Surrounded by cornfields. No, really.

One of the advantages of being surrounded by cornfields (as I've listed in my profile, in a vague attempt to keep internet stalkers away; though I'm pretty sure I've given away where we are by now) is that we live quite close to one of the Cornfield Maize franchises. There are probably cornfield mazes everywhere, but the Cornfield Maize ones are supposedly the biggest. The local maze has been open for about four or five years now, and every fall we've said we were going to go and then never did. We finally did it this weekend. Although there is a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, corn box (think sandbox but filled with corn instead) etc. to round out the list of attractions, the place was surprisingly overrun with adults.

It's actually quite impressive. The place is huge. It's broken into two parts (so you can quit halfway through if you wish). There are also a couple of bridges on the property that the owners staff. If you get frustrated or lost, they can assist you from that vantage to help you get out faster. (Chad took the picture of Liam and I from atop said bridge.) There are also ten signposts along the maze that are accompanied by trivia questions. If you want the extra help, the correct answer to the trivia will turn you in the proper direction to find the next post. That's not to say that you won't run into some dead ends along the way, but at least you will never need to retrace your steps further than the last signpost you found.

The first leg of the maze took us about 45 minutes to finish. We wound up doubling back a ton. I was surprised at how disorienting and large and difficult it was. We learned a lot during the first half though - the second leg, which is probably equal in distance, took a mere 15 minutes.

I thought if we were going to get out for a walk on Saturday anyway, this would be a nice change of scenery for Liam. Normally when we go out for a walk, we are going up and down Victoria Avenue all the time (since it's a main thoroughfare that seems to lead everywhere, has nice sidewalks, and is scenic to boot). Well, a cornfield maze is obviously not the place for a change of scenery. From his point of view, it was all disturbingly the same. But Chad and I enjoyed the chance to do something fun (and dare I say adult-oriented? - that doesn't seem to be the way to describe a cornfield maze!) - I look forward to going back in the future, especially once we can do it the family way and pit parents vs. children (or some such) to raise the stakes a little.