As much as I love Southern California for the wonderful weather, there are some things that I miss out on, like seasons. I had the opportunity to visit PA for the first time ever a few years ago with my boyfriend (now husband) during the Fall and experience Fall colors in the East Coast for my very first time. While the color wasn’t in full bloom yet, the colors that were there was still a sight to see.

This spot in particular is a lookout point at Hawk Mountain.

A few other, simple things I got to experience there that I do not get here:

Apple stands and apple cider off the side of the road. Back Roads. Deer, and parts of deer. Wawa: not just a regular gas station.

We also went around Halloween, so I got to do a corn maze for the first time too! Word of advice to parents of young kids: keep them close, because if you have a runner and you aren’t quick on your feet: you can easily lose them in the tall stalks. You don’t want to be “that” parent.

In all, it was a great first trip to PA. I’ll have some more Fall colors to share later from a different visit, to perhaps one of my best experiences in a State Park thus far.