Friday, October 8, 2010

R&R in the Smokies



Blue skies…


Quiet campsite…


Perfect hike—not too short, not too long…



Roar of water, wind through the trees…


Restoration.


This year everything worked together so that we could actually take a camping trip during Randy's fall break. Seems like we always have other commitments and we never end up doing anything while he's on break, but this time we made ourselves go away. It was so much needed. (For those of you who are always looking for new places to go in the Smokies, we highly recommend Cosby. Check out more details on Randy's blog, 900 Miles.)

On the way home, we stopped at an apple orchard in Cosby, TN that I'd read about.



I really liked their pretty pink sign…


And their display of apples.

But not being able to U-pick pretty much defeats the whole purpose of an apple orchard for me. If you are a regular reader, you know how I feel about apples. If you're new, read this post on apple picking and this post on being a fruit snob and you'll understand.

But I really did like their pretty pink sign. We bought two bags of apples, a gallon of cider, and some apple butter. We also tried their apple fritters and fried apple pie, which internet reviewers claimed one "can't miss."


They were tasty but not terribly exciting. I am a curmudgeon, aren't I? Still, I was glad to visit an apple orchard if only just to smell apples and be reminded of the countless days of my childhood I spent surrounded by apples, trees, and my family men in workboots and leather gloves, smelling faintly of tractors.

5 comments:

  1. We have only been to Cosby once and loved it. We keep saying we are going to go back and camp, but have never taken the time. Thank you for sharing this. I do believe I am going to push a little harder for a camping trip at Cosby! :)

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  2. We are planning another camping trip soon. I would love to go to Cosby, but it's not far from Big Creek (where we previously camped). My hubby wants to go to Frozen Head so that's where we are heading!

    I hope you all had a relaxing time!

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  3. Looks like a fun holiday even if you couldn't pick the apples.

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  4. We spent a lot of time looking at orchards and shopping fruit stands when we were up in Washington - it was great! Everywhere you turned, it was a feast for the eyes.

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