Pumpkin Funland at Rasmussen Farms

The fall harvest is one of my favorite times of year to visit the Hood River area, and Rasmussen Farms is one of my favorite spots to celebrate the bounty of the season.

Located just off Highway 35 on the "Fruit Loop", Rasmussen's is a family owned farm that was established in 1945. Like many other proprietors in the Hood River Valley, they hold a variety of events every year to celebrate everything from the blossoms in the spring, to sunflowers in the summer, and the fruit harvest in the fall. However, the event they are probably best known for is Pumpkin Funland - one final party before closing the farm down for the winter.

One of the highlights was the different dioramas displayed, inspired by fairy tales and nursery rhymes. There were scenes from Cinderella, Robin Hood, and others made using pumpkins, gourds, and squash all grown on the farm.

Pumpkin Witch

I don't know for sure how long that old rusty tractor has sat there in that field, but I am pretty certain it hasn't moved in at least a few decades. It did, however, make the perfect spot for the girls to pose and imagine they were out zooming around the fields.

How fast does she think she is driving?

The big draw on this day, was of course, the pumpkin patch. As soon as my daughters saw the field dotted with orange, they were on a mission to find the perfect muse for a jack-o-lantern.

They carefully surveyed the field and searched until they found the perfect pumpkin.

Odessa's was a bit heavy, but, with a little help from her sister Sage...

...she managed to carry it herself.

From there it was a quick wagon ride (well, if you were the one riding and not pulling)....

Something about this seems a little unfair.

...to have the pumpkins weighed.

Someone really fixed their little red wagon...

Of course, no trip to Rasmussen Farms would be complete without a stop in the farm store for anything that happened to catch our fancy. In my case, fancy happened to be almost 20 pounds of fresh Empire, Honey Crisp, Tokyo Rose and Spartan apples!

I can't recall ever having had a bad visit to Hood River. I always leave with a smile on my face. Today was no exception!!

The girls and my friend Amy after loading the car.

Note: If you are planning on making the trip to Pumpkin Funland yourself, it is open until November. As an added bonus for those traveling east from the Portland area, the Columbia River Gorge should be hitting peak color in another two weeks or so. Mother Nature does nothing exactly on schedule or to prediction.