Adventures in the Amaizing Corn Maze

This past weekend our sister-in-law was given a baby shower and since we didn't have anything too important planned we made the trip to Albany to attend. Well, I planned on attending and Vivi planned on being my guest. The boys? Well they were going to get out of the house with Papaw and do something together.

While en route I was updating my facebook and thought "I wonder if I can find somewhere fun for the boys to go..." so I searched and searched, all the while looking out my window and doubting that anything too fun would be found since it was 30 degrees and snowing. There were a couple inches on our porch that morning we left.

Well, I did find such a place. It was called Ellms Farms and it was an awesome pumpkin patch, equipped with a corn maze (one for little kids and a HUGE one for adults), slides, hayrides, snacks, a Moo Moo Choo Choo, zip line, and various other fun stuff. It also was proclaimed to be a family oriented environment and very "harvesty" looking, I mean not witchy or too halloweeny. It looked wonderful. I doubted that they'd be able to weather the elements long enough to have any fun there though, and considering the fact that it's in Ballston Spa which was about 40 min. from the house.. well they had to be able to spend at least a couple hours there.

Imagine my surprise when we drove past Binghamton and all of a sudden the clouds cleared, the sun came out, and it was 52 degrees! It became a beautiful day. Apparently all the awful snow and cold was only on OUR side of the state. Go figure. The weather improved more and more the closer we got to Albany and when we arrived my father-in-law took a look at the website for the farm and agreed upon the destination.

Now, since we didn't have a camera with us (ours has been killing batteries in about 3 minutes flat) you can guess from my previous post that Michael bought a camera on the way there and took a bunch of pictures for me. I was thrilled because what on earth is more bloggable than a pumpkin patch trip?

I'm told that the visit went well. Although this particular post is featuring the maze, there was a pumpkin picked, a wagon ride and snacks eaten. My only complaint about the trip was the expense. Not only was it a little pricey for admission, but the snacks were expensive.. and the pumpkin? Don't even get me started on the pumpkin. Maybe it's because here in rural western NY one does NOT pay more than a couple dollars for a decent pumpkin. Well, I guess you could pay a little more if you just bought one at a grocery store, but at roadside stands and pumpkin patches they are inexpensive. Well, Aidan's pumpkin was.. $16. Seriously!!!! For $16 the pumpkin ought to be able to mow my lawn or at least empty the dishwasher once in a while. Rotting away on a porch does not a 16-dollar-pumpkin make.

But I digress. Here is a short photo account of the maze adventure.

The guys chose to take on the kids' maze, which I believe is about 1.5 acres. The adult one must have seemed too daunting, especially after they found out the hard way that a trip with Aidan flows best if one doesn't venture too far from a port-a-potty.

This picture above amuses me. Papaw looks like he's lumbering. I don't often use the word lumber as a verb but he definitely looks to be lumbering through the corn maze, following the little leader.

Perhaps you'll notice the bucket of popcorn. Get it? Popcorn, at a CORN maze? I know. What a coincidence right? I bet that snack costs more than movie theatre pricing. Just sayin.

They managed to take pictures at all the checkpoints along the way, which as I said before was appreciated by me. Michael's used to my photo obsession.


"And as the little adventurer rounded the corner he spotted a clearing ahead. Could it be? Could he have discovered the lost land he'd been searching for? He cautiously proceeded, having a hard time keeping the prospect of bountiful treasures out of his thoughts. Light streamed through the clearing and he could detect the fragrant scents of spiced cider, nachos and freshly fried donuts. His tedious labor and persistence had produced fruit, and he would feast mightily in this new land that he had discovered..."