Henlopen State Park

About two hours south of Wilmington Delaware, there are a bunch of beaches. We decided to check out Henlopen State Park, which is supposedly quiet and dog friendly. After a big breakfast of pancakes and sausages, everyone piled into the car, and we drove south, stopping for fried chicken along the way.

We were about to open the chicken in the car, but we barely popped the corner of the box and the two dogs went wild, so we had to save it. 

Henlopen State Park has a main beach that does not allow dogs until end of September, and another beach where fishermen go, which does allow dogs on leashes, though in practice all the dogs are roaming free. On that beach, people drove their SUVs and jeeps directly onto the beach, cast their rods and then stuck them in the sand and say and waited. 

"We don't want to let the fishing disturb our vacation," one man said, as he reclined next to his rod. In about 30 minutes though, his rod had bent over, and he grabbed, and reeled in a large, silvery fish! Our Samoyed promptly lunged at it and tried to eat it, but the man took it off the hook and threw it back into the sea, while the dog looked despondently. "I'm sorry I threw your fish back," he said. "Would he have actually eaten it?" He then asked us. 

Probably not--but he would have picked up the poor thing and shaken it until it died of fear or suffocation. 

It was a perfect day at the beach--warm but not too hot. The water was nice, but the waves were strong. Both the Samoyed and I got bowled over by the waves more than once. I ended up with some scratches from the debris of seashells that was churned up by the water. 

Since we were close to Rehoboth, we stopped by the purple parrot for dinner. They were having a dog friendly happy our to benefit the Delaware Humane Society, so a lot of four legged friends were present.

Minnewaska State Park

We decided to return to the Hudson Valley area, this time for hiking and apple picking with a large group of friends. Seven of us shared an airbnb near Brown's Pond. The airbnb listing had a fireplace, so we made s'mores the first evening. We had a German and a Japanese person in our group, who had never heard of the concept of s'mores before. I guess s'mores, along with macaroni and cheese, are a very American food.

I don't think I am a person that naturally likes camping, but since I went as a child, I enjoy camping related activities that remind me of my childhood. This was a wonderful compromise--we stayed in a nice house in the woods, and got to roast things over a fire.

We went to a small State Park nearby, though I don't remember the name, and then back to Minnewaska State Park. This time, I hiked the longer trail, around the lake. It takes about an hour, but it is a very quiet and peaceful trail. It was even more beautiful than the last time we went, because the leaves had begun to change. It's a pity that the fall foliage this year has not been as bright because of the drought.

After a long hike, we went back to that German restaurant, Mountain Brauhaus Restaurant, and had pretzels and beer. My German friend, who was initially skeptical, agreed that the pretzels there were even better than the ones in Germany, and the best pretzel that he has had in his life.

The next day, we went apple picking at Prospect Hill Orchards. My favorite apples, Fuji, were in season. We picked a bunch and later, back in New York, I made apple pie with them. The best apple pie recipe, in my experience, is called Grandma Oppal's apple pie (something like that)--I found it online, and it has become a classic. I adapted it a bit, as follows:

Using a 9 inch pie pan, put in pie crust. I've made my own pie crust before, but now I decided it's really not worth the effort, so I usually just buy a premade crust.

Peel and cut up enough apples (I used a combo of Golden Delicious and Fuji) to fill the crust with a slight mound.

In a small pan, melt one stick of butter (I think that's half a cup), with 3/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, about a teaspoon of vanilla extract, a tablespoon of bourbon, and a tablespoon of flour, to thicken. Heat, stirring a lot, until it gets very bubbly and hot.

Pour this hot mixture over the apples. Then, cover with another pie crust, and poke holes in the crust. Alternatively, and this is my preference, if you have time, make a lattice crust, and then pour the liquid mixture over the lattice crust onto the apples.

Put in the over, at 415 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees for another 45 minutes or so. You can tell it is ready by looking at the crust.

It is very good with ice cream.