Fall Foliage Excursion 2017

We decided to take a trip across the state to see the fall colors this year.  Actually, we decided to do this way back in the early spring.  We picked the date and have been protecting it from schedule conflicts all summer only to have it arrive and get rained out.  So we just moved it back a week.  And as it was, it was still pretty "iffy" as we watched the weather forecast as the weekend approached.  The forecast said it wasn't suppose to rain until later in the afternoon so we decided to take a chance and make the trip.  And at the last minute we also threw in a stop at a sky resort that hosts a fall foliage event each year.  They let you ride their chair lift up to the top of the hill and back and see all the fall colors along the way.

The day arrived and, because this was just the first stop, we decided we wanted to get there pretty much at opening time.  Good thing we did.  We got there and there was already quite a line.  Apparently this is a pretty popular event each year.

Finally we reached the front of the line and bought our lift tickets.  Ours were yellow because we got on at the bottom of the hill.  Had we got on at the top they would have been green.  That gives you the option of getting off and looking around, and then getting back on for the second half of the ride.  That's what we did.

So we got out passes and finally were able to get on the chair lift.  Its been a long time since I rode a chairlift.  The last time was when I was on my mission, in Germany.  We rode a chairlift up a mountain to a small castle that was at the top but that's another story.

The ride up the hill took probably 5 or 10 minutes and it was really pretty, slowly floating passed all those trees.  It was so quiet.

At the top we got off so we could look around.  Blaubeere's oldest, Hero, went with us.  That was fun.

We found some rocks to climb on.

Lots of those.  And all set in the middle of a park, lots and lots of trees, lots and lots of colors.

And lots and lots of rocks to climb on.  This park had fun rocks all over it.

Lots and lots of rocks for climbing.

There was also a pretty tall observation tower in the park, 60 feet up to the top, 96 steps. And a spectacular view of all the colors all around in all directions.

Any direction you look, as far as you could see, the foliage was in full color.  If it was not peak colors it was only just barely passed.

Any direction was really pretty.

It was an amazing sight, to see all those trees with all their leaves in full color.

Down off the tower there were lots of trails through the trees to hike around.

Trails that lead up and over rocks, all set in the amazing colors.

Even though there were lots of people wandering around the park on the trails and roads, it still didn't feel crowded.  A lot of the time it felt like we were to only ones there.

And even without being up on the tower, because the whole park is set on top of a good sized hill, there were still some very nice views.

Finally we decided it was time to head back down the hill.  So back to the chairlift and down we went.  This time we had a real good view out over the city by the hill.

Then it was off to the next stop, lunch.  We drove to the small city of Omega to the place we'd decided to have lunch, a small cafe in the middle of town.

The cafe gets its name from the fact that it sits next to the Pine Line Trail.  Not a state trail but still one that is on an abandon railroad line.  I had looked to see if there was anything of particular interest along the trial but hadn't seen anything.

This was an interesting cafe.  As we parked and walked toward the building we weren't entirely sure the place was open, or even still in business. There wasn't a whole lot of activity around. But it was decorated for Halloween and at the door we saw the "open" sign and went on in.  It turned out to be really good.  The building originally was the general store years before.  Now it was a pretty nice little cafe.

When I saw they had Reuben sandwiches I knew what I wanted.  And it was really good.

And they were all decorated for Halloween, too.  That was nice.

After a leisurely lunch we headed for Timms Hill, which is supposed to be a really good place to see the colors from.  There turned out to be a bonus, too!  The little road, where you turn off the main highway, is designated as Rustic Road 62.  A narrow, scenic little road that was densely surrounded with trees growing right up to the shoulder of the road.  All of them in full color. There are over a hundred of these little rustic roads all over the state, each of them very nice, pretty little roads.

Timms Hill is set in a small county park and also has an observation tower.  You just have to hike 300 feet up the tallest hill in the state to get to it.  So we made the hike.

One nice thing about the hike is they had a few benches along the way for those that need or just want to stop and take a break.  We stopped for the photo op.

Here and there the trail was marked by some short rail fences.

A funny thing happened as we were on our way up the hill.  We had been trying all morning to call Erdbeere's house, her oldest was having a birthday on this day.  We had called and left a couple of messages, left a happy birthday song on his daddy's voice mail, but just hadn't been able to connect with them.  Then, quite unexpectedly, they called back while we were hiking up the hill.  I was amazed that we got enough signal to get the call, being out in the middle of nowhere and all.  But the call came through so we stood there in the forest, surrounded by trees, and sang to him again and wished him a happy birthday.

Then it was on further up the hill, to the top.

Hiking through the woods - really nice.

This tower was the same height as the other way but its a bit up higher on the hill than the other one. 96 more steps to the top and we made it!

And once again we were rewarded with a spectacular view.

So we spent a little while at the top, soaking in the marvelous view.

Being a little farther north the colors were a little farther along, a little passed peak.  But still really nice.

If you know where to look, they say you can see the first tower we climbed from the top of the tower on Timms Hill.  I guess I didn't know which way to look.  But then again, I didn't spend a lot of time looking for it.

Back down from the tower we signed the guest register and made the hike back down the hill.  We didn't leave any too soon.  As we were making our way down the trail back to the car the rain finally started.  It had been kind enough to hold off all morning but now it started up.  Not real heavy, at least not at first, which was probably a good thing considering the trail was all leaf covered and would have gotten pretty slick once the leaves got good and wet.  By the time it started getting heavy we were in the car and on our way home.

Then there was the drive back home, with a stop at our favorite ice cream place, of course.  It was a very good day.  I am always amazed at the colors around here in this part of the country.  We need to make this an annual thing, a Fall Foliage Excursion!

Halloween Fun with Grandkids

Nothing makes holidays as fun quite like little kids, all the more so when they're your grandkids.  So it was a lot of fun the other night when Schwartzbeere and family were here and we did pumpkins, cut jack-o-lanterns.  Being only two, Duckie didn't remember much from last Halloween, this was all new to him.  It took a few minutes but pretty soon he was really getting into it.

Duckie has an amazing arm on him, he can throw amazingly well for a two year old.  It seems to come naturally.  He's accurate and gets pretty good distance, such as he's tried at it thus far.  So his first inclination with these beautiful orange, round orbs was to throw them.  Had we let him it would have been throw them in the box, take them back out, onto the table.  Then throw them in the box again, over and over again until we stopped him.  Took us a few minutes to convince him that was not the idea with these.

Then I guess he was trying them to see how they taste.  As thick and hard as pumpkins are that didn't go too well for him.  But it was worth a try in any case.

Then, since there were plenty of pumpkins to work with, he spent some time organizing and arranging them.

Turtle had a pumpkins, too, but he lost interest pretty quick.  Wouldn't fit in his mouth so what is there to do with it, right?

Then Duckie discovered the inside of the pumpkin.  After an initial hesitation, he was perfectly okay with the "guts". Many kids his age are not, won't have anything to do with it.  But he was quickly at home playing inside, perfectly willing to help anyone that wanted help.

That actually turned out to be a good thing since these were small pumpkins and his little hand fit in the openings best of all.

Back and forth, helping and playing (maybe the later, mostly), Duckie was having a blast.

When he wasn't reaching inside someone's pumpkin he was playing in the dish we were collecting the "guts" in.  He was really going to town.

Grandma did a couple of pumpkins, too.  Everyone was feeling quite artistic.

We worked at it, the creative juices were really flowing.  Some really nice pumpkins got done.

We ended up with seven pumpkins carved from the evening's efforts.  I thought they turned out very well.

Schwartzbeere and family took theirs home with them but Brombeere's went out of the front porch.  Threw some little candles in there and they looked pretty nice!

Yep, nothing makes pumpkin carving fun like little kids!

Little Signs

Himbeere has been working for a commercial farm here in the area for the last while.  There are two times of year when he gets really busy and works long hours.  He drives the fuel truck that goes around to all the fields where the tractors, harvesters, and other equipment are so they can get refueled without having to drive along ways to a gas station. 

We got to see his chariot the other night when he decided he was cold and asked us to bring his jacket out to him.  Finding the field he was in was a little challenging, but he was easy to spot in the field once we got there.

Anyway, because he prefers to work second shift, and because its harvest time right now so all the equipment is running day and night, he's putting in some long hours.  It gets like that during the planting weeks and again during harvest.  We also work, but first shift.  So when he comes home we're asleep and when he gets up and goes in to work we're already at work.  We don't see him much.

But as we get up in the morning and get ready for work we can tell he's home because of the little signs he leaves around the house. A coat hung on a chair (two steps from the closet where it belongs).

His boots just inside the front door.  That ones actually not so bad because the treads hold onto the dirt he walks in out in the fields so if he wore the boots into the house it would leave dirt all over the place.  But by the front door?

He is conscious of our desire to recycle but still finds it difficult to get his recyclables all the way into the bin where we collect them.  So we find stuff on the stove, which is about five steps from the bin.

But the best "tell" of all is his truck parked in the driveway.  Its a pretty sure bet if his truck is there he's home.  But you have to go outside to see that one.  Ah, well.  He's getting better at picking up after himself.  And it is nice to be able to know when he's home and safe.