Back in February, I overheard someone mentioning the Tulip Festival in Northern Washington. A quick internet search turned up some beautiful pictures. I was so excited to see this in person and was counting the days to they were in bloom, but then life got away from me and the next thing I know, I was getting ready to head to Oregon. It was my second to last day in Washington and I knew I’d regret not going so I packed everything up and got the van ready for my trip south a day early.
I awoke Tuesday morning excited for the big trip. As soon as Rush Hour subsided, I took off from Olympia and headed north on the I-5 towards Mount Vernon, WA. Traffic was still heavy on my way through Tacoma and then as I skirted around Seattle, but once I got north of Seattle, it was like I was in a whole other state. I was in the country. A short time later, I pulled into Roozengaerde Tulip Farm . I had barely walked through the gate when I was awe struck by all the tulips in bloom. It was the most magical feeling to be standing there among all these flowers in bloom.
If you ever find yourself in Washington during April, you simply must come and visit the Tulip Farms, but more specifically – Roozengaerde.
After spending the afternoon there, I decided to skip the trek back down I-5 and instead continue enjoying these nice country roads. I headed West out of town on Rt-20 across Whidbey Island and down to Ft. Casey in time for the 4pm Ferry. I just made it as the Ferry was pulling in – unfortunately, I did not have reservations and it was sold out. So I sat around until the next Ferry and took a nice boat ride to Port Townsend. I continued south on Rt 20 and got onto the 101 south. This was familiar territory. I was here back in 2013. The sun was begining to set and the day was simply gorgeous.
As I was making my way south, something caught my eye. An Elk – a herd of Elk actually. There were a bunch of them in a state park so I took a U-Turn and went back to see them. They were definitely use to humans as they didn’t really care when I drove by them. I parked, got out of the van and took pictures as they grazed around me and the van.
It wasn’t long after getting back in the van to continue my trip back to Olympia when I spotted the majestic Mt. Rainer in the distance. From the first week I had arrived here, that mountain is always peaking it head out at me. It’s a mesmerizing sight to behold. I arrived back in Olympia well after dark. The next day I’d be back int he van and hitting Oregon.
