I Found My Thrill...

There's a beautiful place about an hour from Sacramento up into the mountains where you'll find dozens of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and Christmas tree farms. It's aptly called "Apple Hill", and we've made it tradition for the last five years to head up during apple season. It's a delightful way to spend a Saturday, so if anyone ever comes out in the fall, this is where we'll be taking you.





Some highlights from the trip: Paige went on her first train ride.


Raelynn opted to skip the train ride and take the three dollars. She recognizes a rip-off when she sees one, and was more than a little dazzled by the stalls on the way in full of all the knick-knackery you could wish for. Unfortunately, the stalls were as overpriced as the train ride, and she ended up throwing a dollar at a scented votive just so she wouldn't have to come home empty-handed. Live and learn.



The kids got to eat plenty of apples and pick a few, too.




Haystacks, pumkins and scarecrows abounded.




The farm animals are there to pet, but Miles has always been overly affectionate.



Raelynn loved watching a guy carve bears with a chainsaw. I narrowly avoided bringing one home (Mike wanted several).

There was even a bluegrass band, which smacked of Fruit of the Loom (only much younger). The kids enjoyed it, and it made me homesick. Aren't you supposed to be over that by the time you get to your thirties?

By the end of the day, the kids were pretty tired.

But everyone was revived by the real reason we return year after year: the donuts. You eat just one of the apple donuts from High Hill Ranch, and tell me it isn't worth the drive.

Mostly, though, Apple Hill gives Mike and I a relaxing day in the mountains, and it gives the kids a little more running room than they're afforded at home. Sometimes an open lane down the side of an apple orchard is just the freedom you've been needing.