Tulips, Tulips Everywhere

Yesterday we ventured north to the Skagit County Tulip Festival. Apparently this place houses the largest tulip fields in the world (yes, that includes Holland!) in a flat but fertile valley near the Puget Sound about an hour south of the Canadian border. We went with friends, and they took us through the back roads. It seemed as if we were swallowed by trees, but we did catch the occasional glimpse of the Sound as we sped past. Once we entered the valley, I instantly fell in love with the smattering of farm houses. Greg was more impressed with the smattering of restored cars on the road. At one point we followed a teal '55 Chevy (at least that is what Greg thought it was) through a small town, and I felt like we were transported back in time.

The first field we found was full of pinks and purples. It was a beautiful sight and the weather was absolutely gorgeous-perfect for strolling through the tulips. But there was nowhere to park. Apparently we weren't the only ones who decided to visit the tulip fields. (BEWARE: if you choose to go to this festival sometime in the future, be prepared for horrendous amounts of traffic and very little parking) So we were forced to find another field to visit. Around the block we were finally able to find parking near a field of orange, yellow and red tulips.

We started in the red tulips, and Ammon was disappointed when he read the sign that said: "Stay on the main road. Do not walk between rows." He was hoping to run through the field, with tulips on each side of him. Secretly I agreed.

We ventured on to the yellow tulips, and the children started to get a bit restless. They really wanted to get into the thick of things, so we kept catching them inching their way into the rows. Finally Elizabeth disappeared down one of the rows, but we had to get a picture before scolding her.

Once we reached the orange flowers, they turned out to be yellow and red variegated. They weren't as pretty as they were from a distance. I was really looking forward to seeing an orange tulip.

We stayed for about an hour, then headed back to the van. I was hoping to visit a few other fields, but it had taken us too long to get there and we were out of time. Maybe next year we will make a full day trip up and visit all the fields. There are at least a half a dozen tulip fields, but they also have daffodil and iris fields as well. By the time we arrived the daffodils had finished blooming but the irises had not yet bloomed.

We drove back out the way we had come in, but as we passed the pink and purple tulip field again I just had to stop and get photos. It was absolutely stunning to see. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Oh, and where was Grace through this entire afternoon? Sleeping, of course.