Enjoying Maple Canyon

It was so hot all through September and early October. And then it was cold. And then it finally evened out into glorious Fall weather, just as October ought to have. And I was itching to go somewhere and enjoy it!

Our family outings are fewer in number these days. I feel like I am always taking half of the children somewhere or other. It is certainly easier that way! And nice, in its way. The older kids have their own schedules and their own ideas about how to spend their free time, and the younger kids appreciate having me more to themselves on occasion. But—even though it inevitably involves some grumbling, and lots of jostling and arguing and noise, and a few moments of Sam and me (who are now usually ABLE to leave them behind with an older child babysitting whenever we need to) questioning whether we ever ought to go anywhere with the whole family again—there is just something so good abut being all together for a few hours. Satisfying. It's an opportunity I know is getting rarer and rarer, and will soon be gone altogether. 

Thus, one lovely October Saturday, we girded up our loins and packed up a picnic and headed down to our favorite pumpkin patch at the Red Barn. Everyone was excited. But when we got there, it all just felt like…too much. It was crowded. And expensive (this place keeps growing, and so does the price! It was all free when we first started going…). And there were long lines. And we suddenly found that all we really wanted were the apples. And the apple cider. And the apple cider donuts.

And so in a bold and daring departure from tradition, we took our donuts and our apples and our cider, skipped the pumpkin patch, and went instead up Maple Canyon!

Not without eating a few first, of course. (Here is Teddy tilting his head for optimal donut biting.)

Maple Canyon is one of my favorite canyons, because it is small and quiet and there are hardly ever other people there—and there is the loveliest leafy picnic area at the top of the small quiet road.

There were so many leaves! On the ground. On the trees. Everywhere. It didn't seem possible that ALL those leaves on the ground—were once on the trees!

Ziggy wasn't totally sure about it.

Especially when people started burying him (and his stroller) in leaves!

But soon he got into the spirit of things.

There was a water spigot completely covered with aphids! That was interesting.

Then we found a bathroom with tons of ladybugs crawling all over it. They were everywhere! In all shades from red to orange and even yellowish, and with all kinds of spot patterns. We even saw one with no spots! The kids LOVED the ladybugs and wanted to let them crawl all over their arms and hands. And, of course, we thought it would be nice to put some of the ladybugs on the aforementioned aphid-post so they could have a good meal! The ladybugs seemed grateful when we did that. :)

How I love Teddy's chubby baby-hands. They are already getting less babyish. :(

We picnicked like kings, of course, with our apples and cider and donuts. Here is Abe asking if he can drink the rest of the cider.

He got it, of course. Who can refuse him?

 People never stay in one place while they eat. Apparently.

Even eggs and apples look elegant with the sunlight coming across them!

An unspecified number of donuts were consumed. Take whatever you're thinking and double it. :)

The little ones had fun exploring and making up games, as they always do.

The area is pretty small, so the kids could just wander. They liked that. Though they did keep coming back. :)

A heavenly halo around Junie!

Hmm. Not sure what is going on here! Leaping and skipping!

When the kids let Ziggy out of the stroller, he was confused by all the crunching for a little while…

but then he took off like a freed…vole. Or marmot.

Even the older boys, some of whom had…ahem…grumbled over being "encouraged" to come on this little excursion…had a great time.

They did some exploring of their own.

And tried…unsuccessfully…not to look too happy. :)

Seb found coordinates on his GPS unit. He loves that thing.

He is so handsome! And grown-up! Sometimes it surprises me when I see him in a picture.

Abe read (a boy after my own heart).

And took a picture of his esteemed parents.

A steady and sober youth, isn't he?

Sam seized the opportunity to deliver an informative lecture on…I don't actually know what this was on. Flora and fauna of the greater Mapleton region? The proper way to draw trunk bifurcation? The kids seemed interested, anyway.

We played and played and played until the sun started to get low…

and the shadows started getting deeper…

and the edges of the hills started to glow with the last light.

The girls tried to recreate this picture.

The leaves burned with their last desperate fire.

The kids poked things with sticks.

And then we drove home!