In case you haven’t noticed, a recurring theme in our day tripping is the idea of buying local. Not only is it healthy for the local economy, it instills a great sense of pride.  Whether it’s produce, products or services, you are buying directly from the people that create them.

With that said, this is an especially good time of year for locally grown produce.  Between now and the end of October, your local farmers markets will be bursting at the seams with bounties of fresh produce.  And if that’s not …

Skagit Valley, 50 miles north of Seattle on I-5, is primarily known for the Tulip Festival every April.  However, as we recently discovered, there is much more to do there than meets the eye.  This area is one of our most frequent day-tripping destinations year round.
Skagit Wildlife Area – North Fork
We stumbled on this area one day after stopping at the Snow Goose Produce stand (a worthy stop in and of itself).  It’s a beautiful area that during good weather is great for exploration.  Bordered on one side by the north fork …

Today we were out and about with a good 5 hours to spare before a wedding.  We decided to check out two nurseries on Bainbridge Island:  Bainbridge Gardens and Mesogeo Greenhouse.  Both are located on Miller Road and are only a few miles apart.  Our first stop was Bainbridge Gardens.  This was probably one of the most relaxed nurseries I’ve ever visited.  It just begs to be explored.  Surprisingly, leashed dogs are allowed.  We spent a good two hours here walking through every section admiring the quality selection and great …