of morning glories and glorious mornings!

Morning Glories on a Glorious Morning!

AUTUMN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED here on Sand Mountain.  With temps hanging in the upper 90's until late September, we began to think it would never happen.  But the last couple of mornings have given us hope that our October will, indeed, be the blessing we looked forward to.

With the air crisp and the sun bright, Handsome Hubby and I enjoyed a 3-hour outing Saturday morning that was what I call a 'happy moment'.  A very happy moment.  With GPS in tow, we set out for Crow Mountain Apple Orchard, on the top of (what else?)  Crow Mountain.  The trip there was, in itself, a fabulous adventure!  Thinking we were traveling up the predictable 4-lane state highway out of Scottsboro, we were surprised when "American Jill" (the voice du jour on our trusty Garmin) instructed us to turn left at an unexpected and unmarked road only a mile out of town.  But, deciding we were meant to do so, we followed her instructions.  What we found along the way can only be described as 'mountain chic art' - which I promise I will blog about next week.  But for now, let me say that these words of warning from the Orchard's website are the God's honest truth:  Word to the Wise: Unless your vehicle is hinged in the middle, and you enjoy steep, narrow, hairpin curves, you don't want to come up to Crow Mountain on Route 39 out of Fackler.



Betty, the newer of our two Ford Explorers was the mode of transportation for the morning, and about halfway up Route 39 we were wishing for Flo, our ever-dependable 2000 model equipped with 4-wheel drive.  I've never, NEVER been on a mountain road like Route 39.  I swear it was about 10 feet wide, and the grade seemed like a 75 degree climb with turns so tight we felt that the front end of the car was leaving the roadway before the back end could complete the curve.  And steep drop-offs on both sides of the road - oh, and no guardrails, of course.  Our rear tires actually spun several times as we tried to navigate the steep, sharp trail to the top of the mountain.  Laughing all the way, we were at once delighted and relieved NOT to see another vehicle until we reached the top of the mountain and level, wider roadways.  Thankful, too, to arrive safely, as cell phone service was non-existant during the adventure.

Oh to the orchard.  Greeted by masses of morning glories growing wild along the fences at the entrance, I knew this was going to be good!  It got better when I spotted the three large dogs sleeping in the middle of the gravel parking lot - totally oblivious to the cars coming and going around them, and obviously not interested in their role as official orchard greeters.  They never moved . . . through cars, conversations, pictures being snapped . . . they never moved.  We went into the store . . . we came out an hour later . . . they never moved!  They knew how to spend a Saturday morning!  'Loved them!

Rich was the first to spot the large crates filled to the brim with apples waiting for attention outside the back of the store.  He pointed out a crate of his favorite Fuji apples and I could see that he wanted to literally dive in and swim in that crate of goodness!

Stepping into the 'store', I was enveloped in the sweet scent of fresh apples, and it felt like heaven!  To the far left I spotted  the "Buy Fresh Buy Local" sign, and wanted to take it home.  I thought it was beautiful. To the far right, what looked like thousands of apples were being prepared and bagged, while to the near right, three smiling ladies were happily answering questions and offering up samples of a multitude of varieties of apples to a waiting crowd.  (yes, 'crowd'.  Even though the orchard is quite remote,  it was a busy place that morning - even before a busload of senior citizens from an Albertville church found their way there!)  Bags of apples with ridiculously cheap prices (seriously - 4lbs for $2.50!) were colorfully displayed on crude wooden stands, and a card table held jugs of apple cider and tiny cups for sampling.  I was delighted!



When it was our turn to step up to the counter, we had already nabbed a medium bag of Fuji for Rich, a small bag of Jonathan for me, and a bag of Golden Delicious for decorating, along with two (one for now and one to freeze for later) jugs of cider (the best I've ever had, by the way!).  Next to the cash register were baskets of a strange fruit that I'd not seen, but which would soon become my new obsession.  'Shaped like an apple, with an outer covering more like a pear, it is an Asian Pear.  Cross between an apple and a pear, it's the most wonderful thing I've tasted in a while.  So a basket of those came home with us as well.

Handsome Hubby and our Orchard Bounty!  We'll be back!

Deciding not to attempt the return trip down Route 39, we took a right turn out of the orchard and headed for home a different way.   After a few miles and realizing we had no idea where we were, I expanded the map on the Garmin screen and discovered it was no help at all because everything was absolutely jumbled!  It showed Fort Payne west of Guntersville, Cullman north of Huntsville, and Huntsville east of Lookout Mountain!  So we embraced the opportunity to just follow and see where we ended up, and luckily, after about 20 miles of beautiful mountain scenery, Garmin righted itself and led us back to Scottsboro and on to Rainsville and home.  What a glorious morning!