Enjoying the Lake in Siouxland, Arnolds Park

Recently I took a drive up to West Lake Okoboji at Arnolds Park and spent the day walking about enjoying a cooler day. Temps were in the 60’s with a pretty good gusts coming off the lake.

Choppy waters in West Lake Okoboji at Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

I enjoy cooler days than hotter ones personally, although some younger people bemoaned the fact they couldn’t soak up any sun, of which there was little that day. The water on the lake was also pretty choppy which figured into my plans for taking a tour on the Queen II, an excursion boat that spends about 1.5 hours on the lake giving the riders a bit of history. And the Queen in one of its iterations has been providing this service for decades.

The Queen II dock side in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

I stopped by the office to buy a ticket and heard a couple employees talking about the choppy water and the possibility the ship may not go out. I took that as more probability than not, so found myself a coffee shop for a cup and a snack. And while enjoying myself with a book I had brought along, The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux, I heard the Queen’s whistle blow and knew I had miscalculated. But, with an entertaining read, coffee and a scone I sacrificed. I later found a small art gallery, Summerwind Gallery, and had a nice chat with the proprietor, Roberta, who also paints and explained she is currently working with pastel as her medium of choice.

So I felt my day was still spent well. Not too hot, a bit of a walk, and some really nice artwork to check out. Some days go as planned and some days one makes up as the day progresses. Both types of days are good and I hope to enjoy a few more of them.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Family patiently wait to see riders appear at Arnolds Park Amusement in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The Queen II sits dock side during a windy and choppy day at West Lake Okoboji in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A dock crew fixes a one in West Lake Okoboji after a member of the crew said “It wasn’t like that yesterday” in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

On a breezy day Old Glory flutters in the wind at Arnolds Park Amusement in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Riders on the oldest wooden roller coaster in America show their joy at Arnolds Park Amusement in Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Blue sky favored Arnolds Park, Iowa Friday, June 23, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)