Another thing about islands? It seems you really can’t help but make friends, as least on a Great Lakes Basin island.

On this day—the day of my book’s release—I’d like to pay tribute to a few of the special “islander” friends I met on seven of the 136 Great Lakes Basin islands I visited. They each have a very special island home, a home that is also a B&B or an inn, to which they welcomed me during the research phase of writing my book Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure. 

Washington Island

. . . Pamela Jean Young of the Jackson Harbor Inn on Washington Island in Lake Michigan (mainland launch: Northport, Wisconsin, at the tip of the Door County peninsula, by ferry) . . .

 Bois Blanc Island

. . . Shelby and Christa Newhouse of Insel Haus on Bois Blanc Island in the Straits of Mackinac (mainland launch: Cheboygan, Michigan, by ferry) . . .

 St. Joseph Island

. . . Sandy Irwin and Clair Campbell of Sunnyside B&B on the bank of the St. Marys River in Sailors Encampment on St. Joseph Island, an island which is in northwestern Lake Huron (mainland launch: Tarbutt and Tarbutt Additional in the Algoma District, Ontario across the St. Joseph Channel, by the Bernt Gilbertson Bridge) . . .

 Hill Island

. . . Jim and Betty Struble of Dancing Waters B&B on Hill Island in the Les Cheneaux archipelago in Lake Huron (mainland launch: Cedarville in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, by bridge) . . .

 Drummond Island

. . . Amy and Michael Bailey of Papin’s Resort on Drummond Island in Lake Huron (mainland launch: De Tour Village, Michigan, by ferry) . . .

Catawba Island

. . . Eileen and Jerry Jarc of Five Bells Inn on Catawba Island in Lake Erie (mainland launch: Port Clinton, Ohio by a bridge you may not even notice; see my blog posting “The Non-Island of Catawba Island” for a photo and more on my quest to find the bridge) . . .

 Pelee Island

. . .  Ron and Lynn Tiessen of Lake Muse B&B and cottage rental on Pelee Island in Lake Erie (mainland launch: Leamington or Kingsville, Ontario, depending on the time of year, by ferry) . . .

Lake View Magic

You may already be familiar with the recent study connecting ocean views with better mental health. I propose the view of a Great Lake has a similar effect in terms of decreasing stress.

I leave you today with one last Book Giveaway Challenge (below) and a few Great Lakes views you may want to view in person, on an island adventure of your own someday soon.

If you need some help planning your island trip, my book Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure is, as of today, “available wherever books are sold . . . ”

Final Book Giveaway Challenge

. . . Or you could win a copy today. This last challenge is easy (if you want a more difficult challenge, Challenge #4 has yet to be conquered).

To win a copy of my book, just pick one of the 136 Great Lakes Basin Islands I visited (https://greatlakesislandescapes.com/…/136-accessible-great…/) that you’ve yet to visit and explain in one sentence why you’d like to visit this particular island in the future.

Karen Valentine of Chicago, has already won one of the two copies connected to this challenge via Facebook. Her winning response was: “I would like to visit Sugar Island, Michigan, because it sounds so very sweet – and probably looks it as well.” Bravo, Karen!

One more responder who fulfills the challenge will also win a copy of my book. (Post your entry in the comment section in response to this blog posting.)