandmeyer's Bookstore on Printer's Row. For a time, there were predictions that most bookstores would close due to the rise of the eBook (the sales of which have now gone flat) and the ease of purchasing books online.
These predictions were wrong.
Shelf Awareness reports:
"Some 43 independent bookstores opened in 20 states during 2013, including a dozen established stores purchased by new owners and six branches of existing businesses."
Many established authors recognize the role indie bookstores have played in getting their books into the hands of readers. Some of those authors are now giving back. James Patterson, the wildly successful author of thrillers and, more recently, children's books, has pledged to give $1 million to indie bookstores.
James Patterson
These grants are now being distributed. Read all about it here.
And Sherman Alexie proposed that authors work at indie bookstores on Small Business Saturday.
Sherman Alexie, the man with the plan
His plan:
"We book nerds will become booksellers. We will make recommendations. We will practice nepotism and urge readers to buy multiple copies of our friends' books. Maybe you'll sign and sell books of your own in the process. I think the collective results could be mind-boggling (maybe even world-changing)."
Many authors partnered with indie bookstores that day.
I consider my relationship with indie bookstores to be a lifetime partnership.
As an avid reader, I cannot imagine a world without bookstores. They are places of wonder for me, places to discover new works by favorite authors, or discover a new author who will become a favorite. I value the expertise of indie booksellers and trust that when they put a book in my hands, it will be a wonderful read. As a writer, I partner with many indie bookstores to purchase the books I need to illuminate the history, geology, and other aspects of our Great Lakes. I absorb this information and then weave it into my books about my Great Lakes Adventures.
As a published author, I am honored that so many indie bookstores have placed my books on their shelves and into the hands of readers. As a thank you to the indies, I pre-released my second book to a dozen stores so they would have it before Amazon.com. (Details here.)
Author and Indie Bookstore Partner, me, Loreen Niewenhuis
Remember: Where you buy your books is important. Support your local indie bookstore, or find one in your region here. And if you are a customer of Amazon.com, consider this article before you order from them in the future.
There have been many reports about the remarkable amount of ice coverage on the Great Lakes during this frigid winter. The highest recorded total ice coverage on the Great Lakes is 94.7% from 1979 (the most modern data set only goes back to 1973).
On February 12, the Great Lakes were 87% sealed with ice.
Ice builds around Chicago's water intake
A witness to the freeze on Chicago's Navy Pier
Check out the remarkable growth of ice on Lake Michigan over a 4-day period this month here.
Prevailing winds from the west tend to break up Lake Michigan's ice and push it across the lake to the shores of Indiana and Michigan. Large stacks of ice form along the shoreline.
Ice builds around Navy Pier
Ice floe meanders up the Chicago River
The ice coverage will reduce the amount of water that the lakes lose to evaporation this spring. Heavy precipitation this winter will flow to the lakes and raise them up to 11" this year.
Recently, I stopped in at Sandmeyer's Bookstore in Chicago's historic Printer's Row.
The owner, Ellen Sandmeyer, was there and we had a lovely chat. I met Ellen just before my first book came out and she was enthusiastic about my adventure. Both of my books are now on the shelves there!
Sandmeyer's Bookstore in Chicago's Printer's Row
Chicago's annual Printer's Row Literary Festival takes place here on Dearborn street where this lovely indie bookstore is located.
Inside the store with Ellen Sandmeyer!
Remember: it's important WHERE you buy your books! Support your local indie bookstore, or any wonderful indie when you're traveling!
I picked up a copy of Donna Tartt's new novel!
To find indie bookstores wherever you may go, use the store finder on Indiebound.org
Last year I completed about half of my current adventure exploring the ISLANDS of the Great Lakes.
I am currently working on this portion of the manuscript so I can send it to my publisher.
If you've read either of my first two books, you'll know that they are much more than an adventure journal. I do interviews with experts and interesting people I meet along the way.
And I do a lot of reading.
A LOT.
Part of My Great Lakes Library
I track down rare books with the help of great Indie Booksellers (thanks, especially, to Dog Ears Books in Northport, MI, Black River Books in South Haven, MI, and Novel Ideas in Baileys Harbor, WI). I buy textbooks to help me more fully understand subjects like geology and natural history.
Books and notes and research
I collect biographies of unique people associated with the Great Lakes. Recently, I acquired a new book about C.H. Thordarson. This man was born in Iceland, then his family came to America when he was quite young. Thordarson was a fascinating figure -- an inventor, a Chicago businessman -- connected to the Great Lakes Islands. He owned Rock Island which is located near Washington Island in western Lake Michigan.
All of this research allows me to bring fascinating information and stories and people to my books and to share the very best of what I learn with YOU.
This year, I'll complete the second half of this adventure. I'll explore islands in Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario.
I'll also help with the Moosewatch Expedition on Isle Royale this May! Connecting with research going on these islands is a big part of this current adventure and will add a new dimension to the book.
A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure
will be released in 2015.
Until then, follow my adventures here and sign up for occasional e-mail updates:
