About 60 miles north of Seattle, between the mountains and the Sound, is a place called Skagit Valley (pronounced "scadge-it"). It's a large flat area with fertile soil - the result of repeated flooding from the mineral-rich, glacier-fed Skagit River.
Apparently the soil & climate are well-suited to grow rare, strange-tasting root vegetables: Skagit produces more than 90% of the U.S. supply of turnips and rutabagas. Flowers also grow well there - particularly daffodils, irises, and (most popular of all), tulips.
Every April is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. It's kind of a strange event: basically you drive there, look at big fields covered in bright flowers, take a few pictures, and leave. It attracts a wide cross-section of society: Old people in Buicks out for their Sunday drive, young families in minivans and Subarus (it's Seattle, remember), software developers on Harleys decked out in leather, affluent folks with cars that cost in the six digits, and hillbillies in jalopies.
We went on Sunday with our friends Alex & Crystal. I guess we don't really fit into any of those categories; maybe we're in a different group: people who were out to enjoy a (mostly) sunny Sunday and sample the local food (and beverages) in La Conner, the town that's the main destination.
Here's the photo album.
No comments:
Post a Comment