Last weekend we joined some of our Grenada friends for apple picking up in Westchester County. Julie and Liam hosted a delicious breakfast at their new house over in NJ so we were appropriately fueled up and ready for the day. Penny had a great time catching up with her friends, checking out their toys and getting psyched about the day.
We followed our reliable little GPS into the lovely forested hills just North and West of NYC. The trees were just starting to turn- so there were the lovely reds and oranges of the poison ivy draped over the lingering greens of the trees. As we cruised through quaint little towns and fields, I was briefly reminded of fall at home or in Ithaca. Then we got within a mile of the orchard and we found ourselves rudely returned to the reality of being so close to NYC - we were stuck in a traffic jam. Every five minutes or so, we'd inch up one car length. As we finally turned into the orchard driveway, a staff member came out and began announcing to the idling hoards that the parking lot was full and folks should return in an hour when some folks had left. I called our caravan and was pleased to discover we were only a few car lengths apart and we'd all made it in. After a brief line for the bathroom and another to get our apple bags, we got to embark on our apple extravaganza.
Penny had an excellent time picking most of the apples herself. The trees were conveniently short and so heavy-laden as to touch the ground in some places. Though some were firmly attached, Penny still wrenched them free and quickly gathered a couple of pecks of apples. Our little friends were kind enough to sample throughout the orchard and let us know which apples were the yummiest. Overall, a really great time.
When we were truly weighted down with apples ourselves, we headed back to the barn/food area for some apple donuts. They were quite tasty. Plus, there was a fascinating marionette show for the kids. It was Penny's first exposure to stringed puppets, so she spent quite a while right up against the stage and also exploring backstage to see how everything worked.
As the sun began to set and some ominous clouds lurked on the horizon, we bid our friends farewell. I plugged in "home" to our trusty GPS and rolled out of the parking lot. We made it to the main road, then the batteries died. Dan had handed me the phone charger instead of the GPS charger, so now it was me and my phone navigating home. I had my phone set so it wasn't giving very accurate readings of my location, so I used landmarks I recognized to get us back through the countryside to the interstate. Once there, things were a little more straightforward. Of course, a trip to the countryside was what every New Yorker with a car did on such a lovely day, so we soon found ourselves thoroughly snared in nasty traffic. As I nervously eyed my gas gauge, Penny dozed in the back. Gas prices are a good $0.50 cheaper in New Jersey compared with NY state. If I could just get those two little hash marks to last through Westchester County, there should be a rest area pretty quick in New Jersey...my Gas Buddy App promised. I sure am glad there's a little gas left in the tank when those hash marks disappear, that's all I have to say.
We stopped for gas and a bite to eat at Burger King. Penny had her usual - chickens, french fries, chocate milk and soda. She never eats the nuggets at the meal, just fries, but I have to order the chicken anyway. The stop also allowed me time to plot the rest of the way home. My phone doesn't read aloud to me, so I tried to study a few steps ahead so I didn't have to keep checking it (muy peligroso!). The phone suggested an unusual route, but I figured it must know something I didn't about traffic. It had already been two hours, so avoiding further traffic was an attractive option.
We sallied forth once more. Taking a lovely little highway through scenic Newark, NJ. We cruised along nicely until the sign that the left two lanes were closing. Then the sign saying all lanes closed at exit 4. And so we found ourselves cruising quite unexpectedly through downtown Newark, with lights at every block and no real good place to pause and recalculate our route. We managed to make our way back to the highway we had exited and enjoyed smooth sailing from there. A mere four hours from the orchard and we were relaxing at home once more.
We followed our reliable little GPS into the lovely forested hills just North and West of NYC. The trees were just starting to turn- so there were the lovely reds and oranges of the poison ivy draped over the lingering greens of the trees. As we cruised through quaint little towns and fields, I was briefly reminded of fall at home or in Ithaca. Then we got within a mile of the orchard and we found ourselves rudely returned to the reality of being so close to NYC - we were stuck in a traffic jam. Every five minutes or so, we'd inch up one car length. As we finally turned into the orchard driveway, a staff member came out and began announcing to the idling hoards that the parking lot was full and folks should return in an hour when some folks had left. I called our caravan and was pleased to discover we were only a few car lengths apart and we'd all made it in. After a brief line for the bathroom and another to get our apple bags, we got to embark on our apple extravaganza.Penny had an excellent time picking most of the apples herself. The trees were conveniently short and so heavy-laden as to touch the ground in some places. Though some were firmly attached, Penny still wrenched them free and quickly gathered a couple of pecks of apples. Our little friends were kind enough to sample throughout the orchard and let us know which apples were the yummiest. Overall, a really great time.As the sun began to set and some ominous clouds lurked on the horizon, we bid our friends farewell. I plugged in "home" to our trusty GPS and rolled out of the parking lot. We made it to the main road, then the batteries died. Dan had handed me the phone charger instead of the GPS charger, so now it was me and my phone navigating home. I had my phone set so it wasn't giving very accurate readings of my location, so I used landmarks I recognized to get us back through the countryside to the interstate. Once there, things were a little more straightforward. Of course, a trip to the countryside was what every New Yorker with a car did on such a lovely day, so we soon found ourselves thoroughly snared in nasty traffic. As I nervously eyed my gas gauge, Penny dozed in the back. Gas prices are a good $0.50 cheaper in New Jersey compared with NY state. If I could just get those two little hash marks to last through Westchester County, there should be a rest area pretty quick in New Jersey...my Gas Buddy App promised. I sure am glad there's a little gas left in the tank when those hash marks disappear, that's all I have to say.
We stopped for gas and a bite to eat at Burger King. Penny had her usual - chickens, french fries, chocate milk and soda. She never eats the nuggets at the meal, just fries, but I have to order the chicken anyway. The stop also allowed me time to plot the rest of the way home. My phone doesn't read aloud to me, so I tried to study a few steps ahead so I didn't have to keep checking it (muy peligroso!). The phone suggested an unusual route, but I figured it must know something I didn't about traffic. It had already been two hours, so avoiding further traffic was an attractive option.
We sallied forth once more. Taking a lovely little highway through scenic Newark, NJ. We cruised along nicely until the sign that the left two lanes were closing. Then the sign saying all lanes closed at exit 4. And so we found ourselves cruising quite unexpectedly through downtown Newark, with lights at every block and no real good place to pause and recalculate our route. We managed to make our way back to the highway we had exited and enjoyed smooth sailing from there. A mere four hours from the orchard and we were relaxing at home once more.
posted from Bloggeroid
1 comment:
I can't tell you how often I get lost driving. Thank God I have a GPS now, but I feel your pain. Our car charger got broken by a child and it's been dead for quite some time so we're back to good ol' google maps now. That's crazy the orchard was so busy! I'm glad you all got in and enjoyed your time together before the rain came though! :)
Post a Comment