Apple Hill

Well, we had a tremendous stupendous day today, despite some early hiccups.

Zadie and Sweetie went to soccer, and apparently she listened very well. While they were gone, I installed a bell and streamers on her bike, which were a big hit.



Then we got ready to go, programmed the GPS (I know how to get there, but sometimes I just like to have backup), and hit the road! About a mile and a half before our turn, a sign appeared that said "Apple Hill use exit 48 or 54. Free shuttle." I thought "That's nice, but no thank you." I proceeded to my turn, and it was blocked by cones. Hmmm. The GPS recalculated, and I know that it's possible to get back to the place I wanted to go, High Hill Ranch, from the next street as well. That turn was also blocked. I saw the highway sign again and realized it was more than just a suggestion or friendly offer. They were going to make me take the damned shuttle.

I started feeling pretty cranky. I had a portable potty with me for Z that I wasn't going to be able to carry, but I was thinking we could just head back to the car when she needed to use it. I wanted to buy stuff, but if we took a shuttle, I'd have to carry it everywhere. And furthermore, shuttles are damned slow. How much extra time was this thing going to add to our outing?

When I got to the park and ride area, I looked at the map of the shuttle route and got even crankier. I am not the kind of person who usually lets my annoyance show, but I'm afraid it probably did today. The ranches are all numbered, so in the usual pamphlet you get, it's easy to find a ranch and figure out what it has. There are charts for what produce you can get there and for what amenities they have. The shuttle map was also numbered --- just not with the same numbers. So to find out which place I should stop at if I wanted, say, crafts and lunch, I had to look at the shuttle map, find the next number on the route, use the legend to find the name of the place, then browse the other pamphlet, searching for the name, in order to find out what it has. Oh, and of course it's not in alphabetical order, either. It took forever.

I had ruled out High Hill because I'd actually have to change buses, since it was on the West route and the woman I picked up the map from had said "I heard it's taking a long time to get to High Hill today." I found another place that seemed to have a lot of stuff, called Apple Ridge. When we got to the stop before it, though, the place didn't have much listed on the brochure, but was visually appealing and boasted a "nature walk" to nearby farms. I asked the driver if it was easy to walk to Apple Ridge, and he pointed and said it was right ahead. We hopped off and immediately got Zadie's face painted. I had brought a wad of cash, thinking that we would just do whatever we wanted, so I was kind of nudging her to the bigger designs, but she just wanted a lollipop. She was also crazy in love with those silly headbands with the long ribbons streaming down the back. Since both the headbands and the face paint were so inexpensive, I just got both.


(I know this doesn't show the lollipop well, but look how happy she is!)

There really wasn't much else there. A gift shop sold kitschy kitchen goods, a few crafters sold folksy crafts, and there was a guy with an emu. He was letting people pet it, and Zadie seemed to want to, but she was a little nervous. She told me later that it's because we aren't around emus all the time. Her solution? We should never be around an emu again.

We then walked to Apple Ridge, and the first thing inside the gate was a pony ride. I had been talking up pony rides, and twice around the track was only $6, which I thought was really reasonable. But then there was the "Cowgirl Princess package" which was considerably more, but included a necklace (or gun -- I didn't give her that option), bandana, and hat, and she could choose what she wanted.


Does she look a little worried? When she came around the first time, she told me she was scared. I said "You're okay up there." She replied emphatically, "No, I'm NOT okay up here!" But the track was like twenty feet long, so I figured she'd be fine for one more go-round. When she got off, she complained "This is just not my day."

Then we ran around a pumpkin patch. I didn't want to get one, because we're growing our own. Not to mention the whole shuttle thing.


Next we got some lunch. Somehow I had forgotten that, apples and desserts aside, Apple Hill's eateries are about the least vegetarian-friendly places I've been in two decades. One reason I always like High Hill is that they actually have a veggie burger. Every place else, including this one, has meat, meat, and meat. I got nachos for lunch, and by nachos, I mean chips and canned cheese. Zadie wanted some, and I was like "Baby, I'm sorry, but this is all I have to eat!" She actually had a really delicious-looking chicken sandwich with lots of produce.


After that, I really wanted a caramel apple. I LOVE them, and usually get one about once a year. Zadie said she wanted pie. I thought about splitting something, but I asked again if she might want a caramel apple, and she insisted that she wanted pie. So I got one of each and let her have her own pie. I should have known better. We started out by sharing my apple, and after she got kind of R-rated on it, I gave up and ate the pie. (Seriously, though, she had her tongue all over it and even grabbed it by the back of the head, er, the back... it was gross.) I don't much like apple pie (except Mom's), but it was sweet and apply.


Then we fed a goat and a sheep (it was supposed to be for her, but she chickened out, so I let a sheep lick my hand -- the things we do for love), took some pictures, walked on straw bales, bought apples (yes, there are actually apples at Apple Hill!), and had a good talk about why men can use urinals in the Porta-Potty. Then we got the shuttle, and it didn't really take too long to get back to the car.

This evening, all three of us went to Shoki Ramen House, and we had a great meal. Finally we had a walk and a bath, and thus concludes a near-perfect Saturday.



P.S. While we were eating lunch, she announced "I'm not the guy I used to be." On the way home, she told me "That was the bestest bestest bus ride ever, and we're going to do it again when we go to Apple Hill!"