It's a little admitted fact that travelers sometimes ask questions that make even the kindest travel counselors roll their eyes -- or at least want to. Ask a doozy of the folks at Explore Minnesota, and you may wind up on the organization's "Quirkiest Queries" or "Corniest Requests" lists, based on questions received at the state's call-in lines and 11 travel information centers.

Two favorites: "Where do we go to do the whale-watching?" and "Is there such a thing as an easy fishing lake, something without having to hunt and work real hard?" A visitor planning a July trip wanted to know about snowmobile rentals; someone else wanted to tour the Edmund Fitzgerald (for the record, there are no tours since the ship sank in 1975 and lies deep at the bottom of Lake Superior).

Another inquiring mind asked, "Does one need a travel permit or visa to visit?" No. Minnesotans will admit to being on the edge, but we're not that exotic.

People's questions -- no matter how eye roll-inducing -- are met with nothing but Minnesota Nice. Chuck Lennon, spokesman for Explore Minnesota, said the counselors have a ready smile even when someone says something stupid. "Kids say the funniest things," he said, "but so do adults."

Ask your own questions by calling Explore Minnesota at 1-888-868-7476 or going to www.exploreminnesota.com.

KERRI WESTENBERG

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