Alexandria, MN

Our adventure this week brings us to the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. Surprisingly, the middle of nowhere has a lot of stuff going on, who knew? For those of you unaware of Alexandria, MN, it is home to the Runestone Museum which holds treasures of unbelievable value. In particular it hosts the Kensington Rune Stone. In addition, there are several buildings from the pioneer time and the history of the Scandinavian settlers. For those really clueless, that is why the Minnesota based NFL team is called the Vikings, from that historical link. It might also explain the giant Viking ship outside that team's stadium. And much like the Vikings of old, they will never be world champions. 

Viking in a mini skirt

I then tracked Big Foot to a local microbrewery, Copper Trail Brewing. This is their new location and they have a wide selection of brews to pick from which was nice. I am feeling a bit indecisive lately so I was forced to select multiple options. As they have no food service, I also needed to check out a local restaurant as the selections at Copper Trail were piling up. I went over to Le Ferme which is described as a "Farm to Fork" restaurant. Not sure what that meant since I like my food to take a quick loop through a kitchen for at least a rinse of clean water. In any event, I brought food back and the Cuban sandwich pared nicely with whatever I was drinking while I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon waiting for Big Foot to make an appearance. Alas it was not to be. I was able to fill up my growler with their version of an Oktoberfest. Apparently fall comes early to the northlands. They also had their spent grains made into bread so I picked up a loaf of it. It tastes very hearty but was delicious. My dogs have eaten the spent grain treats from The Runaway so it was nice for me to try some too.

Cuban and doppelbock

Look, another microbrewery with the industrial vibe. How original.

 

Since I enjoyed the Cuban sandwich so much from Le Ferme, I decided to try a dinner there. Normally I avoid both retracing my steps and dining out for dinner but I wanted to try their pork ragu and I felt that with their meal selection, Big Foot might make an appearance. The ragu was delightful and I enjoyed a nice relaxing evening at the bistro. Alas, Big Foot was not to be seen but the dessert of freshly prepared angel food cake with fresh local currants sure did and it was delicious. Big Foot really missed a good meal there.

Cute little bistro

I checked out another brewery in search of my wily prey. Disgruntled Brewing spoke to me so I decided to drive the hour to check it out. The place was in an industrial park which struck me as a clever hiding place and reminded me of Wasted Degrees in Scotland. Big Foot was surely here or at least has been there. The inside was quite chill with the right mix of bar stools, couches, tables, and patio space. Any brewery that sells onesies has the right vibe. The beertender was friendly and had recently built an off-grid house with her husband. It was nice talking about batteries, power consumption, water usage, and the occasional questionable remark about choosing an alternative life path. All in all it reminded my of my home microbrewery and I stayed a bit longer than anticipated. The dogs were stuck back at the trailer until 10pm all alone, and to cap it off, there was no sign of Big Foot that night as creature did not make an appearance. 

Grumpy is good - their motto not mine. I am on an adventure and I am rarely grumpy anymore

We were able to enjoy a nice hike utilizing my AllTrails app, however the trail markings were a bit confusing. They had a trail for bikes and people and a trail for horses and people. Since the AllTrails app didn't indicate which human route to take, I split my time between the two. The result was a swooping and meandering hike but the dogs enjoyed themselves. Lucy as able to go nearly a mile and half without needing to be carried like the princess she thinks she is. Ozzy was a beast and did the full 2.5 miles. Of course he was breathing so hard it scared off all wildlife but at least he made it. 

Reminds me of an old Family Circus cartoon

Inexplicitly one day I was in the mood for chicken wings. To complicate the search as a bearded individual, I need to have a dry rub otherwise the beard gets messy and I hate washing it in public bathrooms. I searched for local bars and restaurants where one would find both tasty dry rubbed wings and Big Foot. This was not easy as the first place I picked was part of a microchain of ten locations. Normally Big Foot would avoid chains as the beast prefers supporting small local businesses (again based upon my extensive scientific research). I gave it a shot though but as I pulled into the parking lot I knew for sure the beast would not be there. The location had too easy of access to the interstate and it had the banal architecture which has come to dominate all of America. Big Foot has more sophisticated tastes and standards and would never be there, regardless of how good the wings would be. I was forced to move on and found a nicer local bar. The salad was excellent but the wings were tough and bland. There was a bar in Waukesha, WI where I had some excellent dry rubbed wings that were both tender and zippy like wings should be and that is what I was seeking. I didn't find it that day in Alexandria. The place was apparently nice otherwise based upon the seemingly happy clientele who clearly appreciate bland chewy wings. I won't name the restaurant as it was a disappointment in both the quality of the wings and that Big Foot was not to be seen.

Salad was excellent - forgot to take a picture before I ate it in fact

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I decided to check out some vans on a rainy day. If you have not been looking at RVs lately you will be surprised at how they have raised the MSRP on them. Thankfully some sanity has returned and you can still get 25% off that price but even then these are not inexpensive items. I also decided to reinstall the microwave in my trailer. I am not sure I am going to go the van route, but I wanted to at least get ready by having the trailer as close to normal as possible. Plus I now have a great place to store my breakfast cereal boxes so they don't get crushed. No one likes crushed cheerios. Finally, I have identified the final items to be removed from the setup. As I previously posted, I expected it would take a few months to narrow down the gear that I brought and I feel like I am about 90% there. That is good enough for this type of activity as my brother J (the bike guru) pointed out, I will be continuing to add and remove stuff as I continue to live with it. 

Cheerios and Triscuits are safe. I knew microwaves served a purpose.

People often share various images of  theoretical Big Foots (Big Feet?) with me and I appreciate everyone has their eyes looking for the elusive prey. I try to encourage a discerning mind though as there are often false signs. Unfortunately today I found a big foot but it was not the kind I was looking for. It just goes to show you that even skilled adventurers can be misled.

A big foot but not the Big Foot,

Our next adventure takes us to North Dakota where I will meet with a former scoutmaster, S, from B's troop and his wife, also S. They are full time RVers who are currently camp hosting there and they are also wonderful people. Having this extra set of eyes should help locate Big Foot, unless of course, there is nothing entertaining in North Dakota which would hold Big Foot's attention, but what are the odds of that?

Thor

Braxwood.com

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