Many lavender growers allow visitors to walk through their fields and pick bouquets of fresh lavender. People often pose for photos in the fields. Cheap thrills. Take some home!
Did somebody say “lavender?”
Workers were busy harvesting lavender at Graysmarsh Farm this week. Soon bundles will scent cars and luggage as our visitors head home after this weekend’s Lavender Festival. Some farms pre-pick bundles for lavender lovers and some are harvesting the herb to dry or distill it for lotions, soaps and essential oil.
Professionals harvest and shape the bushes at the same time.
These bundles were waiting at Jardin du Soleil last week. Lavender bouquets typically run $5 to $6.
Hobuck Beach
Although a trip to Neah Bay can be made in one day we took our tiny trailer and camped at Hobuck Beach Resort. A walk across the road and we were on the beach. There were a pair of eagles nesting in nearby trees and in the evenings we saw a whale offshore. High tide or low, it’s mighty fine to have the Pacific Ocean in your front yard.
Tatoosh Island
About a half mile off the shore of Cape Flattery in Neah Bay is Tatoosh Island which is actually a group of small islands. They are collectively under 40 acres in size and are located at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Tatoosh is owned by the Makah Tribe and historically used as a seasonal fishing camp. It’s presently unoccupied. You might be able to make out the Cape Flattery Light in this picture. It has operated on the island since December, 1857.
Researchers from the University of Washington have studied the marine ecology of these islands since the late 1960s. It is one of the most intensely studied field sites in the world because of its isolation, climate, and location. The island is home to a diverse collection of marine plants and animals.
Cape Flattery
The views at Cape Flattery are sublime. It is a classically beautiful Pacific Northwest coastal environment at the distant northwest edge of the U.S. continent.
I hadn’t been to this spot in over 20 years yet the scenery was so deeply embedded in my memory that it was still familiar.
The rugged coastline is both forbidding and glorious while the day’s grey weather added to the mood. The humbling hike was worth it.
Trail to Cape Flattery
Last week we went to Neah Bay, the reservation of the Makah Tribe. It’s located at the far northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula and also the northwestern edge of the continental United States, a bit under three hour’s drive from Sequim. The area is remote. It’s reached via a two lane road that is notorious for washouts and mud slides. At the tip of the reservation is Cape Flattery, reached by a roughly half mile walk through a beautiful rain forest.
The terrain looks like hobbit habitat, or perhaps where you’d find an ewok from Star Wars, beautiful, wild and remote.
DH lived as a fisherman in Neah Bay for about two years but neither he nor I had been there for at least 20. I for one had forgotten that the trail is decidedly lumpy with roots as it descends to the Cape. And 20 years ago I didn’t have an unhappy knee and poor balance. The distance was not difficult but the terrain made me feel old and lame. It was, however, worth the effort. Tomorrow I’ll show you some of the views that rewarded us.
Fence at sunset
I like the interplay of light on this fence. And, being a fan of hearts, I like them, too.