Pick a Winner!

Last year around the first week of October, I decided to inaugurate a trip with Lilah to the apple orchard at Skytop near Flat Rock, NC.  It's actually only about 45 minutes from our house, and because we have the luxury of going during the week, we avoid all the crazy weekend crowds and get to have a very leisurely visit.

I love it.

And this year, Lilah loved it, too!

For a little perspective, here is Lilah's "apple" picture from last year.

 

Holy applesauce...she's a whole platform taller this year!

Anyway - we had a great time being the only folks at the orchard.  I tried to get Lilah to go out into the orchard to pick some apples ourselves, but she saw some things in which she was far more interested, such as...

 

A little house, just her size.

 

Love this picture of her peeking out the window.

 

They had both a pumpkin house and a cute apple house...

I love this one.  How hilarious is my little apple?

It was a little bit dreary when we first got there, so we decided to check out the guys making cider in the shelter.

 

First they get dumped off the truck, and washed off.

 

Then they ride the conveyer belt up to the very loud crushing machine.

 

Then the mash comes out of a giant hose, which this guy sprays evenly over these accordion filters.  The juice drips out into the pan below, and a hose carries it over to a giant metal storage tank.

Neat, huh?

We then poked around the store a little and checked out the apples and apple products we'd be purchasing!

 

She really wanted me to "umere"

I think someone was getting a little sleepy by the pumpkin picture...but don't worry, I knew how to perk her up!

  Oh yeah, the cider slush!  We didn't get one last year, but I was determined to taste the official drink of Sky Top this trip!  And to go along with our slush...

 

Cider Doughnuts!!!  This picture cracks me up - the doughnuts are falling onto a platter being propped up on a box that is marked "no sugar."

 

Not hardly.  Look at that crispy cinnamon sugar topping!  Oh boy.

 

A sip of slush...

...followed by a bite of doughnut!

This is a good general rule of thumb, I think...

And I just loved all these baskets stacked up...which should tell you just how much we had the place to ourselves!

I really think we should head up there a few times a year.  I mean, they are open from May - December, and realizing just how close it is I'm not sure why I think we can only go one time!  So, we'll see.  Who knows what the future holds, but I'm glad that my present held this trip for us.  It was a sweet time, and Lilah - two weeks later - keeps asking when we're going back to the "corture" to pick some more apples.

Don't worry, I'm not fooled.  I know she just wants more doughnuts. :-)