LIVING COLOR
It just happened to be a sunny, spring weekday morning as we turned off the 5 Freeway in a rural valley outside of Mount Vernon, Washington, a couple hours north of Seattle, and made our way along a two-lane back road. A couple of miles after the turnoff, we passed a small sign reading “Tulip Route.” I knew the colorful fields of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival would soon be upon us.
The brief research I had done and photographs I had seen had drawn me to make the trip with my sister, who lives in the Seattle area, along with a family friend. But coming upon the farms, with fields full of row after row of bright red, yellow, orange and purple tulips, as well as many other colors, really leaves one speechless. “Wow” just doesn’t seem to do it justice, and at first glance, it almost doesn’t seem to be real.
We pulled into one of the last parking spots during a stop at the RoozenGaarde/Washington Bulb Co., one of many growers in the area. A crossing guard held up traffic as hundreds of visitors made their way across the road to the gardens and colorful fields. Of course, nearly everyone had a camera. It was, after all, the ultimate selfie location.
The nearby mountains were still covered in snow and the fields a little muddy after record winter-into-spring rainfall. Many wore rubber boots as they wandered about, though one child went one step further — complete with a rain coat and pants, he stomped in a mud puddle to his heart’s delight at the edge of the field.
After a few hours of walking, viewing and taking more photographs of flowers than one should, we were all in color overload. It was time to hit the road for home, and for those who weren’t driving, share a few of the best photographs with far-away friends.