SOCIAL MEDIA

A Day Trip to Bayfield, Wisconsin

9.26.2010
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One of my favorite things in the entire world to do in the fall is to go to an apple orchard and pick apples.  I love it so much.  It's one of the things that Ethan and I did every fall when we were dating.  It's such a simple thing but what a beautiful way to spend a day.

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Yesterday we drove up to Bayfield, Wisconsin and checked out Sunset Valley Orchard for the first time and we fell in love.  It was 25 acres of apple trees, pumpkins and some of the most beautiful out-buildings and barns that I've seen. 

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It was the first time that we had taken Zoey to an orchard since she was about 2 years old and she loved everything about it.

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Perhaps the neatest thing was when the older gentleman that owned the orchard got really serious and knelt down to tell Zoey the "rules" of picking really great apples.  I could tell Zoey was a bit nervous and then he said that it was really, really, really important that when picking apples you ensure that you are picking good apples and that the only way to do that was to pick one from a tree, shine it on your jacket and than take a bite.  :)  And she did.  Quite a few times actually!

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We ended up picking some good ol' Macintosh apples (Zoey's favorite) and some Honey Gold's.  I will be looking up some recipes soon I am sure on how to use them up!

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The weather as you can see was absolutely perfect for this adventure.  The sun was shining and it was cool enough for a light coat but there wasn't a need for mittens.

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We even got to pick out a pumpkin as well which Zoey was really hoping for.

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I got a ton of great photos, these are just a few of my favorites.

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Here is the man that owns the orchard.  He was a bit smitten with Zoey I believe and watched us walk to our car when leaving.  I think he was touched by how excited Zoey truly was to be there.  He was a joy to get to talk with for the brief time that we were able to.  It's a family run orchard...we met his wife, his children and his grandchildren.  Some of them were picking apples, some were weeding the pumpkin patches, some were weighing apples and the little kids were running around screaming and laughing in the fields.  It was beautiful.

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After picking apples we headed into town to catch the ferry to Madeline Island.

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Zoey was pretty excited...here she is waiting to board the ferry.

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And here she is on the ferry!  She loved it!

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Once on Madeline Island we got some hot cocoa and a cinnamon roll to warm up and than walked the Island a bit.  The highlight for Zoey was the ferry ride for sure.

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On the way home we stopped for dinner in Ashland, Wisconsin at the South Shore Brew Pub where I had the wild mushroom lasagna, Ethan had the black bean burger and sweet potato fries and Zoey had a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of fruit.  Afterwords we stopped for a some Blizzard Ice Cream treats at Dairy Queen...where I got a pumpkin pie Blizzard.  A sure sign that fall is indeed here!  Yum!

It was the perfect fall day spent with my family.  Thankful for days like these.

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Diana Waite said...

this looks like SO MUCH fun!

Sue from Oregon said...

oh what a perfect day!!!

Unknown said...

I so wish I had an apple tree in my yard! That orchard looks amazing. What a splendid day and pictures.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful post! Your pictures are gorgeous! Better get scrapping:)

Patty said...

Sounds like it was a fun day! Your pictures are gorgeous! I love looking at photos you take Jen.

Melissa said...

oh you were so close to me yesterday. Cory Jessica and I were up towards Bayfield today. I am so looking forward to Applefest there next weekend. I hope you were able to create something with the leaves I gave you if you could get in touch with me soon I would really appreciate it!

Vicky said...

Such a perfect day! Wonderful photos, tfs! A simple day but those are the best aren't they :)
p.s. pumpkins!?! glad you got one...there's a shortage of those I hear.

Sarah said...

What a perfect fall day! Your pictures are so gorgeous. And, I love your new blog topper! So cute!