A Slice of SoCal Fall

This time of year I go gaga over the fall blogs you all post. Living in Los Angeles, fall doesn't really exist. There are no trees so there is no foliage. The air doesn't get too crisp, right now we're in the low 70s, coming off of a week in the high 90s. And, it's not uncommon to see people still wearing flip flops and hanging at the beach. I thought November meant cool temps...guess not!

To some, that may sound ideal but I just want to see red and orange scattered leaves as I sip a warm beverage!

In order to get into the autumn mood, I like to go to Oak Glen. It's an area about two hours east of LA. Some of you may recall that I visited a few weeks back to go on a haunted hayride. This time around I wanted to get some fresh air, see fall scenery, and pick apples.

Much to our surprise apple picking is expensive! We stopped at a few farms and couldn't find any picking for less than $12 a pound. Sorry but that's insane! Hence our appleless return. Also, I was a bit disappointed that none of the trees had changed color yet. We did make the most of our trip, though!

We started off with some fresh apple donuts. They were SO warm, soft, and good! As we snacked on these scrumptious treats we walked around the farm store checking out the produce and trying samples of the apple varieties.

As we headed down the mountain we happened across an alpaca farm! It was a bit hidden so we were the only ones there and had the animals undivided attention. Literally all of the alpacas just stood there and stared at us...all but the two gettin' it on in the corner...disturbing.

All in all it was a great few hours out of the city taking in the nature that surrounded us.

An Oak Glen Mini-Getaway

Last weekend I headed to Oak Glen with a friend. Located about two hours east of Los Angeles and a half hour northwest of Palm Springs, this quaint little community is known for its apple orchards.

As a kid I visited and had a magical time picking apples (and cherries when they are in season), so I have been wanting to go back and explore as an adult. As I have complained a million times on this blog, I love Fall and never get to see it because Southern California isn't exactly known for our trees and wilderness. Seeing an actual Autumn is the main reason I wanted to go back.

Unfortunately there was recently a frost and all of the apples died =( I knew this going up there, but figured we would still have a blast leaf peepin', cider sippin', and checking out the farms. I was disappointed to learn that the little town has become pretty commercial, not the idealized vision I had in my head from what I remember as a child. It reminded me of a swap meet because people were selling random stuff like blankets, hats, and other sorts.

I was a bit sad that there wasn't much apple food being sold, and those that were, were pretty expensive. This may very well be due to the frost though. A small warn apple cider, which was literally half the size of a tall Starbucks drink and not much larger than a paper cup that kids keep in the bathroom to use for teeth brushing, was $2! Maybe I am just being cheap...

However, there were some little shoppes featuring apple specialties and trinkets, and I did get to see some Fall. Of course, nothing compared to the New England Autumn that I was dreaming for, but nonetheless, there were a few yellow and orange leaves on the ground =)


We started at the top of the mountain and made our way down through the farms. Along the way this is what we saw:

An old home that reenacts Colonial and Civil War America.

Oak Glen School House Museum built in 1927. Grades 1-6 were taught here by one teacher.

A little shop selling country trinkets.

We spotted two roaming peacocks that didn't seem to mind visitors.

Late afternoon the trees started to look more like those of Autumn.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Enjoy the beauty around you and rest up for next week =)