The morning sun, softened by haze, gently illuminated the rows of tulips that swept grandly to the horizon. Bands of color met my eye - bright reds, sunny yellows, soft pinks, rich purples, and more - a tapestry of rainbow flora larger than I could have imagined.

I was at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley with new friends, my gracious host, writer Sue Kuenzi, and her mother, Joan, an impressive 80-year-old woman who I had just met that morning. I had heard about this lovely Oregon feature a few years back and was eager to experience it. It was wonderfully serendipitous that I was in the northern part of the state in April, when the tulips were at their best.

I was astounded by the sheer variety of them, not just by the plethora of color (endless shades, it seemed), but by the shape and texture and patterns of the petals. Some had subtle blended tones, and others had stripes or ruffles or fringy edges.

Dozens upon dozens of buckets were filled with bright cut tulips for sale, and other types of geophytes made appearances here and there. In other words, the "blissfulness of bulbs" was present everywhere! And, speaking of bulbs, visitors can order them during the festival for fall planting.

Hours passed like minutes as we wandered the rows, sometimes together, and sometimes on our own. There was just so much to see! One could get lost in the details of one flower (and another and another) and at the same time be overwhelmed in the best of ways by the sheer scope of the plantings.

The whole place had a festive feel, with carnival-style rides for the kids, hot air balloons, much laughter, and people chattering in different languages. It was clear that this is a well-known tourist destination. There were a few rows of vendors, and food was available.

On a clear day, Mt. Hood is visible to the east across the fields, a beautiful and benevolent guardian. The haze prevented a good view of the mountain when we were there, but a quick online image search for Mt. Hood with tulips brings up an array of stunning photos, the best of which, in my opinion, are the sunrise shots.

Because of frost and temperature, each year is a bit different, but the tulips generally bloom sometime between March and May. The farm sets the dates for its "Tulip Fest" based on the predicted bloom, a shifting window dictated by the conditions of the season. The 2024 festival was held from March 22 through April 28. Visitors are welcome to the farm to view tulips during the festival.

Tickets are only available through the website, and we had purchased ours the night before. To ensure an optimum time for photos, we chose a morning entry, but it turns out that was a good choice for another reason. It gave us time to roam the bright rows before the crowds set in. The farm is expansive, though, and even as more people arrived, there was plenty of space to wander freely.

In addition to tulip viewing, the farm offers other festival activities. Among them are wine tours and lessons on making wooden shoes. Their website, www.woodenshoe.com, gives info on bloom status as festival season grows closer. If you're there after the bloom, there are limited summer activities noted on their website, including farm tours and access to the gift shop.