Signs of Fall

At every turn, there are signs of Fall here in Idaho.  I have been documenting the change of season by taking lots of photos.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  

Oktoberfest

One thing that definitely comes to mind when October rolls around is Oktoberfest.  It seems that almost every community, organization, and restaurant gets involved in this seasonal celebration.

Happy to have an excuse to visit Harrison again, Mike and I headed over there to check out their Micro Brew Oktoberfest celebration. This trip was also our last Harley ride of the season.  Since Harrison is such a small town, it was easy to find the city park where the "party" was being held.

For ten dollars, you got an awesome collectors beer glass and four drink tickets.  We sampled specialty beers from several local breweries   There was a food concession with all proceeds supporting the local elementary school.   Volunteers served up delicious food with a friendly smile and conversation. There was live music and several events for the kids. The sense of community was everywhere. 

We felt like we had traveled back in time.  It just didn't feel like the hustle bustle world of 2012.  It felt like a much simpler time. Thinking back, I guess that it wasn't the time as much as it was the place...Harrison, Idaho, where life just seems a whole lot simpler.

Green Bluff

September was full of local events and exploring.  We headed to Washington one Saturday morning to check out Green Bluffs.  This area is filled with local farms where you can purchase freshly picked produce or if you prefer, pick it yourself.

We stopped at one of the largest farms, Harvest House.  A bit more elaborate than most, they had an awesome store which included a restaurant and wine shop.

We listened to live music as we sampled the "made from scratch" pumpkin donuts and apple pie.  A little wine tasting was also in order.  Many of the wines were from local Washington state wineries.  I really enjoyed Huck, the huckleberry flavored wine, probably because of my new appreciation for the huckleberry!

The day we were there, they were offering samples of famous Washington apples and peaches. It was interesting to taste the difference in the available varieties. All the produce looked amazing. We loaded up on fruit and headed home with one stop at The Rocket Bakery for tea and super yummy giant cookies!

Giant Potato

This year, the Idaho Potato Commission is celebrating it's 75th anniversary and doing so in a big way.  They built the world's largest Idaho spud, loaded it on a cool semi-truck and they are taking it for a cross country tour.  They visited us here in Post Falls a few weeks ago and it was quite a sight to see. 

Here are some interesting facts about the giant potato:

1) The 48' flatbed trailer features a 28' wide and 11.5' tall Idaho Potato.

2) It would take more than 10,000 years to grow this giant Potato.

3) It weighs 12,130 lbs which is equal to 32,346 medium sized potatoes.

4) It would make 30,325 servings of mashed potatoes.

5) If it were baked, it would take 2 years and 9 months to bake.

6) The giant potato was built in Weiser, Idaho and took nearly one year to build.


If nothing else, this definitely goes to show how much us Idahoans love our potatoes!