Yesterday I took my three kids on a little trip that was a total feast for the senses. Not too far from us is this beautiful area by Mt. Hood called the Fruit Loop. It gets it name from all the fruit orchards that are along a few roads that form a sort of loop. Along the Fruit Loop is a farm named Lavender Valley. As I have mentioned here recently, July is the month for picking lavender here in the Pacific Northwest. All over there are lavender festivals going on. This week Lavender Valley hosted theirs.
During the festival they were offering u-pick lavender for three dollars a bunch. We had such a nice time strolling through all the rows upon rows of lavender and picking our own bundles to take home. It is so incredibly beautiful to see. There are the rows of lavender that are beautiful beyond words but then there is also the view of Mt. Hood that is breathtaking as well.
I have some fairly decent pictures to share from our visit. Some didn’t turn out quite as well as I would have liked. The wind was really blowing on top of having to chase my daughter down constantly so I am amazed I got some as good as I did!
Tomorrow I plan on sharing some ideas for ways to use lavender through out the house.
All the photos can be clicked on to view full size.
A sea of purple
Mt. Hood can be seen in the background
It was so hard to get a good shot of the bees visiting the lavender as the wind was blowing very strong.
This picture shows the lavender that has already been harvested. They distill the lavender into essential oil right there at the farm.
My eldest son took this picture of the gazebo in the sea of lavender.
One of the bundles we picked ourselves.
My son picking his lavender bundle
Another beautiful view
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Your pics are fantastic. I love the smell of lavender, I can’t even imagine what a “feast for the senses” that field must of been. Thanks for sharing such a lovely day with us.
What an amazing place to spend an afternoon! I love the photo with the gazebo — lavender heaven, indeed!
The colors are so beautiful. It’s difficult to imagine the fragrance on such a large scale. It must be intoxicating. It is from here.
Donna
I know you said the pictures aren’t quite as good as you’d like, but I think they are wonderful. What beauty! Your son’s picture was great, too.
What a beautiful way to spend a day!
WOW, I can’t imagine how wonderful this must have been to see and smell that much lavender. Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures!
I can almost smell the lavender. Thanks for the pictures.
I live in So. Oregon. How long would it take to get there from Portland?
Sorry it has taken me a little while to respond to all the nice comments everyone has left! I was away from my computer the whole day today.
I’m glad everyone enjoyed the pictures. It is absolutley heaven there. The smell was amazing and all the bees! They actually sell their own lavender honey from the bees that visit the farm. Thank you everyone for all the nice comments. I couldn’t wait to share the pictures here!
Irene- To answer your question, I supplied a link to the farm in this post and if you click on it you will be taken to their site. I believe it is roughly one and a half hours away from Portland.
Loved your photos of Lavender Valley (heaven!) Lucky you! – I remember when my 3 children were young and taking them in the fields to pick green beans and corn!! You’re sure tired at the end of that day! Enjoyed my visit – Lavender sugar? mmm?! sounds good!
Kim- Glad you enjoyed the pictures! It was heaven indeed.