Another Saturday rolled by and we had yet another day of weekend adventures. Looking for some cheap, yet fun things to do, we set off for Yucaipa and Oak Glen.
Our first stop was a trip back in time to the old Yucaipa Adobe. Oral history (as given by the interpreter giving our tour) says that it was 1842 home built by Diego Sepulveda. The archaeologists and the San Bernardino County Museum Association (the owners of the adobe) say it was built in 1858 by James Waters. Add to this the fact that the Dunlap family owned this adobe from 1869 to 1950 and you get a really old mud house with lots of history. In this small house you will find an old organ, LDS pioneer furniture, and a kitty cat who apparently likes to live under the foundation (I was told he was for gopher control). It was a fun little stop and for the $2 per person suggested donation it was really cheap.
Our next stop was to the Live Oak Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Yard. This modest farm on the side of the 10 freeway provides for a cheesy roadside attraction of epic proportions. Parking, music, and a giant hay stack castle are free. Everything else is not, but it is still fun to look. The pumpkins are priced by size and range from $2 to $20 dollars. There are several attractions that will cost you tickets that are a dollar a piece. For 1 ticket you can buy a handshake with a monkey, for 4 tickets you can walk through an old fashion corn maze, and for the coupĂ© tat you can ride a tired pony in a circle for 6 tickets (ok, so I didn’t do that one). We didn’t actually buy anything, we just had fun looking.
Next we went to the Parrish Pioneer Apple Farm in Oak Glen. It has been an operating apple orchard since the 1870s, but has now evolved into a massive road side attraction. While there you can see many different kinds of apples. The prices vary, but are not that expensive (the smallest quantity was a 6 pound bag for $8 dollars). You can also buy every sort of apple product imaginable: ciders, jams, apple butter, etc. If you can think of a product made with apples, they have it. In addition to the gift shops and the apples there are some other notable things to see. When we were there they had an old fashion country yodeler. They also have a zoo with an assorted cast of animals. Lastly, the original Parrish Adobe Home built in 1875 by Enoch Parrish still stands. Again there was a lot to buy, but we managed to get by without spending anything. Parking was free and they even let us try a bit of a gala apple.
The most expensive part of our day happened at El Pollo Loco when we bought some chicken and ice cream. Yes, we are cheap, but we still have fun!