Postcard from the Pacific North West

Mount Rainier seemingly floats in the air - as seen from the Bainbridge Island to Seattle ferry
I've just got back from an amazing holiday in the Pacific North West aka the Washington and Oregon states in the USA.

The main purpose of the holiday was to join the Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland, but a long journey across the pond deserves to be made into a road trip, which is precisely what Victoria, Charlotte and I did.

We flew into Seattle, where our friend Marty Wingate had arranged an amazing pre-fling garden tour for us, including another visit to the Bloedel Reserve, plus the company of Dan Hinkley to show us around the legendary Heronswood.

We then drove down the coast to Portland for the Fling. Here the organisers managed to squeeze us into an itinerary that included 15 gardens, 3 nurseries and one publisher (Timber Press) in a mere 3 days.

Our final stop was in the heart of Oregon, where Victoria found the wonderful Airlie Farm B&B for us to have some well deserved R&R. This included a couple more nurseries, a trip to the coast, plus horse riding Western style.

I'll be telling you more about our adventures over the coming weeks...

Comments

  1. CJ21 July 2014 at 10:26

    Sounds like a really amazing trip. But what torture to visit all of those nurseries and not be able to buy any plants! Glad you had such a good time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP21 July 2014 at 11:09

      True re not buying plants, but I now have a very long wants list!

      Delete
  2. Mark and Gaz21 July 2014 at 10:42

    You guys have packed in so much! The fling was such fun. Looking forward to hearing more about the rest of your trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP21 July 2014 at 11:12

      Like you, I think it's going to take a long time to say everything there is to say on this blog! It was such a great trip and it was great to meet up with you in Portland :)

      Delete
  3. Sue Garrett21 July 2014 at 11:04

    That's a long way to go to meet fellow Bloggers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP21 July 2014 at 11:12

      Great excuse for a holiday though :)

      Delete
  4. Donna21 July 2014 at 12:15

    I am glad you enjoyed your time here...it is a long way across the pond and the US to get there but well worth it...I wish I had been able to go to the Fling this year...I have never been to Oregon but I have been to Washington...beautiful place...looking forward to more posts about your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rose21 July 2014 at 13:49

    Sounds like you made the most of your long trip over the pond! My daughter and I drove to the Oregon coast before the Fling, and I'm so glad we did--it certainly is a beautiful area. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about all the places you visited.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous21 July 2014 at 15:37

    Good post, wonderful picture and interesting links. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thinking of the days22 July 2014 at 19:35

    Well it sounds as if you had a blast! Looking forward to reading about it all...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anna22 July 2014 at 22:08

    Oh what a fabulous experience VP! Look forward to hearing and seeing a lot more about your adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Janet/Plantaliscious23 July 2014 at 10:08

    As Anna said, what a fabulous experience. I've driven up the Oregon coast but didn't get much time to explore, look forward to hearing more, and seeing more photos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Caro26 July 2014 at 08:05

    Horse riding! Goodness, how exciting. I would have thought after that action packed and visually stimulating time away, the holiday was getting home to a nice cup of tea and putting your feet up! It all looks thoroughly wonderful, I guess you'll need a bit of head space to go through it all but it will be great to read about your holiday in due course. Hope your allotment and garden didn't miss you too much! C xx

    ReplyDelete

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