St. Cloud – first camping trip of 2019
St. Cloud Campground & RV Park hosted us for our first trip of the season and it was a great time. But first things first: we bought a new camper!
Grand Design Transcend 28MKS
We loved our Aspen Trail. It was a great little trailer that got us into the camping lifestyle. But it was a bit cramped, we couldn’t walk past each other, and there was no seating (I mean, there was a couch, but it belonged to Toby). And little things were starting to break, it was an entry-level trailer so everything was very cheaply made.
The new one is only a little bigger, from 25′ of living space to 28′, but it has a single slide-out, which really gives us so much more room. And it has a same sized couch in the same spot as the Aspen Trail, so Toby still gets his comfy couch that lets him keep an eye on us outside, without coming outside, and it has two theater seats, so there’s room for us to sit as well.
Guys, it’s amazing. It’s so roomy, and comfortable and perfect for our family of four! It rained off and on all weekend, so we were able to spend time inside without banishing Toby to the floor, like a dog. And we could both stand up and move at the same time! I know, I know, it’s not roughing it in any way shape or form. But I’ve always said I love camping because it lets me explore new places and always come home. I’m such a homebody, and my camper my second home.
Toby claims all the seating 
There is a built-in drawer for dog food!
St. Cloud Campground & RV Park
We had this trip booked before we bought the new trailer. Our first trip of the year is always close to home to make sure everything works and to refresh our memories of how to set up and tear down. We stayed at the St. Cloud Campground & RV Park, the only campground in town. It had all the amenities we needed, it was dog friendly and we had a pull through site with full hookups. Located pretty close to everything, it was a great place to stay. There was also a pool, not open yet, but this would make a good place to stay with kids and families as well.
We commenced setup and everything came back pretty quickly. Of course, since we moved everything out of the old camper and into the garage a few days before (in order to trade-in the old one) we forgot a few things at home. No big deal, we made it work.
Once we were all setup, we pulled beers out of the fridge, sat ourselves in the theater seats and watched the news on TV. We were really roughing it. After a toast to the new rig, we packed up the pups and drove to the dog-friendly Beaver Island Brewery.
Beaver Island Brewery
The brewery, located right in St. Cloud, was about half full when we arrived Friday evening and we had the only two dogs, so they were very popular. We each ordered a beer and had a seat while the boys held court for all the adoring fans to pet them.
I had a Side by Cider, a collaboration beer with Sociable Ciderwerks here in Minneapolis. It was sweet and balanced. Sometimes ciders are too sweet for me, but this was just the right amount of sweet and crisp. Then I tried the Blueberry Ripple, their golden ale soaked with blueberries. The berry flavor was very noticeable without being overpowering. Both beers were well done and I would have been happy to stay and drink all the beers, but my stomach was growling. So we headed back to the campground and grilled some burgers before calling it a night.
Quarry Park & Nature Reserve
The new camper bed is not so comfy and we both woke up pretty achy. So, before we did anything else, we ran to Target to buy another mattress topper. And since the local breweries didn’t open until 1 p.m. we had some time to explore the town and wear our the dogs, so we took them dogs for a hike at at Quarry Park.
St. Cloud is known as the “Granite City” for all the granite quarries, and this was one of them. It was a beautiful day for a hike in this pretty park. Toby was a good sport, but his arthritis is really taking a toll on the poor old guy. He really wants to keep up with Buddy, but at the end of our two mile hike, he was limping and very tired. He’ll be 13 next month, he’s doing so good for a dog that age!
Buddy’s always up for a pose 
Toby’s always looking for a place to pee
There were lots of rocks to make Buddy to “place” on so he got good and tired as well. You’d never know he was almost 10 years old, he still has more energy than a lot of puppies!
Third Street Brewhouse
Once we wore the dogs out, we left St. Cloud and headed over to Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Springs and soaked up the afternoon sun on the patio. We arrived at the same time as a party bus, and the dogs were an instant hit with the group.
This place was the highlight of our trip! I already love their Minnesota Gold and Hunny Do and couldn’t wait to try new ones. They even have spiked seltzers! Andy, the bartender, let us sample a little bit of everything and everything was delicious. The building is really cool inside too, it feels like a small, old castle. After a long, miserable winter, sitting on the patio on a 70-degree day was such a joy. If it wasn’t a 30 minute drive back to the campground in St. Cloud, I could have stayed all day. Alas, responsibility, and another brewery beckoned.
Bad Habit Brewing
This was a fail on my part. I just looked at Google Maps and Sidewalk Dogs to see which breweries were around and where dogs were allowed. I didn’t check the brewery sites to see what was going on. Bad Habit Brewing just opened in their great new location in St. Joseph on Saturday and the place was packed! They have a dog-friendly patio, but since it’s still kind of under construction there was no way to get to the patio without going through the brewery, so we had to drag the boys through a sea of humanity to get to the patio. They were very well behaved, and of course, got lots of pets from everyone. I think the crowds were just a bit too much for anxious Buddy. We could only stay for one since it was so hectic. We’ll be back for sure, hopefully when the patio is more accessible or without the dogs.
Pantown Brewing Company
After a long hike, two breweries and lots of sun, the boys were dog tired. So we took them home and hopped on our bikes for the short 5 miler to Pantown Brewing. Unfortunately about 1/2 mile in, Jamey picked up a giant nail and got a flat tire. So we walked back to the camper and drove to the brewery (no dogs allowed, even on the patio).
Good beer! 
Bad selfie
We spent an hour or so here enjoying all the beers. Once again, there were too many good ones to choose from, it was hard to be responsible and stay with just one!
It was sad to leave, but we did have more beer in the fridge in the camper and two large steaks waiting to be grilled. We spent a couple hours outside around the fire before we called it a night. Thankfully, this time with two mattress toppers the bed was much more comfortable and we slept great. Fresh air, beer, and a comfy bed always makes for great sleeping.
Lupulin Brewing
Trying to postpone reality, and the pending work week, we stopped at Lupulin Brewing on the way home. Their motto is “Work Sucks. Drink Beer.” This was one of the last breweries un-stamped on our Sidewalk Dogs pass, so we had to stop for one and delay the inevitable. The boys were pretty tuckered out from their weekend already and mostly just snoozed on the floor. This was our first visit to Lupulin, and I was really impressed with their offerings. I’ve seen Beer-grammers mentioning that they’re expanding into sours, which I love, so we’ll be back soon!
Back to reality
It was a great first weekend back outside. We sure missed camping season and can’t wait to do it again soon! Our next trip is the big one – the 9 day road trip to Texas!
The best news, even though it’s longer, the new camper still fits in our yard! We were a little worried about it, and planning to redo the fence anyway, but not having to spend money to store it in the meantime sure is helpful.
