Ahhhh, Alexandria, MN

Memorial weekend, our annual co-birthdays trip, was creeping up fast and we had no reservations anywhere! Thanks to endless uncertainty with the camper and the will we / won’t we move drama, I haven’t been as proactive as normal. I was turned away from a few campgrounds before I decided to try Don’s Lakeview RV Park in Alexandria. They had one spot left, so I nabbed it. $25/night for full hookup! Don, you aren’t charging enough!

Don’s Lakeview RV Park

Their website (now removed from the internet, more on that later) was dated and just a simple Google Site of a brochure … I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I know Alexandria is great, so I was just glad to have a spot.

We arrived Friday afternoon to what is really a trailer park, with about a quarter of the place as a seasonal campground. I was skeptical … a trailer park? The owner, Don, met us at the firewood/storage trailer and showed us to our site. It was the last seasonal site in the place, and he’s holding it for his son, so he’s just renting it out this season until his son claims the lot. Lucky for us, it was right across the street from a small, non-motorized lake. The park itself is right along the bike trail. Once my trailer court skepticism subsided, it turned out to be a truly fabulous place!

Don is such a friendly, involved park owner. Every day, all hours of the day, this man in his 70s was working, visiting, working … and he always stopped to chat. I learned from one of our chats that he’s owned the place forever, but felt it was time to turn the park over to his kids. This would be his last season as the owner, but he’d still be involved.

I loved this park so much. It was quiet, across from a small lake (with swans!) and just around the corner from a bigger lake where the dogs spent every day swimming. I wanted to give Don money to stay all summer there. It was heaven.

I’m curious what the kids will do with the place. As of now, the site is offline so I’m assuming the transition has begun. That place could make them very rich, the location is amazing. I’m almost ready to settle down and get a seasonal site, if I can be at Don’s Lakeview.

Stress and relaxation

I was laid off at the end of April. After 12 years working at 3M, I was among the 6000 impacted. 2023 has been kind of terrible to me. Ongoing camper repair nightmares (thankfully resolved), broken foot, laid off … I need a weekend to unwind and get out of my head. I had been applying and interviewing for jobs like it was my full-time job. My tweet about being laid off even landed me an interview with a Star Tribune reporter. That’s right, I’m so good at Communications that my tweet landed me in the newspaper. I’m also VERY humble.

The morning before we left for Alexandria, I had a second interview for a job I really wanted. They let me know I was in the top two, but the hiring manager was going on vacation that day for a week, so I wouldn’t hear until the first week of June. Hello, anxiety, but also to be expected on a holiday weekend.

We hit the road later in the afternoon read for a long weekend to just relax and not think about finding a job. As we pulled into the parking lot of 22 Northmen, I got a call from the manager letting me know they had decided to extend me the job offer. His call was the unofficial notification so I wouldn’t have to stress about it for the next week, HR would make it official after the weekend. I was elated! First, it was the job I most wanted and second, it speaks to the quality of the manager and the company to be so considerate to give me that relief. Say hello to the Sr. Director of Marketing at Lowen Corporation.

Breweries

There are two breweries in Alexandria, we spent lots of time at both of them: Copper Trail Brewing and 22 Northmen. They both make great beers and have fun vibes. Both allow dogs on the patios. But the space at 22 Northmen is incredible! It’s a brewery and winery with huge outdoor spaces. They host weddings on the beautiful property. Our whole family loved visiting this place.

We also spent an afternoon in Battle Lake with Jamey’s parents and we visited 1910 Sip House. We met the owners before they were even fully open at the Detroit Lakes beerfest in 2020, and it took us this long to get there in person. Don’t sleep on this place! Their ciders are amazing, I still have a bomber of one in the fridge, I might have to drink that tonight. Their location is the yard of a house, with a silo as the brewery. Their outdoor space is beautiful – such a nice spot to hangout, listen to live music, and enjoy our Minnesota summers when it’s a comfortable temperature and watch the sunset.

Sweet relief

Knowing I wouldn’t start my new job for a couple of weeks, I extended my stay through the week. Jamey could go home and come back the next week and I could enjoy some true relaxation now that the abject terror of being unemployed had lifted.

I am writing this blog post a month and a half later, and I still feel relaxed just thinking about this trip. Extending my stay was just what I needed. I spent time reading by the lake, sitting by the fire, hiking around the lake and riding my bike. Alexandria is such a great town. So great I searched houses for sale on Zillow … I think Alexandria might have moved to the top of my list for favorite camping destinations.

On normal vacations I relax of course, but I’m also thinking about the work that is waiting for me, sneaking a peek at my emails … I never fully turn off my work brain and truly relax. This time was different. There was no work to do, so nothing to think about. There was another paycheck on the way, so I could stop stressing about that. It was truly and fully relaxing. Is this what retirement is like? Sign me up.

Alexandria has 350 lakes, a long bike trail, breweries … it’s almost perfect. Go visit this great town and tell them the Weirdos sent you.