TLDR: I’m back at Whispering Winds, Beverly is retiring, and Cadence and I are taking the wheel.
I started this trip with the intention to find what else is out there. I knew I was searching, but wasn’t quite sure what for. But it looks like I found it and it’s been a surreal last few months.
I had instantly fallen in love with Whispering Winds when I first visited back in January. There was something special about the land for certain and the natural connection with Bev was a little startling. I never expected to meet a 70 year old lady who was basically the same as me: exact same hardware, vastly different experiences and timeline. It would dilute this post too much to list out all the similarities, that’s how similar we are.
We stayed in touch after leaving, talking on the phone every couple weeks while I continued on my trip. I knew she was interested in retiring and actively looking for someone to take over Whispering Winds. Eventually, she formally made the ask & offer: would I be interested in becoming the new land steward and overseer of Whispering Winds. I’ve day dreamed about building a hostel or campground for years — everything in my backyard was always being a slight cosplay of this dream. My initial reaction was that the timeline was wrong — I couldn’t just up and relocate to Minnesota from Virginia with basically no notice. That’s crazy. Says the guy who quit his job and drove to Minnesota in January. 😅
Thankfully Bev is a persistent lady, and doesn’t take no for an answer very easily. We discussed the whole proposition for quite a while and it became extremely clear I’d seriously regret declining this offer. The ability to inherit an existing, successful campground / airbnb and getting to use only my labor and dedication as payment — that’s a no-brainer to me. The opportunities seemed endless, if I was willing to put in the effort to reap them.
Ultimately, I agreed. But I knew I couldn’t do it alone.
Having a chunk of land where all our friends could realize their skills and also share this with the public was a constant topic of conversation when I was in Tahoe. Cadence and I were cooking up some serious day dreams — and they actually came to fruition, something I still have trouble believing. I called Cadence right after hanging up with Bev and explained the proposition. Thankfully, she was down (queue virtual fist bump). And so that was that: Cadence and I would become the new stewards of Whispering Winds Retreat, Spring Valley, Minnesota.
The season for rentals is May through September, so I decided to come to Spring Valley for ~6 weeks, 4 of those being April. Cadence is arriving tomorrow (as I write this) and we are getting straight to business. An empty barn loft? Aerial yoga setup. Perfectly flat, tucked away and secluded land? A stage area for workshops, classes, or…more yoga? At least that’s our initial reaction.
An untapped external garage, attached garage, extra room off the barn, 4 glamping units, plus a full house with a basement, our work is cut out for us — both in an appealing, very clear way, yet also an overwhelming “there is so much to do” way. But you know what? I’ve always believed in type 2 fun. (maybe not constantly fun in the moment. More challenging, but infinitely invigorating and you find yourself wanting to do it again. Think camping in the rain, but flexing your tarps and you’re dry af).
And so this is it: I get to live out my dream, while letting someone else realize their dream of retirement, it doesn’t get more symbiotic. If we weren’t here to take over, it’d be a one lady show yet again, and those days are numbered. Bev is an incredible lady, has uplifted so many people and contributed so much to society at large, she deserves to retire. I want to give that to her, and while there’s so much future potential and projects that can be done, that’s my first goal: let Bev be the gardener.
It’s definitely bittersweet, making this decision while not at home is weird. While I’m not looking to be full-time here until next year (full-time excludes Nov-March), having a totally new future laid in out in front of you is a crazy feeling,
Because of this, the blog and other routines have fallen to the wayside. Hover I plan to keep it up. Splitting personal with business, check whisperingwindsretreat.com for a different flavor of posts
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