Fall Family Apple Pie Ride With ZIZZO

It’s that time of year when the pumpkin patches are full with parents and kids happily searching for the perfect pumpkin. Apple orchards are also pretty popular for some “U-Pick” fun. One of my favorite fall places 2 hours away from ZiZZO headquarters is located in the heart of the “Old Motherlode” at the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Camino, California. It is also known by many as “Apple Hill”. A series of roads north of highway 50 weave in and out among rolling hills, vineyards, and working apple farms has become locally famous for family fun and amazing treats. Locals know that the best time to hit one of the 40 plus locations for pies, cobblers, crisps, tarts, jams, butters, syrups, vinegar, caramel apples, and caramel bacon apple donuts is on a weekday late September/early October before the crowds and traffic get heavy.  

After making some arrangements with a friend who is building a home up there, we organized a “ZiZZO Apple Pie Ride” with him and the kids. Not knowing how many would join us I folded up four Zizzo bikes and put them side to side standing up in the back seat of my 4-door sedan. No problem! One of the best parts about a ZiZZO is how compact they fold. Of course, it was a snug fit but with some cardboard on the backseat to protect the interior and some blankets in-between each bike they stayed put the full 2-hour drive. Getting to Apple Hill I was met by my friend Timmy, his 11 yr old daughter and two little boys that would be pulled in the kiddy cart. Timmy races in the pro category of road bikes and mountain bikes. His kids are always on bikes and they are truly a bicycle family but have never tried or even seen a folding bike.

As soon as I took the ZIZZOs out of the car his daughter nick named “Bug” was wide eyed and looking at the orange ZiZZO Via. “This one is nice and sparkly. I will ride this one.” Everyone has their criteria and sometimes color is important. Timmy grabbed the ZiZZO Urbano and immediately was seeing how long of a wheelie he could do. Then he went up a dirt hill behind the parking lot and checked it’s offroad abilities. The whole time he had a big smile and just looked like a big kid. “These are cool!” he yelled out while his daughter cruised around casually cycling through the gears. After introducing them to all the choices of ZiZZO Campo, Urbano, and Liberte Timmy liked the sleek, nimble, and quick appeal of the ZiZZO Liberte. Big surprise, right? We connected the kiddy cart to the Liberte and put the small boys in and we were off! Beautiful weather plus no traffic was a delight as we looked to hit our first apple pie stop. The miles rolled by and I noticed something. As the photographer/videographer looking to get content I never had to ask them to smile or look like they were having fun for the camera.  

With a quick look to the side Timmy challenged his daughter to a race and next thing you know they were sprinting against each other side by side as I fell behind. The ZiZZOs had no problem as they cranked up the power and switched into some bigger gears. After catching our breath and a few sharp uphill's we made it to our destination. The Apple Pantry Farm is number 37 on the map of locations selling tasty treats at Apple Hill. We parked the ZiZZOs and grabbed some slices of good old fashioned apple pie to enjoy outside at a picnic table. Before you knew it everyone was digging in. Once we finished, we kept riding around and even stopped at the pumpkin patch near where the car was parked. Timmy and his daughter had only tried folding and unfolding the bikes once earlier but now they looked like pros as they folded them back up again for the drive home.  

As I was about to leave, I simply said” Well, what did you think of the bikes” He responded with “I was blown away how fun they were and how compact it would allow me to have a bike anytime anywhere. That’s pretty darn cool especially being a dad” His daughter said” They were so much fun! I can’t believe how easy it was to store and go. Being 11 yrs old most bikes are heavy and awkward but I felt at home on this bike.” No paid advertising here. Apple pie, family and riding a ZiZZO sounds like a recipe for fun. 

Thanks to Timmy and his family for taking some time out of their busy schedule to try out some ZiZZOs. Special Thanks to The Apple Pantry Farm #37 at Apple Hill for the complimentary pie as well.