Although the recreational vehicle park retains its essential wilderness character – a mature stand of leaf and needle trees buttresses the rolling landscape like a tightly wound belt – change is in the air:

• each of the lots has been tied into the city’s sewer system, a rarity among campgrounds in northern Minnesota;
• the 4,000-square-foot activity center, which stood vacant for nearly a decade, has been renovated;
• a state-of-the-art heated pool has been completed, serving as a primary recreational amenity for the charter members of the park;
• all roads within the camping resort have been surfaced and a landscaping plan has been implemented to channel the runoff;
• 42 of the lots have been sold – nearly a dozen owners purchased multiple lots for visiting family and friends – and most have invested in high-end RV models.

And on Tuesday, the Breezy Point Planning and Zoning Commission was expected to approve a 119-lot expansion of the park, destined to become one of the premier campground resorts in the Upper Midwest.

"After years of struggle, the park is finally taking shape in accordance with our long-term vision," said Robert Spizzo, Whitebirch owner and chief executive officer. "We intend to make Camping Cluster II a five-star facility that will attract investment from RVers who are looking for the best camping experience available anywhere."

He will get no argument from Sandy and Bernie Viktora of Coon Rapids, who were among the first to purchase when the park opened in May. They moved their luxurious Kountry Star fifth-wheeler onto the wooded lot a month later and have since invested heavily in the finishing touches, including installation of a special sod that thrives in the park’s soil conditions.

Their extra-large lot on one of the park’s quiet cul-de-sacs has been manicured to perfection with the expert hands of weekend gardeners. The couple also bought a lot across their street, adding a smaller version of their RV to accommodate visiting family members.

The only thing missing, according to Mr. Viktora, is cable television service that would deliver the Vikings’ games to the vacation home of these loyal football fans. But cable will be available soon.

"We love RVing," said Sandy Viktora, who along with her husband has owned a travel trailer since 1975. This spring the couple fled a busy camping facility on Mille Lacs Lake, after 20 summers, for the quiet, rustic setting of Camping Cluster II. "We get the mobility we cannot get with a lake home," she said. "All we have to do is hook onto our fifth-wheeler and travel around, and we still have a place to come home to.

"We like to take one or two trips into northern Minnesota during the summer, and you can’t do that with a vacation home."

When retirement comes in the years ahead – both are employed by major Twin Cities companies – they plan to travel the country during the winter and spend their summers at Whitebirch.

Avid golfers, the Viktoras were attracted to the park’s amenity package for charter members, which includes discounted golf privileges at Breezy Point Resort’s two courses. Whitebirch is the parent of the well-known resort and convention center.

"With a trailer, it’s not like owning a cabin," Bernie Viktora said. "When it gets to the point where it needs a lot of repairs, you tow it to town and buy a new one."

In the waning days of summer, Whitebirch is launching a final marketing push to sell off the remainder of the 63 charter lots, according to Alan Berens, the park’s manager and chief salesperson.

"This is a paradise-type campground and the recreational environment being created here is so different from most other RV resorts," said Berens, a longtime sales associate in Whitebirch’s timeshare operation. "We offer the modern, upbeat style of camping, and the people who choose to purchase here take great pride in their units and want a strong set of covenants to protect their investments. Our protective covenants are one reason they have chosen to buy our lots."