Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Tulip field with Mt. Baker in background

Location Coordinates
48°25′12″N
122°19′34″W
Mt. Vernon, Washington
 
On a recent Saturday I found myself motoring north up the I-5 in Washington state between Seattle and the Canadian border. It was a gloriously sunny and warm day in the Puget Sound region, ideal conditions to take in a highly anticipated annual event in the Skagit Valley - the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Locals and tourists flock to this region each year to view the amazing sight of millions of tulip blooms spread out like scenes reminiscent of Holland.
 

After enduring a traffic jam of epic proportions we eventually arrived at Roozengaarde's, one of two primary growing fields of the festival. Not being familiar with the event, I was somewhat in the dark about what to expect. But what I couldn't have even imagined was the sheer number of people funneling into the fields. The festival web site mentions that hundreds of thousands of visitors attend the annual event, and it is quite possible that nearly all of that number chose the same day we did to take in the tulips. I must commend the staff at Roozengaarde's, however, as the enormous crowd was handled quite efficiently.

Once inside the gates colors seem to explode and almost overload the senses. It was, quite literally, an amazing sight. Adding to the splendor of the tulips themselves was the magnificent backdrop of the Cascade mountain range and beautiful Mt. Baker.

Tulip field at Roozengaarde's

Roozengaarde's was divided into two primary viewing areas: the manicured gardens, and the open fields. Visitors were free to wander through both areas as long as they remained only on designated pathways (a rule unfortunately ignored by a few rude guests who obviously, but erroneously, felt they were somehow exempt). We strolled the fields first, marveling at the orderly rows of color stretching all the way to outlying verdant green countryside. I enjoyed this setting the most because it was possible to find your way away from the masses if only for a minute or two.

 

When we had made our way around the open fields we forged on into the manicured gardens. Bulbs had been planted here in display style, complimented by a windmill or fencing or other plants and trees. Within this smaller area the crowds became too intense for my liking, so I escaped back out into the open to do a little people watching before heading back toward Seattle.

 

I can recommend the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival highly. But, two suggestions might diminish the crowd issue and make a visit most enjoyable. First, go early in the day. Second, as the festival runs a full month, avoid weekend days if at all possible. Even if you can't avoid the crowds the festival is a great way to spend a spring day.

Double back at Port Gamble

Location Coordinates:
47°51′15″N 122°35′02″W
Port Gamble, Washington

Port Gamble Water Towers

It is probably safe to say that many of us have stored in our collective and varied fantasies at least one picture of an idyllic small town, where amiable people live in tidy homes with white picket fences and lush green grass. In this tranquil scene, residents greet each other by name as they stroll down Main Street on their way to the General Store, and red, white and blue banners hang from the light posts for the annual Fourth of July parade. This is the type of place my mind conjures up when I'm thinking of ditching the stress and strife of 2011 life and running off to a setting where life might be a little calmer. And after visiting Port Gamble, Washington last week I now have a visual memory to assist me when I wander off into that fantasy. 



NE Rainier Ave

 The funny thing is that although I drove right through the town I almost missed it. I had set out earlier across Puget Sound on one of the Washington State Ferries running between the towns of Edmonds and Kingston with the goal of taking in the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. We disembarked at the town of Kingston and followed Route 104, which travels west before making a sharp turn northward toward the Hood Canal. Not expecting anything noteworthy on this particular portion of the route, I became involved in conversation with my daughter and son-in-law and was not expecting anything noteworthy until we were further down the road. Soon the speed limit signs showed an upcoming reduction, signaling our approach to another town. Our conversation was in full swing, but my peripheral vision began to notice quaint-looking buildings and an uninterrupted stretch of immaculate white picket fence. Just ahead was another 90-degree sharp turn west, requiring me to slow the car even more. Rounding the curve I noticed the picket fence continuing on the opposite side of the highway down an extremely appealing street lined with homes and businesses. Before my mind could process the scene fully, we had rounded the curve and were picking up speed heading out of town again. A moment later I realized that I may have just missed an unexpected road trip moment, so I slowed the car again and made a U-turn, heading back to that sharp curve in the highway.

Fire Station

Port Gamble is tiny. In fact, I was unable to find any information regarding its population. The "main street" is Rainier Avenue, which juts off Highway 104 at that sharp bend. Along this street are immaculately groomed homes with that continued white picket fence running along the front yards. Small businesses are interspersed between, and within, the homes. The street is no more than a block long and ends at an open green space area overlooking Hood Canal to the north and the body of water known as Port Gamble to the right. A fire station, museum, and general store occupy the northern end of Rainier Ave, and each of these buildings looked like they were straight out of a bygone era.

Green Space overlooking the Hood Canal

I sat for a while at a picnic table overlooking Hood Canal where I let my small town fantasy play out in my head. I began wondering if this town was real in the sense that people actually lived here, or if it was simply a place designed as a tourist stop. I subsequently learned that the town is real with a history dating back to 1853. I also learned that day to not resist the urge to double back sometimes. Otherwise, you might just miss something extraordinary.