Fall Colors (Galena - Chestnut Mountain) Trip
October 13-15, 2023
On the spooky day of Friday, October 13th ten intrepid souls ventured out to Peosta, Iowa about 2 ½ hours west in four vehicles primed for some fall colors viewing and to visit the town of Galena. Those that left a bit earlier avoided the heavy rain, fog, and dark of night that most of us encountered. My car had Halloween music playing so the music and weather conditions matched up perfectly. We all arrived by around 8pm and some had dinner together while others did their own thing. We all then got together in the breakfast area of the hotel and played Left, Right, Center and Screw Your Neighbor. We all decided to meet relatively early the next morning to get started with our various activities. Those on the trip included our trip leader (Sheri), yours truly (Russ), Diane, Dave, Pat, Kathy, Mary Jo, Cindy, Sherie, and Frank.
The next morning, Saturday, October 14th we all had a nice complimentary breakfast and then headed to Chestnut Mountain. We consolidated into two cars and headed to Chestnut Mountain for a nice boat ride. It was an hour and a half boat ride down the shores of a portion of the Mississippi River. We saw plenty of beaver and muskrat homes and plenty of bald eagles. Our captain Bob was a seasoned veteran of the river with over 70 years of experience on the river while his first mate was relatively new. The two of them provided plenty of details of the river and the various sites that we were seeing.
Upon completion of our boat ride, we had a nice lunch at Chestnut Mountain. We then headed over to the Alpine Slide as that was included in our package. The Alpine Slide is similar to a bob sled run only a bit tamer. Russ and Sheri raced down the slide with Sheri winning easily. Dave and Frank also raced with Frank winning easily. Mary Jo and Cindy also sped down the slide as well. I would say that Frank and Sheri blazed down the Alpine Slide, Cindy and Mary Jo sped down the Alpine Slide and Russ and Dave meandered down the Alpine Slide. The others decided to not partake in the slide so Frank, Sheri, Russ, and Cindy went a second time. Once you finished the Alpine Slide you took the chair lift up and viewed the beautiful fall colors on the chair lift. Once we all completed the slide, we did a bit of shopping and took some time to look at the fall colors a bit more. After a full day at Chestnut Mountain, we headed back to the hotel while Sheri handled ordering some pizza and chicken for dinner from Pizza Factory in nearby Epworth, Iowa.
Sheri provided so much food for dinner along with water and soda as well as snacks and cookies that she purchased. Her friend Sherie also provided plenty of munchies and Cindy provided some other types of beverages for those so inclined. Upon completion of dinner, we offered some of the leftovers to the hotel staff which they gladly accepted. We then played some more games included Apples to Apples, Name Five, and Screw Your Neighbor. We then all headed off for a good night’s sleep and made plans to meet up the next morning to head to Galena.
The next morning, we met for our complimentary breakfast and Frank and Sherie decided to head back after breakfast while the rest headed to Galena and checked out the various stores and did some shopping. We all did our own thing in Galena with some sticking around for lunch and to watch some football while others headed home. It was a great trip with plenty to do for all. A big thank you to Sheri for putting it all together and thank you to everyone on the trip who helped make it so special.
Enjoy the photos attached of the trip.