Field Notes: The Danger and Scale of the Great Lakes

Join me on the Wisconsin shore as we look out over the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan. In this episode of Field Notes, we explore the unique geography that makes the Great Lakes behave more like dangerous inland seas, and how these treacherous autumn storms inspired the setting of Shipwrecked Faith, and more of my 1930s historical romantic mysteries.

• 00:00 – Reflections from the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan.

• 00:50 – Why a Great Lake behaves more like an inland sea than a typical lake.

• 01:25 – The narrow layout of the lake, wind speeds, and the “wash basin” effect.

• 02:15 – Black Tuesday on the water: The real-world sinking of the SS Wisconsin.

• 02:40 – The distance view of a lighthouse and the sheer volume of these connected waters.

• 03:30 – How the lakes create their own shoreline microclimates.

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