Tony and I woke up on the Columbus Day holiday, hopped in the car, stopped to pick up Camille and Matt, and headed out on I-66 West for a day of apple picking and wine tasting. We got to Stribling's Orchard in Markham, Va., around lunchtime and grabbed a picnic table at the top of a hill, which had this spectacular mountain view:
What a view to see when eating a picnic lunch. (The food, by the way, was delicious. Camille and Matt packed falafel and hummus wraps with feta, tomatoes and cucumbers. And a baguette with cheese and grapes. And pumpkin bread. And there may or may not have been a little wine in red plastic cups.)
Once our bellies were full, we started roaming the orchard, scouting trees that were still picking. We're well into apple season, so some of the trees were already all gone. But there were still plenty of apples left, especially York, Rome and Golden Delicious.
The picking technique required the use of a contraption on a long stick that's capable of reaching the tops of the trees. Which was fun to use, clearly.
(Yes, I am wearing my awesome jean jacket in that photo. I finally broke it out -- it's officially fall.)
You know what else is awesome? Hot apple cider.
So once we had our fill of apples, the four of us got back in the car and drove just down the street to a winery called Chateau O'Brien. We had our wine on the patio in front of a fire, again overlooking the mountains. It was a good daylong escape from the city and a nice way to spend the holiday.
Apples cost $1.50 a pound at Stribling Orchard, and it's about an hour and 15 minutes from D.C.
<3
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