Anne Caroline Drake

Cedarbrook's Bike

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is a photographer’s dream vacation.  It’s got everything from the rainforests of the Olympic National Park to sunny Sequim where it rains about 15 days each year.  Hurricane Ridge near Sequim offers panoramic views of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands where the orcas play.

 

There’s also Forks, home of the popular Twilight book series.  Port Townsend is beloved by movie directors, and Port Gamble looks like Maine 100 years ago.  Bremerton is home to naval shipyards and a submarine base.  Ocean Shores and Westport have great beaches, and Long Beach is home to an annual kite festival.

 

Sequim (pronounced “skwim”) has become a retirees haven.  The Olympic Mountains create a rain shadow microclimate which keeps Sequim perpetually sunny and the perfect place to grow lavender.  The climate is similar to that of Provence.  The town mascot is Roosevelt elk which is featured in a sculpture on the way into town and on some street signs:

 

My recommendation would be to skip the annual Lavender Festival.  The traffic, crowds, and congestion as well as the dearth of places to eat and potty make for an unpleasant experience.  The lavendar farm gift stores are well-stocked.  Yes, you’ll miss the music and the dancing llamas, but their handler didn’t present visitors with great photo ops:

Cedarbrook Lavendar & Herb Farm  claims to be the oldest herb farm in Washington.  Their farm was lovely to visit with lots of photo opportunities of their permanent features.  That’s their bike, for example, at the top of this post.  They graciously hired a photographer to take photos of their guests.

They sponsored a spinner during the festival.  I wanted to buy some of her lovely yarn until my nose reminded me that I’m allergic to wool.

The best photos of lavender fields are at Purple Haze.

 All the farms allow people to pick their own lavendar.  This artful bunch was gathered at Purple Haze.

Catching this poppy at Jardin du Soleil Lavender while the wind was blowing briskly was a challenge.

But, my favorite photo op of the day in Sequim was this park I discovered by getting lost.

Because of the Lavender Festival congestion, I missed being able to photograph the Port Gamble water tower, the Olympic Mountain foothills, and the windsurfer at Dungeness Spit.  I also didn’t have time to experience Hurricane Ridge.  Another day, eh?