Tiptoeing Through The Skagit Valley Tulips

You are looking at a field of tulips in the Skagit Valley in Washington. Up til about 11 years ago I lived in the Skagit Valley. The Skagit Valley, even without all the flowers, is one of the most scenic areas in America, which makes it one of the most scenic areas of the world.

The Skagit Valley is also one of the most productive agricultural areas of the world, growing all sorts of produce besides flowers. And blackberries grow wild, free for the picking.

For many many years now the Skagit Valley has been flooded annually with around a million visitors, coming to the valley to experience the month long Skagit Tulip Festival, April 1 through April 30.

Traffic can get a bit heavy in the valley during the Skagit Tulip Festival. That problem used to be much worse, but solutions were devised that keeps the traffic moving.

I remember a few years when it was so bad I wished the Skagit Tulip Festival would go away. I remember having to go from Mount Vernon to La Conner, while the festival was underway, several days in a row. It made what should have been about a 15 minute drive into well over an hour.

I recollect going to an Easter sunrise service at Roozengaarde, with my mom and dad. I don't know how I got talked into that. I do remember it was foggy. Roozengaarde is such a big deal in tulip world that their website domain is simply tulips.com. 

Below is a YouTube video that gives you an idea of what a Skagit Valley tulip field looks like...