HARVEST HOSTS

Joan Taylor, one of my favorite Lazy Daze travel buddies, recently discovered a unique organization, Harvest Hosts, and announced its benefits on one of the Lazy Daze RV forums. In its embryonic stages, this network of overnight stopping places was offering annual memberships for $20.00. How could I resist such a bargain?! Here's the deal: Harvest Hosts has enlisted wineries, farms and orchards to allow self contained recreational vehicles to stay on their properties overnight, free of charge.

Joan and I spent a delightful May afternoon and night at Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim, WA.

The participating "hosts" are located in peaceful, rural surroundings and offer opportunities to "tour wineries, pick your own fruit and produce and to stock up on cheeses and other natural products." So inevitably, the stops aren't "free" after all, but they are definitely an excellent alternative to the standard camping experience. New "hosts" are being added as we speak, and Harvest Hosts now includes distinctive, diverse overnight stops from coast to coast.

Lavender oil is distilled right on Purple Haze's premises. When fully loaded, the retort vessel will contain 700 pounds of lavender flowers. Depending on the variety, these flowers will yield one to eight pints of pure essential lavender oil. Distillation takes place in August and September; we missed it by a few months!

"Q" - NAMELESS NO MORE

Thank you Mark and Darice, http://wildflowerswest.org/ for accurately renaming my "lupine tree" discovery. It's actually a Laburnum Anagyroides. In the Pacific Northwest, it's aptly referred to as the "Golden Chain" tree.

"Q" - NAME THAT TREE (#3)

This one's easy!

CRESCENT LAKE, WASHINGTON...

...another magical, mystical treasure found in the Pacific Northwest, this one in Olympic National Park

Masses of blue Forget-Me-Not, ubiquitous in the shade.

and here the False Lilly of the Valley were starting to bloom in earnest.

LUSH, GREEN, REFRESHING...

...those are the first words that come to my mind when I hear "Pacific Northwest." And Silver Falls State Park, Oregon is a superb example, as you'll soon see why. This is just one of at least ten waterfalls in this, Oregon's largest, state park.

Intrepid adventurers take a bracing stroll behind the falls,

and on the wall behind the water's curtain, Saxifrage and moss cling and thrive in an ideal misty domain.

Creekside clumps of this False Lilly of the Valley, with its sumptuous leaves and fragrant flowers were just starting to bloom.

Amazingly dry, this pillow of soft, airy moss invited a nap.

~~~~~~~~~~

MAIDENHAIR FERNS

There are approximately 200 species in the Maidenhair Fern genus. This delicate, quintessential plant of moist habitats is a Northern Maidenhair, sometimes referred to as Five Fingered Maidenhair.

Breaking up the anomalous asphalt trail to the bottom of the falls were lavish outcroppings of these Maidenhairs. Their unique, fan-like pattern is eye-catching because the fronds are flat and circular and grow outward. Can you imagine playful nymphs wearing crowns of these wispy ferns as they frolic in the woodlands?!

See what I mean?

Lush, Green, Refreshing

"Q" - NAME THAT TREE (#2)

I'm wondering: Is there such a thing as a "lupine tree"?

Centralia, WA, early June

Happy First Day of Summer!

ON A CLEAR DAY...

You can see~~~

Mt. St. Helens in Washington from St. Helens, Oregon ...

...the magnificent Olympic Range, from Sequim, WA

and "THE Mountain" (Ranier). When you're stopped at a light and aiming out of a window on a clear day, you'd better be happy with whatever your camera can capture...

Or even this if you're shooting through a tinted windshield!

Because in a few hours, having made its own weather, what you'll mostly see are plenty of lovely clouds.