October Sky

Even though we went to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch last weekend, it was such a beautiful day that we decided to take advantage of it. We decided to visit a place we've been wanting to see for a few years. About 15-20 minutes down the road from our house is Roloff Farms, the family of Little People, Big World fame. Every October, they open up their farm to the public for pumpkin season. They offer a wide variety of things to do to make your visit worthwhile.

We weren't sure what to expect, given the unique nature of their fame. When we turned onto the long road leading to the place, we were taken aback by the long line of cars. It cost $2 to park and it took a little while to find a place, but we lucked out and got spot on the end. Just as were walking towards the entrance, Matt Roloff and his youngest son, Jacob, whizzed by on what looked like a cross between an ATV and a hummer (a.k.a. "Mule"). He came to a stop and was immediately bombarded by fans. There was one lady with bleached, spiky hair that was particularly aggressive about getting a photo with them. Matt was gracious and smiled for a few photo ops. We thought about approaching him too, but didn't want to bother him right then.

We walked through their gift barn and browsed the goodies. They had the regular staples such as blackberry jam and pumpkin butter, and they also autographed photos and jars of Matt's "famous dirt." Why it is so famous, I'm not sure. You could sit on a couch with cardboard cutouts of the family's heads behind you. Next to the store was the food corner, they sold a variety of treats such cotton candy, caramel apples, gorilla kettle corn, and hot dogs. We avoided the food (as we had lunch plans for afterwards) in favor of heading straight to the pumpkin funhouse.

However, just as we walked back outside, K started screaming in holy terror. It took me a minute to figure out why she was suddenly hysterical. A large yellow jacket was on her hand, so I swatted it away just as it was biting into her, leaving a round welt and a wailing little girl in pain. Daddy scooped her up for a big hug and we got her a coldpack from the information booth. Not the best start to her day, but she gradually forgot about her pain as the activities of the farm distracted her.

This wasn't quite what the funhouse you might envision, but rather an interesting display of large pumpkin people hanging out in a model home (see photos below). It was a little hokey, but the kids got a kick out of it. Next door to the funhouse was the hay maze. They did a nice job of creating a labyrinth for the kids to explore. Then it was onto to the far end of the pumpkin field to see a sleeping baby lion and check out the shetland ponies. The kids wanted to take a ride, but DH was in a frugal mood, so we settled for petting a friendly pony through the fence.

Next, we headed through across the vast field to take a fun photo through a wooden pumpkin cutout. We wandered through the patch and the kids inspected the pumpkins still in various stages of growth. Nestled right in the middle of the field was an antique wagon filled with hay bales, pumpkins, and corn stocks. As we made our way back up to the shops, we discovered the petting zoo they call "Zootica." For a $1, you could feed the animals. There were many goats, llamas, and sheep grazing from visitor's palms. I felt a little sorry for them as there so many people crowding them. One little girl kept chasing a fearful and irritated llama around the pen, never giving it a break. Thankfully, N and K were quite gentle with the animals. In a far corner behind a pen, there was an exotic little one called a Patagonian Cavy. It looked a bit like a cross between a jackrabbit and a kangaroo.

The real highlight of the farm is taking the tractor ride tour. They offer to different tours that let you see a pirate ship, treehouse, and an old western town that are hidden behind the trees and only visible by taking the tractor ride. We really would have loved to go, but the charge was a little steep for us, $6 per person or $10 (for both tours) per person. For a family of four, that was just too much, so we opted to go have some lunch elsewhere. As we stood there contemplating whether or not to leave, Zach, the smaller of the twins, pulled in. He often drives the tractor tours and I snapped his photo, immediately feeling bad for doing so like it was a violation. He gave me a little wave and exchanged smiles, which put me at ease and reminded me that he is probably used to it by now, especially during pumpkin season when all their fans converge on the farm.

As we were leaving, we were lucky enough to see Matt Roloff climbing into his "Mule" for another go-around. The aggressive uberfan with the bleached, spiky hair from earlier reappeared. This time she had an orange soccer ball and was bent on getting his autograph. She was waiting beside us and I mentioned how nervous I was to talk to him as I didn't want to be a bother. She replied, "oh I don't care, this is his job. He owes us this." With that, she marched right up to him and got what she wanted. That is exactly the kind of fan I didn't want to be. Later on, I thought more about her comment. The Roloffs don't owe anyone anything. They are nice enough to open up their home to strangers and happily oblige photo ops all daylong. The craziness of it all was a little overwhelming and my hat is off to the family for dealing with their fame as well as they do.

N and I cautiously approached him and asked if he minded posing for a picture with us. He was very kind and only asked that we hurry so the throngs of people nearby didn't rush him (apparently this happens often). I was impressed by how down-to-earth he seemed and thanked him for taking time for us. He smiled warmly and was off in his Mule just as others started to head over. I left with a really good feeling about our visit to the Roloff Farms. My best friend's dad has been bugging me for years about whether I had ever seen their place, long before I ever saw their show on TLC. Well, Bill...you can rest easy that I finally made it over to over there!

After our long morning at the Roloffs, we ate late lunch at the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse McMenamins. Then we took the kids to a park we'd never been to before. They played for awhile on the swings and climbed a large boulder first. Then we took the wooded loop around the park for a nature walk. Along the way, we saw many people playing along the disc golf course (played with frisbees). Of course I couldn't resist the autumn foliage and got very snaphappy with the camera. The whole day was wonderful with a lovely October sky with many memories made along the way.

Welcome to the home of Little People, Big World!

Putting on a brave face after a bee sting

Pumpkin Funhouse

Petting the pony

View of the farm from the pumpkin patch

Old-fashioned wagon

Where is the great pumpkin Charlie Brown?

Squashes and gourds

With my little pumpkin


N and a baby lamb


N, me, and the Roloff family (paper version anyway)


You can buy dirt...alrighty then


Zach Roloff driving the tractor tour



With Matt Roloff, such a sweet man


DH and N having a swinging contest

Giddyup grasshopper!

Reaching new heights

Two roads diverged in a wood...such a Robert Frost moment here

Nature is as nature does

Such a serene park