Tara and I went up to Sauvie Island and gave The Uncles a call to bring them along. Jim was driving the streetcar that day, but Larry was available and agreed to come with us. Yay!
Sauvie Island is a wide, flat island created because the Willamette River splits just before it empties into the Columbia River. So, while the north of the island is bound by the mighty Columbia, the south is bound by a long skinny piece of the Willamette that wraps around the island and finally drops into the larger river. The island has a distinctly rural feel. It’s slower, totally agricultural, and seems almost lost in time. This atmosphere is unexpected because it’s barely 15 minutes from downtown Portland.
Sauvie Island is famous for the pumpkin patch and the corn maze, which they call the Corn Maize. It’s clear that a ton of work is put into this maze each year, and it’s a pretty slick operation. The maze is so huge there are a couple of bridges built inside of it, which allow wanderers to climb above the corn and look around. The opportunity to do this is totally irresistible, but not at all helpful in finding one’s path out of the maze. Not one bit. Sigh.
The day we chose was so lovely. Sunny and warm and gorgeous and we were not pressed to hurry through the maze at all. We were actually challenged by the maze, which made it more fun. The corn stalks towered over our heads and were planted thickly, so on a path we truly could not see where to go next. I got so turned around so many times. And you know, corn going in one direction looks a lot like corn going another direction.
To lighten things up despite all the scary cornstalks, there was a game to play inside. There were CORNundrums (yes, it’s corny. I think that’s the point!). Larry challenged himself to find them all, so we not only tried to find our way out, but we also tried to hit every pathway, in order to find the CORNundrums. We missed four of them, so we guessed the remaining answers at the end of the maze, and Larry dropped his card into the sweepstakes box. Wish him luck!
Afterward we wandered around and enjoyed the many other things to do on site: farmer’s market, petting barn, food stands, etc. The usual faire stuff.
Conscious Engagement 
You can’t avoid the volcanoes if they don’t go away.
An excellent point! They don’t tend to move much. Occasionally vertically, but not geographically.
What a fun day! I’ve never been through a corn maze (or maize). Bridges! wow.
and Cornundrums 🙂
Love the photos of the kids carrying out their pumpkins and the one of the Haunted Maize.
Excellent!
I liked the kids carrying pumpkins too. Some parents were using wagons to assist the children, but I think hauling those heavy squash gives one a sense of accomplishment. Kudos to the parents who said, “You want it? You carry it.” One of these years I’ll have to try the Haunted Maize. I always did like haunted houses.