Every October the city of Hamilton hosts an Apple Days Festival in conjunction with it's weekly Farmer's Market. At one time the valley used to be filled with Apple Orchards. One of the most popular varieties grown was the McIntosh Red. The McIntosh does very well in the Bitterroot Valley. The early frost is what sets the tartness of the apple. But, what once was a booming industry suffered from droughts during the 20's and 30's. Many people left the valley to find their fortune elsewhere. There are a few orchards left in the valley and to celebrate this element of Montana history, Hamilton puts on a beautiful apple celebration.
What's apple days without your apple pie? 
And of course your Hard Apple Cider! I especially liked their North Fork Apple Cider. Made in Darby, Montana.
Some of these soaps had the most unique fragrance. Lovely!
Of course, I did have to get a little something for myself. This gal makes these great wooden earrings. She also sells her items on etsy if you would like to take a look at her other styles. :) I've been wanting to get a pair for the last year. Since we are leaving in a couple of weeks I decided that it was time.
On a boat note. :) Things are progressing well. We have bumped up our departure to the end of October (work opened up down in St. John and everything has just worked out). So it's a mad dash to get everything done before the end of the month. We are trying to figure out how many cubic inches we have in the car that we can pack in with items to take with us. :) Not really, it's not even an educated guess at this point. So soon you'll be receiving posts about the Intercoastal Waterway and the Bahamas.
Camile
