When we made reservations to stay at a Fidalgo Island RV Park, we did so primarily to be close to the Ferry Terminal at Anacortes which is the gateway to the San Juan Islands. We didn’t anticipate at the time that our five week stay was timed perfectly with the 2021 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which is held each year for the entire month of April. It turns out that millions of visitors have seen this annual explosion of color since the inception of the festival in the 1980’s.
Two farms in particular, RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town have huge parking lots that fill with attendees who pay a modest entry fee to walk freely around the colorful rows of red, orange, yellow and purple. At first glance visions of Holland come to mind but rather than wind mills in the background there are barns, Mt. Baker and the high peaks of the Olympic Peninsula. If you do come, bring your camera. After the flowers have died and the bulbs have been harvested, your pictures will remind that you were here to witness what millions of tulips will do for a landscape and chances are that you’ll get a pretty good selfie.
The Skagit (pronounced skadje-it) valley has to be one of the most beautiful and diverse agricultural centers I’ve seen. The west Cascade Mountains flank the valley to the east and the forested islands of Fidalgo and Whidbey rise to the west. In between is a relatively flat valley floor where just about every kind of crop will thrive in the fertile soil and maritime air. Our Spring time visit meant that we were too early for the berries, apples, potatoes, and varied vegetables that will fill the shelves of local farmers markets in the months to come. That didn’t stop us from visiting Schuh Farms on several occasions to pick up fresh rhubarb pies and farm fresh eggs. We also frequented roadside produce stands, a local fish market and even an art gallery in a pickle barn. We became enchanted with the whole healthy living and eating vibe of the area. Its the kind of place that makes you want to sing the lyrics of Joni Mitchel “We are stardust, we are golden and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden”.
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