Mount Vernon Tulip Festival

The Mount Vernon Washington Tulip Festival is a natural wonder to behold. Each April it occurs between the town of Mount Vernon and La Connor, the drive being marked by signs showing the “Tulip Route”.  Thanks to our Facebook friend, Angela, we learned that this year’s tulips were blossoming early so best to come this Easter Weekend.  Following the church and the north shore round up, Laura, Gilbert and I loaded up in my Mazda Miata sportscar  for our almost annual journey south to see the psychedelic beauty of miles of tulips blooming.
We cross at Peace Arch then head south to the beautiful Chuckanut drive along the coast.  Some years I’ve come on motorcycle but the weather is still iffy in April so the sportscar is a safer bet. This year we had the top down the whole drive.
The Tulip Festival is eye candy experience I liken to a particular candy raste experience I had as a child. Sucking on the candy was good but when you bit into it your whole mouth exploded with this extraordinary flavour. That’s the same for the spring ride in the farming district outside Mount Vernon. Alone the green is terrific but when you come upon the fields of colourful tulips and daffodils its like your eyes are woken by the sheer audacity of brilliant colour from the grey of winter slumber.  If I was a robot I expect this would be what an updating rebooting visual experience would be like.
  

Mount Vernon Tulip Festival

My brother Ron and my friend George are big on Tulips.  Ron takes in the Ottawa tulip festival every year.  George drives the 70 miles  from Vancouver to Mount Vernon Washington every year to view the tulips.  I didn't know what all the fuss was about but both these guys are really smart when it comes to nature and beauty.  George is a poet.  Ron is a photographer.
So Laura, Gilbert and I came down to Mount Vernon to see what everyone whose been says is so special. Laura's artist sister comes to the tulip festival too so she'd been hearing the same buzz. Gilbert just likes to come along for the ride.
Because it was supposed to rain on Sunday, we left the Harley motorcycle and came in Laura's Honda Civic.   We stayed at the Best Western,  Cotton Wood Tree Inn because they like dogs.  
The festival goes on all April. The turn off going south on I5 was the second Mount Vernon exit, city centre, the great tulip painted tower.  The Tulip Information centre was extremely helpful.  At Tulip Town indoors they had tulips in full bloom but in the fields the tulips were just beginning to open.
I love daffodils though and they were in full bloom.  Just seeing a field of daffodils was like having Spring kick me the head and gouge out my winter sleep eyeballs.    "Wake up, It really is Spring.  You've survived another year of work and Vancouver rain and it's actually Spring!"  The colour is other worldly. Like safron rice, mustard and sunshine all combined.
Then the tulips we saw were all kinds of colours.  We especially liked the red and the pink ones.  It was exhilerating.  Eye candy.  Laura loved it.  I loved it.  Gilbert  had fun  rolling in the manure rich dirt at the side of the fields.  When we stopped him he gave us an indignant look.
The Mount Vernon Tulip Festival is also called the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.  It's spectacular.