Chick Trip 2006

I realized that because of my absence there is no post regarding this year's Chick Trip! Can't have that!
We went to southeastern Minnesota this year. We stayed in a tiny town called Whalen, just outside the small town of Lanesboro in the bluff country. It is quite spectacular. The river was positively phenomenal! No one got wet, yet we had enough canoe challenges to keep us from falling asleep.

There was a couple with matching little canoeing outfits and expensive canoe with customized seating waiting to put in at the start of the trip and watching our canoes take off. At this particular point we had to immediately get into the middle of the river to go around a bridge support. One of our canoes got a bit close and had to shove off of the concrete with their paddles. The woman of the couple snickered and made a comment about how that was amateurish. I told her that we had a couple of newbies with us, but that I was sure they would do just fine. She grinned sarcastically and stuck her nose in the air.

Throughout the trip we hopscotched each other. They stopped for a picnic and we passed them - we stopped for a quick whiz and a beer and they passed us - they pulled up to explore an inlet - we stopped...well...for a quick whiz and a beer. You get the idea. Every time we saw them we'd waved like we were seeing old friends and this woman was snootier and snootier.

At a particularly challenging portion of the river we were basically neck and neck. There was a small island in the lake with narrow passages to either side. Both required a quick turn in the rapids (I use that term lightly) to avoid smashing into the bank. We pulled up to confer and our party decided to use the left channel. The designer couple took the right. One after the other, our boats made it through. Hooting and hollering ensued with each success. We're paddling around the last of the island and who do we see but the couple - WET! She is standing with her arms crossed and he is bailing out the boat. I waved and yelled that our newbies were doing GREAT!

I took the GPS this year and persuaded a couple of the chicks to go geocaching with me. It was a lot of fun and we got to see some really cool spots. This one was like something out of Indiana Jones and was worth the trip.


On the way home we stopped at the Spam museum. Yes, there is a Spam museum.
Been there - have the t-shirt.

Great fun was had by all and the countdown to 2007 has begun.