Roger’s travelogue

Dairy Barn and the Olympic Mountains uploaded on 21 July 2008

The Sequim-Dungeness Valley on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State was noted mainly for its fine dairy farms prior to the introduction of lavender growing a few decades ago. The rich, well-drained soil and unusually sunny, dry days are beneficial to growing sweet grasses for cattle as well as lavender. The Olympic Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop to the Valley.

A Youthful Bloom uploaded on 21 July 2008

This young visitor enjoys the sights and smells at the Jardin du Soleil Lavender Farm during Sequim, Washington's Lavender festival in mid-July, 2008.

Abstract in Lavender uploaded on 21 July 2008

The lavender fields on display during the Sequim Lavender Festival provide opportunities for abstract art in the colorful patterns of the blooming lavender plants. This field is at the Olympic Lavender Farm in Sequim, Washington.

Terracotta Chicken in Lavender uploaded on 21 July 2008

Garden art highlights a demonstration garden showcasing several varieties of lavender at the Jardin du Soleil lavender farm in Sequim, Washington, during the Sequim Lavender Festival in July, 2008.

An Angel in the Lavender uploaded on 21 July 2008

A little girl runs through a field of Old English Lavender during the Sequim Lavender festival, July, 2008 at the Angel Lavender Farm. The Old English variety has lighter green stems and lighter-colored blossoms than many varieties, but is heavily (and heavenly) perfumed.

Sunny Lavender Picking uploaded on 21 July 2008

Many of the lavender farms in Sequim, Washington, offer fields where visitors can cut their own lavender bouquet, as this woman shows.

Lavender in Bloom uploaded on 21 July 2008

The "Augustifolias" variety of lavender is one of the best for cooking and use in herbal recipes because of its light, mild taste and fragrance.

Sunflower in Lavender Field uploaded on 21 July 2008

The lone sunflower highlights the deep purple of the Grosso variety of lavender plants at the Jardin du Soleil farm in Sequim, Washington.

View from Scenic Beach State Park uploaded on 4 April 2008

This is a view across the Hood Canal toward the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympic Mountains. In winter and spring, if there isn't rain, there is usually fog, even on sunny days. On this early April day, the fog burned off by 10:00 a.m., so there was a beautiful vista. In the summer and fall months, the sky is usually clear and the air is crystal clear.

Scenic Beach State Park in Washington State along the Hood Canal offers views of a glacier-formed fjord and dramatic vistas of the Olympic Mountains inside Olympic National Park. Hood Canal was first called "Hood's Channel" by Captain Vancouver, its European discoverer, in 1792 after Lord Hood, a famous English Admiral of the day.

There are several long narrow valleys sculpted by the last ice age, or, in geological terms, "fjords," in North America, mainly in British Columbia and Alaska, but they are most associated with the Scandinavian coastlines.

uploaded on 4 April 2008