When I was in Casper watching the hot air balloons launch, I met a chatty older couple who talked all about their travels and things they have seen along the way. Though they seemed interested in my trip, they may have been more interested in sharing their thoughts than asking me about mine. Though I think I did a fair job of navigating their unsolicited "advice", I did find out three important tidbits. One: Tums is a possible cure for altitude sickness. Two: Carry a gun for rattlesnakes. Three: Kalispell's region, or more specifically Flathead Lake, is known for their cherries. Though I do enjoy cherries, I obviously do not know my varieties as I had no idea one was named "Flathead".
So on my way up from dropping off Alex at the Missoula airport (and checking out their luxurious bathrooms) I started realizing it's currently cherry season! Maybe I could go pick some cherries! I do enjoy a good pick-your-own experience of most fruit. I am even willing to pay more to do so (which is really just an odd concept when you think about it).
When I was all moved into my newest digs - I spent some time researching. Sure enough, there were several in driving distance that did pick-your-own. Unfortunately, websites, facebook and Googlemaps all had out-of-date information so it was hard to tell which ones were even in business this year let alone if they were doing pick-your-own. So I decided the only way to tell would be to drive to their "locations".
I woke up early to pursue this very exciting opportunity before work as I had a few hours. Where in PA can someone pick cherries? Unfortunately, many places were closed or non-existent and I found out that the picking season ended only a week or two prior. Though there were a few cherry stands on the side of the road, I couldn't be sure they weren't just repackaged and up-charged ones from grocery stores. They were all way more expensive than the ones I had bought from a store earlier in the week. I chose to leave this adventure empty handed. It is interesting to think of all the opportunities we just miss, if the timing had been different!
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