Bringing up Biscuit: The forgotten afternoon

Back in October, one of my friends got in touch and asked if Biscuit and I would like to do something fall-ish. And of course we said we would.

A few years ago, we went to a place one county over that had a pumpkin patch, corn maze, barrel train and more. And since we had such a good time that day, I thought a return trip was in order.

Last time we went, we followed some friends, so I didn't pay attention to how we got there. This time, I went onto the website, got the address and typed it into the GPS in my car.

Biscuit and I set out and picked up our friends along the way. The GPS said it should take us about 30 minutes to get there, and since both boys were in a good mood and excited to see each other, it seemed like it would be a nice trip over.

Most of the trip was on a four-lane highway that was lined with trees that were showing pretty fall color. I chatted with my friend, and the boys played and giggled in the back seat.

I exited off the highway and followed by GPS's directions. I looked at the clock in my car and compared it with the time the GPS said we should arrive, and they didn't quite match up. We should've been at the place already, but it was nowhere in sight.

I kept following the GPS directions, and as I took a left turn, I realized we were right back where we were when we exited the highway. We had made one big 15-minute circle.

And then I remembered reading on the website back in 2011 that you should follow the directions listed on the website instead of using the address in a GPS.

I know. Fine time to remember, right?

Thank goodness for smartphones. We looked up the directions, and if I had used the directions instead of the GPS, once we exited off the highway, we would've been within a mile of the pumpkin patch!

We finally got on the right road, and it just didn't look familiar to me.

The website said, "You can't miss it!" but the place on the left was definitely not the place we went to back in 2011. I was frustrated, confused and embarrassed that it was taking so long. Luckily, my friend was laughing about it, and the boys were only a little impatient about the whole thing.

Finally, I said, "Well, let's just go up and ask."

We got to the pay window, and I asked, "Did y'all move or am I crazy?"

"You're not crazy," the woman said. "We moved two years ago."

So our trip in 2011 was their last year at that location.

We had fun on our outing, but I actually liked the previous location better. Well, except for the bathrooms. The previous location had portable potties, but the new location has really nice tiled bathrooms.

The old location was nice and grassy. The new location was covered in gravel, which caused dust. The old location had a shelter over the jumping pillow. The new location had it out in the open, and the sun that day, although lovely, was bright and hot!

Despite those things, they have added a few features, including a corn pit for the kids to play in, a small hay bale maze for little kids and a couple of games to play.

We got there about 1:30 p.m. and didn't leave until after 6. We did take a lunch break for hot dogs, chips and popcorn. And then there was a break later for snow cones.

Toward the end, the boys were bouncing on the jumping pillow and Biscuit pushed his friend too hard and his friend fell down. So Biscuit had to sit out for a few minutes.

Then the friend pushed Biscuit, and he had to sit out for a few minutes.

They each came back to tell on the other one a couple more times, and I finally said, "Okay, the next time one of you comes to tell on the other one, we're leaving."

My friend told them to work it out amongst themselves. And they seemed to do just that.

Biscuit and I dropped off our friends and headed home. Jeff was covering a college football game, and he got an earful when he got home. Biscuit told him all about everything we did. It's always fun to hear the parts that he considered important enough to share.

It was a fun afternoon, and I can't believe I forgot to write about it.

Here are some pictures:

Whoever came up with these barrel trains
was a genius. An oil drum, handtrucks and tires.

We let the boys lead us through the corn maze. They took us
in an entrance and out an exit, so I'd say the did a good job.

The corn pit.

That bucket was full of corn, and
he poured it right over himself.

The jumping pillow is just a big ol' hump. I have no idea what's under
it or how it works. It's bouncy, but not as soft as those big inflatables.

Jumping is serious business.

Up to his ears in corn. Nice pun, huh?

This is the nicest hayride I've ever been on. They
lined the trailer with pontoon boat seats. It's nice
and comfy, but it does lack a little authenticity.

My favorite spider takes a spin on his web. I have to mention that Biscuit's
Halloween shirt features the bones of the torso, AND it glows in the dark.