Apples Apples and Pumpkins, too!

We had a very seasonally appropriate day today.

Our friends recently told us about an apple orchard run by Cal Poly, at Swanton Pacific Ranch, up the coast, and a bit inland. You might think you are lost, she said, but it's there, and it's a great spot!

And she was right, in all accounts.

Swanton Road leaves Coastal Hwy 1 and heads inland, winding up and down the valley towards the hills of Santa Cruz mountains.

I am not too familiar with the connections, but somehow, Cal Poly Tech (located in San Luis Obispo, about 3 hours south of here), operates a ranch and programs here. There are farms, railroad tracks, this orchard, and probably a few other things. Their presence is not oppressive, however. If anything, like my friend said, you may feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

As we drove about, I told the kids to keep their eyes open for a sign for Apple Picking. Just before I thought we had past it, I saw an apple orchard to our left, and a small make shift shack with a scale. This had to be it, I told the kids.

There was an OPEN sign on the fence, but other than that, you would not think this place was open for business. The shack had a note or two about the picking, and a metal money box for their self-paying honor system. Of course, I was sold. I love this kind of place!

Then we just wandered down the rows of apples, neatly marked by apple variety names: Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious, and some others that I can't remember.

We had the whole orchard to ourselves, and picked to our hearts' content.

As for the pumpkins, we stopped at one of MANY pumpkin patches along the highway. And I assure you that this won't be the only time this season that we will be bringing pumpkins home!

Happy fall, everyone, in the northern hemisphere!