Big Ole’s Backyard
My wife, Jen, and I visit Alexandria regularly, because it’s close to home and easy to get to. One would think we’ve seen all there is to see by now, but our experience has been different every time. When an opportunity came up to get away for a weekend and camp at Lake Carlos State Park, we took it, of course.
Before we even got to the park, we made a stop at a new place in town.
Ida Graves Distillery, just northwest of Alexandria, has been around since 2019, but the taproom had just opened in June 2024. The bright open space was furnished with simple chairs, tables and benches, illuminated by light streaming from the windows and a couple of modest lamps. A humble, faded rug adorned the polished concrete floor. Across the room, at the wood-clad bar, two bartenders were busy mixing drinks, pouring, swirling and rattling cocktail shakers with gusto, in contrast to the otherwise relaxed vibe in the tasting room.
Ida Graves Distillery, just northwest of Alexandria, has been around since 2019, but the taproom had just opened in June 2024. The bright open space was furnished with simple chairs, tables and benches, illuminated by light streaming from the windows and a couple of modest lamps. A humble, faded rug adorned the polished concrete floor. Across the room, at the wood-clad bar, two bartenders were busy mixing drinks, pouring, swirling and rattling cocktail shakers with gusto, in contrast to the otherwise relaxed vibe in the tasting room.
We ordered, and retreated to the outside patio, where we tucked under the umbrella of a picnic table. A patch of restored prairie is part of the distillery grounds, and we enjoyed our spot on the patio, surrounded by black-eyed susan, purple coneflowers, and bergamot. Our drinks and picnic basket arrived, and we took a moment to appreciate the simple yet sophisticated drinks that had just been put in front of us. Both were aquavit-based, but my Low Key Loki came with a ribbon of cucumber, while Jen’s Norwegian Paralysis, a twist on the tiki bar classic, Polynesian Paralysis, had smashed basil and notes of pineapple.
Our picnic basket came with bruschetta, olives, cheese and salmon and was a welcome addition to a wonderful afternoon in the country.
Our picnic basket came with bruschetta, olives, cheese and salmon and was a welcome addition to a wonderful afternoon in the country.
The next day we set out to explore the area around the park on bikes, and took a clockwise ride around Lake Carlos. Rolling out from camp, we picked up a short, grassy path near the park’s lower campground, which spit us out on County Road 38, part of the Glacial Lakes Trail Scenic Byway. Traffic was low, and the road was ours on a bluebird day in Big Ole’s backyard. Quiet neighborhoods rimmed the lake and led to the natural rock dam at the outlet of the Long Prairie River. This state water trail leaves Lake Carlos, travels through its namesake town and joins the Crow Wing River near Motley 96 miles later. We eventually crossed the isthmus between Lake Carlos and Lake Le Homme Dieu and stopped to take a break at Rotary Beach to watch pontoons cruise up and down the lake. Just down the road, we rounded the southernmost corner of Lake Carlos on another land bridge; this one separating Carlos and Darling lakes.
Turning north, we picked up a glorious tailwind, which blew us straight into the gates of 22 Northmen Brewing on the grounds of Carlos Creek Winery. After a 10-mile ride, we felt we deserved lunch and a pint. Carlos Creek Winery has been a popular destination in the Alexandria area for many years, and the more recent addition of a brewery is one more reason to visit. To get into the two-story brewery, we had to budge the massive entrance doors with axes for handles. The theme was Nordic, of course, as the brewery’s name refers to the 22 Northmen mentioned on the famous Kensington runestone. Inside, heavy timbers and a massive central stone fireplace set the tone for a gathering of Viking warriors or just people visiting the Alexandria area.
We grabbed our pints and a pizza and moved outside where we had a feast at a picnic table in the shade. People milled around the grounds on a gorgeous day, listening to gentle, live guitar music and enjoying a glass of wine or beer. It was hard to pry ourselves away from there, but we needed to get back on the road for our afternoon program. Continuing clockwise, we got back to camp after about six miles.
There was no need or time for a costume change, because we planned to get back on bikes, mountain bikes this time, and ride the trails at Kensington Rune Stone Park, just southwest of Alexandria. Jake’s Bikes has been a fixture in Alexandria’s bike scene, and Jake himself set us up with two very nice Trek e-mountain bikes. He made sure they fit, took time to explain all the features, and we were off to Kensington with fully charged batteries.
Kensington Rune Stone Park is built on what used to be the Ohlof Öhman farm, where he’s said to have discovered the famous stone slab that’s now on display at Alexandria’s Runestone Museum. Besides the discovery site and a grand visitor center, the park has a system of 8 miles of trails used for mountain and fat biking, hiking and skiing. We warmed up with a few laps of the easy Ohlof Öhman trail and eventually moved on to the intermediate Berserkr.
The Viking theme continued on Ragnorak and Bifrost as we get more comfortable and moved through the different drive modes of the bikes. The trails were riding great and led through a varied landscape of dense forest, low lake bottoms and high prairie. Having a push uphill from the bike helped regain momentum, but, like any true bicycle, the push stopped when we stopped pedaling. After nearly two hours, we had made a few rounds and decided to call it a day.
Back in Alexandria, D. Mike’s Resort Bar and Grill was the place to be, and the large front patio was nearly full. The inside was an open space decorated in modern up-north decor with a bear skin rug, elk mount and oversized fishing lures and skis on the walls, along with contemporary touches, like an oversized chandelier. Their large bar had a huge whiskey selection and a nice lineup of Old Fashioned-inspired drinks, but after a sweaty ride on the trails, a tall, blonde pint on the patio sounded just right. My Nashville hot chicken sandwich was excellent, and Jen gave her Nottingham dip high marks.
We returned to camp, but because of our ambitious schedule, sleep came early.
We returned to camp, but because of our ambitious schedule, sleep came early.
Jan’s Place on Alexandria’s Third Avenue West is one of those bedrock restaurants that has been around so long that nobody remembers exactly how long. “I’ve been here since the day Jan took over, and that was twenty-three years ago,” our server told us, but admits the place has had at least two other names, if not more. One thing was for sure, they’d had time to perfect their breakfast sandwich. There’s something very reassuring about a café where the staff wear t-shirts that say Live, Love, Jan’s, and a sign on the wall encourages you to “Eat More Bacon”.
With a good breakfast foundation, we visited the Runestone Museum. The famous Kensington runestone was the only artifact on display when the museum opened its doors in 1958, but the Runestone Museum Foundation has since grown its assortment of items and even collected historical buildings from around the area to save them from demolition.
In a glass case, under gleaming lights, was the 220-pound slab of rock, inscribed with runes, and dated 1362. As the story goes, Olof Öhman found it on his farm near Kensington in 1898, and its chiseled letters tell the story of an exploratory party who arrived by ship and one day returned to camp to find ten of their members dead. The debate about its authenticity goes on, but standing face to face with it, we began to wonder.
We strolled the grounds and walked through an old log cabin, the Immanuel Lutheran Church brought in from Carlos, MN, the Miltona stage stop and a former post office, all under the watchful eye of Big Ole, who stood guard on a grassy field across the street. A warehouse on the premises housed more artifacts and a 40-foot scale version of a Viking ship. Even at its reduced scale, it looked impressive.
Alexandria sits in the middle of a cluster of dozens of lakes, so it was no surprise that we found a museum dedicated to life on the water right next to the Runestone Museum. The Legacy of the Lakes Museum, now in its 20th year, has a mission to preserve the experience of Minnesota lake life for future generations. We learned what life on the lake was like in Minnesota’s early days through recorded memories, films, and exhibits of the swimwear of days gone by. But the real star of the show were the boats, the glorious boats.
Even if you’re not into boating or spending time on the lake, you have to be impressed by the collection at this place. There were wooden boats, toys of the rich, all mahogany, brass and chrome, glistening under the museum lights and smelling faintly of polish. With names like Duchess or Lady of the Lakes, these sedans, runabouts and launches moved the early 20th century vacationer across the waves in style, with steam or gasoline power. Mind-boggling attention to detail and labor has preserved these vessels for everyone to see. Rounding out the collection were, of course, fiberglass and aluminum boats, even some odd contraptions like the 1960 Heli-Bout, a flying boat concept, and a motorized surfboard called the Surf Skimmer.
All the sightseeing made us hungry, and we moved toward downtown to find sustenance. At Roers Bakery, the choice was tough. The small shop with its tin ceiling and wooden floors was packed with display cabinets filled with cookies, breads donuts, and other baked goods. When we heard about their “world-famous cream horns”, the search was over. Paired with a drink from Nice Juicery, it made for a good snack. Just in case the cream horns had any calories in them, we skipped lunch.
We had a couple more stops to make, starting with a visit to the Spice and Tea Exchange. The long, skinny room’s walls were lined with shelves filled with jars giving off an incredible aroma. We’re no strangers to seasonings, but even Jen and I discovered a few we didn’t know existed, like Worcestershire powder. We picked up a few things and in our minds a plan began to form.
If there’s a meat market in a town, we’re there, and Alexandria’s Lake Country Meats was remarkable. At a large service counter in the front of the store, about half a dozen butchers were hard at work when we walked in. Cooler cases brimming with meat products lined the perimeter of the large building, and there was even a little deli in the back with sandwiches made to order. There must have been over 100 items in the smoked meat department, including English, Spanish and Hungarian bacon. We walked out knowing our dinner plans were covered, and that evening, we made the most amazing smoked pork steaks with ingredients from around town. The Cinnabar Smoke Spice Blend from the Spice and Tea Exchange was the perfect rub for a camp dinner.
On our last day, we went for a hike at Lake Carlos State Park, but we weren’t done cooking, yet. Some bacon from Lake Country Meats and sourdough bread from Roers bakery were part of our complete breakfast before we hit the trails. Lake Carlos State Park’s 1,200 acres park lie within the scenic Leaf Hills Region, a transition zone between the prairies to the southwest and the coniferous forests to the northeast. With more than 14 miles of hiking trails, you can walk through stands of hardwood trees one minute, then cross a grassy meadow to a woodland pond or marsh the next. This combination of grassland, wetland, and wooded ridge made for an interesting morning as we hiked the Forestry and Prairie Pothole trail.
Before we packed up and broke camp, we had lunch at Lure Lakebar. The expansive building with its large patio sits on a narrow strip of land between Lake Darling and Lake Le Homme Dieu. Inside, the large bar with an open two-story ceiling had room for dozens, and wine barrel-like booths lined the walls. Large windows in the brick wall allowed a glimpse into the kitchen.
Jen and I had come here with a very special mission. On a tip from a local, we ordered the Le Homme Dog, a house specialty. When it arrived, we had a brief “what have we done?” moment, but once we started eating, there were no regrets. The foot-long, half-pound all-beef frank came on a poppy seed bun, nestled into a bed of chili, sprinkled with melted cheese and bacon, and adorned with enough microgreens and pickled jalapeños to make it a salad. A behemoth that made for a fitting close to a great time in Big Ole’s backyard.
Jen and I had come here with a very special mission. On a tip from a local, we ordered the Le Homme Dog, a house specialty. When it arrived, we had a brief “what have we done?” moment, but once we started eating, there were no regrets. The foot-long, half-pound all-beef frank came on a poppy seed bun, nestled into a bed of chili, sprinkled with melted cheese and bacon, and adorned with enough microgreens and pickled jalapeños to make it a salad. A behemoth that made for a fitting close to a great time in Big Ole’s backyard.
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About me
I’m Jan, the publisher of Minnesota Trails Magazine. I’m looking for that one trail, the next ride, a new discovery and other reasons to never sit still in Minnesota.