Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

I had to take advantage of the one sunny day this week and head up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival! I haven't been since I was little and I knew my kids would think it was too cool. In between chasing the muddy boys I may or may not have pretended not to know at times, I got some great shots of the blooms that are out currently. 

To be noted for anyone wanting to go: 
- Kids under 5 are FREE!
- There is a military discount
-WEAR BOOTS

After this little adventure, we dined at a drive through BBQ joint called Kelly's BBQ & Catering that I'm only mentioning because OMG IT WAS SO GOOD. It's a nice stop for local food where you don't have to drag your tired children out of the car, so it's win win. 

Spencer Island

THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY! 

It was pretty wild. To celebrate, we went for a family hike. After spending a good 30 minutes trying to choose a hike (shout out to WA for being so hike friendly!) we landed on Spencer Island. Kid friendly, dog friendly, family friendly. 

It was, of course, beautiful. I will mention, the hike itself starts off running parallel to a water treatment plant and it's a bit stinky. Once you get past that, it's all good. We didn't stay too long, however, as the two year old eventually refused to ride his bike any further and we ended up carrying both him and his bike. There was quite a bit of bird activity, which is always delightful (except I didn't have a zoom lens, so thumbs down on that). The boys got their water fix (rock throwing, stick throwing, eventual log throwing) and everyone got some fresh air. 

The trail itself (we took the north trail I believe, the dog friendly one) is lined with blackberry bushes that are covered in stickers. The trail is wide enough to pass easily through but I can image that might get a bit overrun in the summer months. The boys got caught a few times but no tears were shed, so I call it a win. I'd like to go back again to check out the south trail. 

[All images were shot on my fujifilm x100t.]