Sunrise Splendor At The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

By Katie and Houston Vandergriff
Downs & Towns

Our destination: Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival at sunrise.  

Our goal: Photograph the tulip fields and Mt. Hood as the sun peaks over the horizon.

So, we got up at 3:30 am to shower, dress and head out. On the drive from our hotel, we found a “classic hits” radio station playing from Portland. As we maneuvered the curvy roads in the dark, the classic song by Sheryl Crow came on the air. She sang, “All I want to do is have some fun…” We cranked up the music.

The song continued: “I gotta' feeling, I’m not the only one…” Possible foreshadowing? Yes, definitely.

We arrived at the farm in the dark, scanned our tickets and parked. We walked between the shadowy vendor tents, through the tulip fields, towards the spot where we believed the huge Mt. Hood might be visible.  The sky was starting to hint at a pale pink.

Houston taking photos of the sunrise over Mt. Hood.

In the early light, we could make out a line of barely visible crouching figures. Each figure was set up with a tripod.  Every row of tulips had a photographer with a low tripod and a long lens waiting patiently for the magic moment. Behind the line of tripod photographers was a mismatched group of iPhone photographers and curious onlookers.

As we waited, the darkness slowly faded. In the early light, we could tell Sheryl Crow was right. “I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one” proved true. There were dozens of us crazies out here in the dark.

Finally, the sun teased with little golden cloud patches, then the pink sky quickly turned yellow. Suddenly, a bright glowing ball of light popped over the horizon. The sun cast its rays on the thousands of tulips like warm magic. The tulips turned from dark, shadowy figures into golden-tipped rainbows. Their dew-kissed petals stretched toward the first rays of sunlight.

Snaps, gasps and soft footsteps whispered in the golden light. But very few words were spoken. None were needed. Each person was focused on capturing this magic moment – either on film, in pixels or in their hearts.

The sun rose quickly, and as it did, Mt. Hood turned from the dark pyramid to brilliant white as the sun’s light revealed the mountain snow so high, deep and cold that even the bright spring sun could not melt it.

Houston had the chance to meet with owner Barb (left) and Emily of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm.

Houston happily snapped away. Changing between his fish-eye lens, to a telephoto zoom and back again. It was an incredible morning and it was a precious gift to experience it with a few dedicated others, all sharing the same moment.

As the sun climbed, many of the early morning crew packed up and headed out. Perhaps to go photograph elsewhere, or maybe to go back to bed.

We stayed and walked around the tulips as the sun quickly rose in the sky. We met Barb, one of the owners of the fields. She shared how her family has hosted the tulip festival for 41 years. Barb and her brothers live on the farm, and they split the duties involved in tending the flowers and hosting the festival.

Barb’s daughter, Emily, just won the Rising Star Award from Travel Oregon for her role in the festival. As we got coffee and cherry scones at the gift shop for breakfast, we talked with Emily. She told us about some of the Festival’s accommodations, particularly the Enchroma color blind glasses. She said they have them loaned out most of the time. She said it is nearly a full-time job for one of their team members because the glasses are so popular. Emily shared how surprised they were at the number of people who are color blind, and at their incredible reactions to seeing the colors, many for the first time.

Houston and I had a tethered balloon ride scheduled at 9:30am, so we got in line for the ride. When Chris, the manager, saw us (Houston is fairly easy to pick out in a crowd), he pulled us to the balloon and loaded us right in. We rode with the operator and another couple. The balloon basket has a door that opens, so we didn’t have to climb in or out.

The colorful hot air balloons and to the fields of tulips.

The heater fired, and up we went. The acres of rainbow rows spread down below us. The sun had risen into a blue, cloudless sky. Houston snapped pictures and waved to his new friend Barb, who waved from far below.

Much too soon, the operator stopped the flames, and we descended back down. We felt like we were soaring higher than Mt. Hood, but in reality, we were probably only a few hundred feet in the air. Back on earth, we walked all around the tulip fields, admiring and photographing the kaleidoscope of colors. We also talked with Barb for a long time. She is incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and kind.

At the Festival, food vendors serve up a variety of unique treats. For lunch, Houston and I split a “chicken sundae.” It was a unique combination of rice, chicken, toppings, and gravy served in a Chinese take-out box. You could select chopsticks or forks as utensils. We picked forks.

We walked around a little more, enjoying the festivities. We admired a skilled woodworker carving wooden shoes. We watched kids having a blast on the giant slide. And, we checked out the wide selection of vendors. Houston was particularly impressed with meeting the photographers and viewing their wares. We even saw a couple of Instagram-famous corgi dogs wearing hats and sunglasses and touring the festival.

Our feet were tired, and our hearts were full as we headed out. Spring in Oregon is a sight to behold. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is a colorful, delicious and scenic delight.

Does your Bucket List have: photograph acres of spring tulips in front of a majestic, snow-covered mountain?  

If so, it’s totally worth the effort to pack your camera and set your alarm. You too, can be enchanted by the magical sea of color at one of Oregon’s most cherished spring traditions.