Mystery Aboard the Pelican Breeze

I have just returned from a cruise on the Pelican Breeze II.  It was touch and go whether we would go because of the rainy weather.  When we made enquiries, the organizer said the boat was full, but we should show up any way.  So we arrived on the shores of Albert Lea Lake armed with umbrellas and seat cushions for the chance of traveling the shore line with local celebrity,  Al Batt.  Now Albert Lea is not much of a tourist destination, but Al Batt was bent on helping us see how fortunate we were to have ended up here on a rainy afternoon. 
To his credit, we did see lots of pelicans, and get answers to why some seem to have knobby beaks. This "horn" is a growth that comes with

age and indicates that a bird is ready to mate.  Al Batt likened it to "pimples in teenagers who are ready for a meaningful relationship."  We also saw cormorants and herons while learning about the history of Albert Lea.  Apparently he was a confederate lieutenant who helped map the area.  Yes, Albert Lea is named after a confederate! When some questioned this there was a lame attempt made to change the name to Elyssa Lake, but not enough people were bothered.  Nether were they bothered by the meat packaging plant dumping into the lake, until a certain individual pulled a carcass from the lake and brought it to a board meeting.  After that there was an effort made to clean up the lake and Myra Big Island State  Park was created.

It was not long after starting the cruise that we noticed a large number of floating blobs in the water. We were curious as to what they were and speculated them to be some sort of snail.  By far the main attraction became another party aboard the boat.  They consisted of several young couples, very young children and grandparents. My first assumption was that they were European because they were drinking wine and the children were dressed in button down shirts and socks and sandals.  They certainly didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd of 60+ couples with binoculars.  The grandfather started pacing the boat with a cherub of a baby girl.  Various parents walked their toddlers down to view the

paddles and engine room.  They were eating Oreos and talking loudly.  As the cruise continued their faces got rosier and their children louder. Al Batt, being the professional that he is, didn't miss a beat, continued with his commentary and answered questions from the rest of us who were trying our best to show that we were listening even if the family in the bow was not.
We asked about the snails to which he responded that they were Japanese Mystery Snails, dumped into the lake by aquarium lovers and whose population is growing rapidly.  The name "Mystery Snail" intrigued me as much as the possible reason why a tourist family might have found themselves aboard a Midwest cruise for golden oldies. Both are a mystery.  No one knows how this snail came to inhabit and abound in the lake waters of Albert Lea, MN, just as I will never know why a wine-drinking, smart-dressing, young stylish family found themselves aboard the Pelican Breeze II in Albert Lea, Minnesota.