Father's Day Trip Getaways
Father's Day Memories
.focus())
(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY/JUNE 2005)
Whether you call him Dad or Hubby, he’s the guy you’ve counted on to put training wheels on the Huffy, teach the curveball and, in short, help the family's dreams come true.
For Father’s Day, why not return the favor by sending him on the trip of a lifetime? This article offers ideas for memorable Midwest journeys, tailored for fans of baseball, jazz, fishing, cars and other pursuits that’ll help him turn those daydreams into reality.
After all, he did the same for you.
Island reposeLife is good in the world of guys. A soft breeze off Lake Superior puffs the campfire’s embers into an orange glow and spreads the scent of whitefish almondine steaming in tin foil above the fire’s heat.
The conversation wanders past football, old wilderness adventures and predictions about the lake’s mood tomorrow. When you’re touring northern Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands in a kayak, after all, talk about wind is never far away.
And to the guys stretched by the fire, talk of the waves we’ll face en route to Sand Island’s sea caves is a beautiful substitute for the cubicles, e-mail and deadlines that normally preoccupy us. For a week, the world consists of a big lake, the legendary Apostles and men who dare to explore them in tiny boats.
Our manly vibe isn’t even dampened by the fact that our leader is a 20-something named Sherie who can out-paddle anyone in the group, or that one of the camp's best hands is Anita from Madison, celebrating her 50th birthday on the trip.
This is an adventure defined not by its attendee list, but its spirit, a this-is-really-living! attitude that makes it the best Father’s Day gift an outdoors-obsessed dad like me could ask for.
WHAT IT IS: Trek & Trail, a longtime adventure travel outfitter in Bayfield, Wisconsin, offers a variety of kayaking day trips and overnight excursions around the Apostle Islands. Several have special themes, including a three-day Paddle Through Time tour ($389) that focuses on lighthouses and other historical sites and a six-day Apostle Island Photo Workshop ($795) in which a professional magazine photographer teaches outdoor photography as you practice it during your island paddle.
Prices include a guide, all paddling and camping equipment and food. Bring clothes, a sleeping bag and a generous supply of analgesic cream to help sore muscles through their coming ordeal.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Though travelers receive instruction on navigation and safety, it's smart to practice kayaking before this physically challenging trip.
PLUS, THERE BE PIRATES: Lake Superior’s voice never sounds richer than when it turns basso profundo with the throbbing of waves against the back walls of sea caves. Skimming into the gloom, it’s full-on fantasyland: Medieval-looking sandstone pillars seem like they could be harboring pirates and dragons.
FIND OUT MORE: Trek & Trail, 800/354-8735; www.trek-trail.com
-Trevor Meers
Treasured hunt
When pheasant hunters doze off in their easy chairs, they probably dream of something like central South Dakota’s Tumbleweed Lodge: You can barely focus on your gourmet pre-hunt breakfast with all the roosters cackling from within the rustling cornfields around the lodge.
South Dakota, the nation’s undisputed pheasant mother lode, hosts about 85,000 out-of-state hunters each fall. There’s plenty of public land available to visitors, but for a first-class experience, try top lodges like the Tumbleweed in Harrold, which offers thousands of acres managed for maximum pheasant production. The services rival any resort’s, but owner Michael Bollweg and his family still make you feel like one of the buddies they welcomed into their farmhouse when they first hosted hunters 20 years ago.
WHAT IT IS: 2-day/3-night hunts run $1,895 a person for groups of five or fewer. All group sizes welcome, including singles. Prices cover all services except for tips for guides.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: The pheasant season runs from mid-October through early January. Private shooting preserves offer a September 1-March 31 season.
ALL-DAY ACTION: If you bag your five allotted roosters before day's end, don't head for the lodge's hot tub yet. Keep hunting for prairie chicken, sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge. Need one more challenge? Test your aim on the sporting-clays course.
FIND OUT MORE: Tumbleweed Lodge, 800/288-5774; www.tumbleweedlodge.com
- Trevor Meers
Pay $0 for a Full Year! Order NOW and pay nothing for your second year of Midwest Living® Magazine! That's 2 full years(12 issues) issues for just $15.00 (plus $4.97 postage and handling). HURRY this offer won't last! ( U.S. orders only)
