This past weekend, my hubby and I set out for the wild world of Masaryktown!
Okay, if you’ve been there, you know that this is a bit of an overstatement. Wild in that there are quite a few farms, livestock raisers, produce stands and motorcyclists in the area, but that’s about as wild as it gets there. (Of course, only the folks who live there full-time know the real truth about that…)
Our mission on this wonderful extended weekend? To wrap up the month of May with two more Five to Try activities I’d never none before: completing a Sunflower Maze and going on my first hay ride ever.
I’ve done my share of mazes before. I may not be as skilled as past Survivor participants but in college, I completed the acclaimed wooden maze in Panama City and in recent years, I’ve tackled not one but TWO corn mazes. But sunflowers? Never. The notion intrigued me.
My first thought when I learned of a maze built out of eight to ten-feet high towering and blooming sunflowers? Awesome!
My second thought? Eww, allergies.
My third thought? Eww, bees. No stings yet in 41 years. Wasn’t looking to end that record anytime soon.
But we still wanted to go. And of course, when I learned of the hay ride and realized that this too I had never taken part in during my whole lifetime, it was the clincher. We were headed to Sweetfields Farm in that swinging mecca of merriment, Masaryktown.
The maze? Sheer genius.
The rules board alone bewildered me.
No profanity or you’ll get tossed out of this place? While getting lost? I knew right then the greatest challenge of all lay before me.
This was the first real maze that I’d ever trekked that truly felt like a challenge. I was beginning to think after we quickly located the first and second numbers of the quiz stations but could not find the third that we might be there a while.
We made our path through the beautiful blooms and ran into other daredevils over and over and OVER as each of us attempted to answer a series of quiz questions given to us. For one answer, you’d turn right. The other, left. And an incorrect answer would certainly take you to dead-ends and winding routes to No Man’s Land.
I chronicle a little of our adventure in this mini-vid depicting the terrain and our perilous journey. Click here to see us in action!
I loved it! And so did the hubby. In fact, we’re already talking about returning in the fall. After we finally escaped the glorious floral conundrum in what can only be described as a Children of the Corn moment (or perhaps Field of Dreams would be more appropos?), we headed over to the other attractions, which included various funny face farm cut-outs for great snapshots, Rosie the Moo Moo cow and her nearby clucking friends, a water pump rubber duckie race, a veggie launcher (aka cannon) and more. And then of course, it was time to take a ride on the tractor and my first and only ever hay ride.
Nope, didn’t do any hay canoodling at homecoming bonfires, as you can well tell, so this was a new experience for me. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I might be allergic to hay. After all, I am allergic to just about everything including my dog. But we made out just fine, getting a loud but relaxing tour of the rest of the farm, resting our now tired legs after all of that maze madness, so just getting a chance to rest on anything – hay, farm equipment, whatever! – was much appreciated.
We even have a short little video blip documenting that monumental occasion. Click here to watch.
We ended up our visit at Sweetfields Farm armed with a bucket of fresh-cut green beans which we’ll devour this week at the Kuhn abode, but this little creative experiment proved once again that there should never be events you won’t attend, things you won’t try, places you won’t go, because you never know where or when the next fun, enlightening or inspiring moment will arrive.
This wasn’t one of those moments, no.
But May is complete – a fun month of cool concept films, deliciously imaginative drinks, dream home inspiration centers, and now its newest members on the list, a floral menagerie to navigate and a fitting end to the day and month with a tractor-led hay ride. Who knew the month would end with me – a Chicago native and self-proclaimed homebody – spending her final Five to Try adventures for the month on a FARM of all places?
See what this wacky experiment’s doing to me. Aah, yes… opening my mind.
Just a little bit…
You continue to inspire me with this concept! I want to do the sunflower maze! Your commitment to this has inspired me to try new things, not to go to the same old restaurant or order the same old thing when I find myself at the same old restaurant 🙂 Brava!!