We’ve always been intrigued by corn mazes -- especially since, if memory serves, one was once made out of Ichiro’s face -- but we’ve never tried one ourselves. So we recently spent an autumn afternoon in the Snohomish River Valley, about a 35-mile drive north of Seattle, visiting “Washington’s Largest Corn Maze”. It’s actually a 12-acre stand shaped like the Evergreen State, roughly 1/3,802,827th the size.

The corn maze quickly proved itself more of a corn map, which you don’t really “solve” so much as navigate. Photocopied maps were handed out before we entered the corn state’s eastern border (near Spokane), and signposts throughout indicated our whereabouts. Heard through the rustling stalks were constant shouts like “I found Yakima!” and “Hey, I’m in Sequim!” The muddy paths correspond with the state’s major highways, with props along the way: a 12-foot wooden Space Needle, a jungle-gym like Tacoma Narrows Bridge, some plywood mountain peaks, a small viewing platform representing the Grand Coulee Dam. Anyone familiar with Washington’s basic geography would have no problem finding their way out -- there are several exits, but the official “end” is at Grays Harbor.

So the maze was okay, but the real fun was in the adjacent pumpkin patch, with literally tons of cheap orange squash begging to be picked off the vine. The further from the parking lot, the better the selection, with sizes ranging from shot put to fitness ball. However, as with death-row dogs at the animal shelter, we wanted to take every last one of them home with us.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch: nobody was using the out-of-place golf-putting course, but the kids seemed to dig the big wooden barn’s tri-level hay-bale maze (which was, indeed, an actual maze). The much-anticipated “Pig Show” was a disappointing two-minute reenactment of “The Three Little Pigs,” while the Fecal Transfer Station (read: animal petting area) had cute lil’ goats, chickens, kittens and other critters there for the fondling. One little kid kept chasing around a bunny, screaming “Bunny!”

We thoroughly sanitized our hands before gorging on the seasonal grub -- caramel apples, cider, kettle corn, corn on the cob, pumpkin pie, etc. Yes, fall is indeed our favorite time of year, reinforced by our afternoon of fun on “The Farm” (yes, that’s the complex’s official name). After high-tailing it home with bellies full of food and a trunk full of Cucurbita pepo, we couldn’t wait to start carving.