Oak Glen

Autumn is finally here, hot days, cool nights and even an early storm.  It's sort of become a tradition for Jamie and I to make it up to Oak Glen in the fall.  It feels just a little bit more like Autumn there plus it's a fun and delicious day out.

Last year we went up in November, just after a storm, and had the fun of trekking around in snow and not having to deal with too many people.  This year, we decided to go up this weekend.  Partly so it would feel more like fall than winter and partly because November is starting to get pretty busy and it's still a few weeks away.

It was a warm day and it was pretty busy but we still had fun wondering around the apple orchards and pumpkin patches :)

This is one of the farm houses that has been turned into a Colonial style pub overlooking a strawberry field.

Of course, the trip isn't complete without some apple pie and ice cream!  Thankfully Jamie and I shared this and still couldn't finish it together.  It was pretty amazing :)

Oak Glen

On Saturday, we drove about 1 & 1/2 hrs inland to the foothills, to an area known for it's apple growing, Oak Glen in Yucaipa. There are a dozen or more ranches and farms that specialize in apples but also grow berries, pumpkins, corn, and other vegetables throughout the year. As it happens a storm came through the night before and it snowed there. When we first arrived this is what it looked like. It was cold but beautiful. The trees were mostly oranges and reds with a few evergreens scattered throughout the landscape. It snowed for the first half hour or so and then it was just cloudy until after lunch.
We packed our jackets, scarves, gloves, and boots just in case and they came in handy. Here I am in the apple orchard.

The clouds were beautiful all day. We got some amazing pictures and it was difficult to just choose a few to post.

Thankfully, a lady offered to take our picture while we were hiking around one of the farms.

We stopped at Los Rios for lunch and had some delicious hot apple cider. It really hit the spot after being out in the cold.

Later, we stopped at another farm called Colonial Chesterfield, that went with a colonial style theme. We decided it was time for desert and ate in their colonial pub. It was only lit by candlelight and all the waiters were dressed in colonial clothing. It was pretty fun.

Here I am in the giant booth.

They even served us in old style mugs. Jamie had hot chocolate (of course) while I opted for coffee.

We both had a piece of their apple crumble pie and later realized we could have easily shared a piece. The pie was delicious but they gave a whole new meaning to deep dish. I'm happy to say we both finished all the crumble topping though!

We had a great day out. It really got us in the holiday spirit with all the snow on the ground and the wonderful fall colors. We may not have dramatic season changes in the OC but you don't have to go far to see it first hand. Jamie took some fantastic pictures and there weren't too many people around either. I think this may become a holiday tradition.