FALL
Fall in California can be…uneventful. The weather doesn’t change much and the trees stay relatively the same color. So we’ve taken things into our own hands to make fall feel different.
It started when Andrew unexpectedly got some extra days off of work. September was busy and demanding for him, so his boss told him to take a long weekend off at the beginning of October. This included the Friday before and the Monday after. Four beautiful days! I jumped at the opportunity and quickly planned a weekend in the mountains. We spent those four days nestled in a quaint red cabin in Big Bear. The temperature rested in the low 60s. Harper got out of the car and declared, “It’s frigid!” Her little 3-year old voice makes those big vocabulary words even more unexpected. We watched General Conference and ate homemade cinnamon rolls. The kids played with stickers, colored, and made paper dolls while Andrew and I snuggled on the couch. In between sessions, we took walks to the park or kicked a soccer ball in the backyard. At night, we had a family chat while sitting in the hot tub. We talked about our favorite things and what we wanted to be when we grew/grow up. We visited the town and walked into shops to find the perfect souvenir. One day we even went to the small, local zoo. We saw bears, racoons, falcons, foxes, and many other animals. It was a truly wonderful weekend. The cool mountain air gave us the perfect touch of fall.
The next week, I jumped at another opportunity to make some autumn magic. We went to a farm near Yucciapa to go apple picking. Once again, the weather was perfect. It was cool and crisp (which was especially appreciated because we did a lot of walking). Los Rios Rancho was magical. They have a ton of really cool hiking trails with different types of vegetation. My kids said it felt like they were at an arboretum again. Apple picking was a hit. Each of my girls had a bag, and it was difficult to convince them that they didn’t need to fill the bag to the brim. We ended up buying $43 in apples, but it was worth it. Afterwards the kids started snacking on some of the apples. They were delicious and cold. Lunch took us to a small wood-fire pizza place just down the road. The kids asked for hot chocolate while Andrew and I sipped on hot apple cider. YUM! Then it was back to the farm to visit the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin. We settled on a smaller one with funny warts on it. By this time, kids were getting tired and grumpy and it was time to return to the car to take naps on the way home.
I want to make this a yearly tradition. It was truly magical.
Good to know for future visits: the farm on the left side (not the main entrance) has Granny Smith apples for picking. The side we went on had Red Delicious and some yellow variations. They also had a ton of other seasonal fruits and vegetables to pick. Even though the apple picking opens at 10, you can come early to start walking on the trails. They are so cool! My favorite were the giant sequoias, but we honestly hardly touched the hiking trails.
