Autumn Delights

I've been in quite the autumnal mood lately and as such I thought I'd share my reviews for two staples of autumn fun- Cider Mills and Apple Orchards (sometimes, but not always one in the same).

All ratings out of 5, 1= piss poor, 2= meh it as alright, 3= good, but not great, 4= really good, 5= Great/bestest ever.


Yates Cider Mill
Overall rating: 3

Here's the deal, Yates is a lovely cider mill with some really nice walking trails and a lovely seating area across the road by a river these aspects if not marred by some rather important details would easily earn Yates a 4. The only major drawback is that it gets incredibility crowded, particularly in the shoppe, and the crowds can make it feel a bit more like a packed in fairground than a quaint cider mill.

The goodies: Here is where things start to go down hill a bit. You can buy all sorts of autumnal goodies at Yates and I'll talk about what I consider to be the four essentials here.

1. Cider, I give it a 2.5 out of 5. Yates's cider is somewhat disappointing and is a little too close to apple juice in color and taste. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but it tastes as though it has been thinned out too much. I like nice dark cider. I am aware that cider varies in taste and yumminess throughout the fall and from batch to batch.

2. Donuts, 3 out of 5, Sadly I can't say I'm overly impressed with their donuts either. They are smallish and usually somewhat dry.

3. Apples, 5 out of 5 they sell bags of apples in their apple tent and I've never gotten bad or mealy apples from them. They have a large variety and are reasonably priced.

4. Caramel Apples 5 out of 5, I'm not sure what kind of apples they use for these, but they don't use the Red Delicious that a lot of places use which are almost always mealy and flavorless. Yates's caramel apples are always delicious and flavorful and one of my favorite fall treats.

Overall Yates isn't a bad place, they lose points for being crowded (although what cider mill isn't this time of year), and for what I feel is a sub par effort in the cider and donuts area two vital components to any good cider mill. On the other hand Yates is a lovely place for a date or an afternoon spent with friends.

Erwin's Apple Orchard
Overall rating 5 of 5
I love love love this place.

Located near Kensington lake Erwin's is a lovely little apple orchard and you couldn't ask for a better atmosphere. Wagons pulled by tractors take you out into the orchard where you can fill your bag with a large variety of apples and the friendly staff is great at filling you in on what kinds of apples are best for your different needs. Oh and they have a pumpkin patch as well!

Treats

1. Cider 5 out of 5, this is seriously the best cider around so much better than Yates. Dark and just a bit tart this is autumn in a glass.

2. Donuts 5 out of 5, warm and never stale these donuts are amazing. Not too small or too big I always end my visit to Erwin's with cider and donuts.

3. Apples 5 out of 5, you just can't beat pick your own.

4. caramel apples 5 out of 5, so delicious and they don't skimp on the caramel.

The Smell of Rain

Rain may be the enemy of summer picnics and days at the beach, but I don't think anyone can deny that rain possesses a certain magical ability to effect our imaginations.

Last night, sometime between 4 and 5am I was awoken by an earth shaking clap of thunder, the kind that triggers car alarms and sets dogs to barking. Thunderstorms always send a little thrill of excitement running through my body, as if the electricity from the storm is literally connecting to my nerve endings and pumping life into them. It isn't hard to see how Shelly came up with her idea for Frankenstein. I don't know how long the storm went on, I drifted on the edge of sleep listening as the thunder retreated into the distance. Eventually all that was left was the patter of rain in the leaves of the tree outside my window and an occasional far away rumble.

When I woke up this morning the air was still damp and the clouds were hanging low in the sky. I wheeled my bike out of the garage and headed to the gym. I love my rides to the gym, or anywhere really. Peddling down the tree lined neighborhood streets I'm always a little surprised by how lovely everything is, and how entirely I miss this sense of beauty when I drive.

Today was especially good for a bike ride, the air smelled of fresh rain and damp wood. Anyone who has ever gone camping in Northern climates will recognize it as the smell that the forest has in the early morning when the dew and perhaps even a little bit of rain from the night before is still hanging in the air. It was overcast, but there was a sort of glow emitting from the vegetation all around me. We've had the kind of summer that toasts lawns to a golden brown and renders sprinklers helpless to revive them. But autumn is creeping in, the last few weeks have been cool and we've been getting more rain. The lawns are looking almost revived lush and emerald green, the earth and exposed tree bark have been stained a dark rich brown by the rain and the first signs of autumn color is beginning to gild the crowns of some of the trees.



I will be sad when winter closes in and my bike is longer be an appropriate mode of transportation.