So far, my October has been pretty traditional. I have sipped Pumpkin Spice Lattes till I am sick of them, which is a bit alarming since this is only the fourth of October. I have listened to spooky music, watched some scary movies, decorated, written my October Thoughts and today, I went to the Corn Maze.
I was a little worried this year. There has been a drought of sorts where I am and irrigation got cut off really early this year. The farming community knew that water would be scarce so a lot of folks opted not to grow corn this planting season. Last year there were drought like conditions and the corn in the maze wasn't very high. What would happen this year when the water was cut off even sooner? As October got closer and closer I didn't see the usual signage that told when the maze was coming. I looked on the website and it was blank. Then the bad news (of sorts) a new farm stand was opening up a mega maze and I thought for sure my little maze was done for.
But a week ago the status on the website changed. They said that they would be open on Saturday the 4th at 1pm. I was over the moon excited. My maze lived. I kept my eye out for the usual signs but still none were forthcoming. I even drove by the maze and didn't see a thing. So when Saturday morning dawned, I kept the faith and got ready. I have specific maze traveling gear. I bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes, wear layers, and have my phone fully charged. I take my maze going very seriously. Some years I bring headphones and listen to music, other years I bring snacks and have a middle of the maze picnic. I have yet to brave the maze in the dark, but if I ever grow a backbone, I will bring two trusty flashlights that can act as both critter deterrent and light sources.
Once sufficiently geared up, I grabbed my mother and together we drove off to the maze. I was so giddy I could have bounced right out of my vehicle. There weren't very many people at the maze when we pulled up. Only 2 other cars, but that suited me just fine. There was a new set up to the compound and I was happy to see that the corn wasn't as short as I feared it would be. But alas, there was to be no pumpkin patch this year.
Before I set off on my solo adventure through the corn (mom won't go, she prefers to sit outside the maze so that she can direct the National Guard in the event that she has to call them if I am lost) I met a farm kitten. It was a Siamese and it almost went through the maze with me. I coaxed it out from under the office steps and we spent 10 minutes snuggling and cuddling. It climbed up on my shoulders and acted like a scarf and then it followed me down to the goat pens. I was thisclose to taking it home with me, and then it dashed off. I suppose that was for the best.
Kitty shenanigans aside, I said farewell to my mother and entered the maze. Now, let me say this. Of all the times that I have gone to the maze in the past years, I think this was by far the best. The maze had just opened 3 hours prior to me showing up and it was in pristine condition. The ground through the maze was like walking on beach sand. The dirt was piled high and loose. You sunk down into it and really had to work to keep your footing. Before when I have done the maze there has been so many that have gone before me that the ground is tamped down and hard. Not so this time. There was only 1 other set of footprints in the maze which made it extra amazing. If I had to backtrack, there were my own footsteps to follow.
The maze was built over where the pumpkin patch was last year, so every once in a while, there would be random pumpkins and vines in the middle of the corn. It was super cool. The usual amount of critters were in the maze with me. On this outing I saw many, many black birds, many quail, a whole quail family, a pheasant, a rabbit and some spider webs right across the path. Because the maze was so new, there weren't any broken stalks on the ground or litter (which there shouldn't be in the first place). There were tire treads from the tiny earth mover that they use to even out the walkways and it was great to walk in the tracks.
But what I liked the very, very best was the fact that there were no signs up yet. In this maze, they like to put up sign posts and have you answer trivia to guess which direction you should go. They had #1 up and I thought that it was odd that I didn't see any others. That mystery was solved after I went through phase 1 the second time. On my way out, I passed some of the maze workers carrying the signs in. I loved being able to just turn this way and that without the cheat of signs. Now don't get me wrong, I do like the trivia and knowing that I am on the right path, but not having signs made it all feel a bit more daring.
I usually have a wonderful sense of direction in mazes but I got lost several times in both phase 1 and 2. In phase 1 I managed to walk all the way back out the entrance. So the second time I tried it, I went in through the exit and still managed to get lost. I did come out the entrance, so I really did finish it, but don't ask me how.
Phase 2 was by far my favorite and the longest and I got spectacularly turned around on that one as well. At one point I even shouted a GOOD GRIEF and then stopped and took a moment after having passed a certain corn stalk for the fifth or sixth time. There were plenty of people at the maze but they were either playing with the bounce house, riding on the hay wagon, feeding the goats, going through the kid maze, or riding the zip line. I had the whole maze to myself and it was wonderful. Just how I like it.
If I had the means and magical ability I would make a hedge maze in my backyard and spend hours walking it. It would be an ever changing maze. Never the same from day to day. At the center would be a cozy nook to read or nap in, or it would have a nice pond to lazily day dream by. That would be bliss.
But this maze was pretty good. There were parts where the corn was taller than me and it created a vegetation canopy to walk through. There were other parts that filtered in sunlight and gave me glimpses of the main building or the irrigation apparatus. One of my favorite bits is being able to look up and see a certain house on the bluff overlooking the maze. I always think, how fun would it be to live there and spy on the maze people. You could have a telescope and look down at the maze and watch as people twist and turn their way through it. That would be so neat. At least it would to me.
After my maze fun, mom and I took a ride on the hay wagon which was delightful. The best time to ride the wagon is at night when you can hear all the night sounds and the rustle of the corn, but the day time is fun too. We rode with some first time riders who acted like a slow moving tractor ride was as scary as a rollercoaster that does loop-the-loops. It was amusing and a bit weird. I mean really, who screams in terror at a 5 mile an hour wagon ride?
All in all, it was a wonderful addition to my day. I fully intend to come back later in the month and do it all again. I also plan on visiting the new maze to see how it compares. But my heart will always be with this little maze. Long may it grow.
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