Diary for Harry and Judy's RV Trip


Day 35-April 24, 2018-Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, Mount Angel Glockenspiel, Oregon Garden

2018-04-24

Day 35-April 24, 2018-Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, Mount Angel Glockenspiel, Oregon Garden

Sunny, 82.  We’re starting to get spoiled with this beautiful weather.

Everything is green and lush here but that comes with a price, there’s pollen everywhere!  But it’s beautiful.  Not the pollen, the flowers and trees.  The birds seem to love it too, they’re chirping away all day.  The reason we came to Silverton was because someone told us about the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR.  It’s only on from late March to early May so we’re here at the right time and it’s only 12 miles from the campground.  As we’re driving into the farm we started to see the fields, 40 acres and millions of tulips in every color imaginable.  They have rides and activities for the kids, wine tasting from the grapes they grow across the street, hay rides and tram rides into the fields, a wooden shoe maker on premises and lots of food and vendors.  On some days they have a tethered hot air balloon to go over the fields but it wasn’t there today.  Quite a few people for a Tuesday but we heard again and again how wet it’s been here and the fields were muddy, so this is the first good few days they’ve had.  We went on the tram ride and then walked the fields a bit.  Explosions of colors in neat rows and in the background was the other side of Mt. Hood.  Great views. And aromas.  We were at Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam a few years ago and, although smaller, this farm is just as beautiful. Mount Angel is halfway between the campground and the tulips so on the way back we stopped there.  It’s a quaint little German town with a 49’ Glockenspiel in the center of town over a German restaurant and pub.  We were there just in time to see the show.  Back toward Silverton we noticed quite a few logging trucks and people in their yards tidying up after the winter.  Most of the yards are bursting with flowers in full bloom and the whole town seems to smell of flowers.  We took a ride to the Oregon Gardens just outside of town with over 80 acres of theme gardens such as Conifer, Wetlands, Sensory, Dinosaur, Roses, Tropical and many others.  Also has a hotel and spa on the premises and the Frank Lloyd Wright Gordon house that can be toured.  We’re short on time so we just took a quick drive through, then drove through the historic part of Silverton with its funky little shops and restaurants.  Went to a grocery store on the way back to stock up and I got a much needed haircut.  We had a great time here in Silverton and thought about staying another night but we have reservations at other places in the next few days.