Adventurous Escapes
Camping and Fishing
Past Destinations
Black Hawk State Park
Camping, Fishing, and Boating
Quiet but good fishing. Enjoy futile attempts to start a boat motor that just won’t stay running, and drift to a dock while paddling fruitlessly. Watch local conservationists use fascinating machinery to conveyor-belt giant carpets of vegetation from the water surface. Enjoy the inevitable evening severe storms.
Okoboji
Great for…
Crowded lakes, icefishing, crowded water, fishing outlet stores, jetskis, jet boats, and the finest lakeside homes your money can not buy. The new home of a $40 fishing net that was sacrificed to the lake gods. Legends say there is a mythical fish in these waters called a “northern”.
Mississippi River
Boating, Fishing, Barges
Boat around on the sedate Mississippi. Take care not to run head first into a giant barge.
Yellow River State Forest
Gain a new appreciation for emergency services
Experience a lovely park in a deep river valley with a small clear trout stream. No cell phone service, but you might end up on the news due to being stranded along with dozen other campers the night an epic rain storm washes out the only bridge out of the campground.
Rock Creek State Park
Retreats
Quiet, pretty, and one of the most intense 3AM Milky Way experiences ever.
Arkansas
Travel and Tornadoes
Severe weather is just the beginning of the fun.
16
Years
4+
Survivors
10+
Locations
4
Near Disasters
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
LOTS OF FISH!
Mike Treinen
/
Mancation Organizer
Rarely Asked Questions
What is this?
Well, sometimes groups of people like going camping and fishing. This is one of those groups.
“Dumb Creations”. Seems stupid. Dare I even ask…
It’s a pseudo-organization created by two guys who had too much time on their hands in high school. It involved lots of graph paper, fantastical ideas, and absurdity. And whatever caught our attention long enough. It still exists somehow, although the creations are less numerous.
Oh God. This isn’t a journal of some of those stupid “man-cations” things, is it?
It absolutely is. We’re fat old guys who have been doing this for decades (literally). We predate the internet and therefore reserve the right to use the term unironically. To our credit, we do not have “man-caves”. We’re just interested in relaxing in the near-wilderness away from meetings and appointments and phones and families and everything else.
My cup runneth over. I have been invited to participate. How should I prepare for such an epic event?
Bring yourself and your charming personality. If you don’t have one of those, you can bring along any beer, junk food, real food for a meal (if one has been requested), beer, fishing stuff, tools, beer, lights (lanterns or flashlights), chairs, and every piece of camping equipment you own. We follow all park rules strictly (e.g., no glass bottles, leave no trace, quiet hours, respecting other campers…).
What if I don’t have any camping equipment?
No problems. Just bring yourself and whatever you might need to survive.
What is a “near disaster”? Surely you don’t mean you almost died multiple times…
Well, yes and no. The stories of these disasters will be provided in detail upon request. The details may vary depending on who and when you ask. While the likeliness of our deaths may be exaggerated from time to time, the most important thing is that there are stories to tell.
Items of Interest