Where the Blacktop Ends

Workin' the grind is an uphill road
Punchin' the clock and carryin' that load
I bust it all week and then I'm free
The weekend belongs to me.

Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet

Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet

Goin' back to the well, gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul where the blacktop ends.
                                                              -- KEITH URBAN

There is no better way to recoup from the week and celebrate the arrival of fall than to spend the day in the quiet solitude of the country. Picking apples, petting cows, tickling goats, pig races, wagon rides, tractor pulls, cider mills, and leaves crunching under foot.  Welcome FALL! Oh how we have waited for you.  You are welcome in our home any time.

Today we took the kids up to Hillcrest Orchards for a little apple picking. Something we have never done before. The day was perfect. A crisp 48 degrees this morning with the deepest blue skies. Not a cloud in sight. 

Since we were newcomers to this, we had to orient ourselves and figure out just where to go first. The excitement was just too much though. I think we spun in circles for a good fifteen mintes before we finally decided to just jump in and go for it.

Cari was SO proud of herself.

Chad greaty enjoyed the tractor rides that bumped and chugged along every few minutes. And, while Cari thinks they are great from afar, they bring out a great deal of fear from her when they get too close.

We've got the red ones, we are on the hunt for the green ones!

Ohp! Break time. It did end up getting a little bit hot out there in the sun. A quick break in the shade did us some good so that we continue our search for green apples.

Chad was actually more interested in the rocks and the moss on the ground than the apples.  He got a few good mouthfuls of some squishy dark stuff.....

Yay! We found the green ones!!! Good job, Cari!

Hmm.....How'd that get in there?????

Time for another break. A lunch picnic, on top of a "mountain top."

The view from our picnic.

Taking it all in.

Refueled and ready to go again. So much more to pick.

We kept searching for our prize for finding the two-headed apple.

Not only did this place have the most delicious apples, but they had pony rides, pig races, a talking cow, petting zoo where you could go in and pick up the animals, a giant slide, bluegrass concert, funnel cakes, tractor rides, and fresh apple cider. Cari, of course, had a thrill of a time on the giant slide.

We returned home after the kids took a (short) nap in the car on the way and ran straight for the couch to snuggle up and munch apples while watching Michigan vs. Michigan State.  Chad wore his Spartan's shirt all day getting ready for the event.

What a wonderful Saturday afternoon. The perfection of a weekend.

If you have never visited Hillcrest Orchards, you really ought to go. It is the perfect Fall Family Day. You will love it. If for nothing else, then just for the yummy apples you get to bring home. Looking forward to apple muffins, apple cake, apple sauce, baked apples and just plain fresh apples. Thank you, Fall.