Turning Ten: Great Adventures in the Great Lakes - 2nd Edition

＂Turning Ten＂, first published in 2000, is a collection of four world class adventures in the Great Lakes region made by children with their father when they reached their tenth birthdays. The stories of these trips are examples of how parents and children can bond as a team to reach challenging goals, with a guarantee of making lifelong memories in the process!

Now, 30 years after the first ＂Turning Ten＂ adventure, this second edition includes reflections about the lasting legacy of these four trips.

One-by-one, each of this book’s four siblings joined the ＂Turning Ten＂ club. Their adventures included backpacking across Isle Royale, canoeing Michigan’s Au Sable River, pedaling in the rear position of a tandem bicycle from Ann Arbor to Mackinaw Island, and paddling in the front position of a tandem kayak 80 miles through Lake Huron’s North Channel. The book is filled with detailed descriptions of their experiences, their thoughts, and the routes these journeys follow.

Filled with adventurous stories, thoughtful reflections, and insightful guidance, this is a must-read for parents everywhere. Get your copy today and learn how you can get closer with your children by bonding, exploring, and achieving.

Dan Ellens is an outdoor enthusiast who spends about 200 days a year living in his hand-built off-grid treehouse in the Michigan forest, with oil lamps, wood stove heat, and hand pumped water. He is retired from a full career in industry and international business, where he worked for a single Material Handling company from start to finish. He currently promotes restoration of natural and agricultural land, self-reliant lifestyles, and outward-bound activities.

As a teen, Ellens pedaled thousands of miles by bike through the backroads of Michigan. In one trip, at sixteen years old, he was away from home on his bike with his younger brother and two friends for 23 days, circumnavigating Michigan’s lower peninsula and riding well into its upper peninsula.

As an adult, Ellens has trekked in mountain ranges of North America, Europe, Africa, Eurasia, and Japan. He has lived in Germany and India but has always considered Michigan home. Upon retirement Ellens turned his attention to his lifelong hobbies, including carpentry, drawing, carving, reading, and outdoor recreation.