This post is primarily about Vashon Island, but if you are interested in information about the farm, there is more information below. We host Blue Sky Farm Vashon, a beautiful farm which is available as a vacation rental on VRBO, if you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, heading towards Mount Rainier or the Olympic Mountains, or near Seattle. This site is not an advertising site, but since people have been asking me about our farm on the island, I wanted to post information about it and Vashon. The beaches around the island are often rocky and the tide charts are useful to note when water may cover your hike back to the road or car. But, there are many hikes and sites around the island so if possible, you will want other transportation. It is possible to stay at one of the lodges downtown and just walk or bus around to the sites downtown, also. You can walk onto either of the two ferries to the island and catch a bus to the main downtown. In general, you will want a car or bike to stay on and visit the island. Many farms grow flowers, herbs and lavender as well as raise livestock and have honey and eggs available. The pears typically help wrap-up with apples in the Fall through October. Different types of plums and peaches are available in late July and August. Of course, the berries are amazing all summer with strawberries a highlight for the Strawberry festival, typically in July. Eat or cook with apples which start being in season at the end of June with Transparents and are in season through November with Golden and red delicious, Japanese varieties, Gala, and Jonagolds. Pick Bing, Rainier, and pie cherries at the end of June. The fruit and growing season is extensive. Many people grow flowers, fruit, and vegetables on the island. It can be wet and grey in January and February, but it is mild and can be lovely from April through October. Vashon is also a short hop on the Point Defiance ferry from Tacoma to the south tip of the island. The ferry takes about 15 minutes to cross to the northern tip of the island and on a clear day, you can get a great view of Mount Rainier. You drive south on I-5 to the exit for the West Seattle Bridge and follow the signs towards Fauntleroy and the Vashon Ferry. Vashon is actually about a half hour to an hour from Seattle depending on traffic and time of day. If you ever wondered what happened to socially active hippies of the 1960’s, you will probably find some of them migrated to Vashon. Many people try to live a self-sustaining life style on the island, growing their own food. Since it is commuting distance to two main cities, some people commute, while others rarely head in to the cities from the island. It now is the home to many other types of farms and orchards. Vashon has always been primarily a farming community and initially was used to grow strawberries hence it has an annual Strawberry Festival each summer. It consists of one main part and a secondary part to the south east called Maury Island connected by a thin strip of drive-able land. Vashon Island is about 13 miles long and 8 miles across it has the same land mass as Manhattan, but with only 10,000 people. Vashon is both a residential and a tourist island. Vashon Island, Washington is a 15 minute ferry ride from West Seattle, a 10 minute ferry ride from Tacoma, Washington, and a visit to a more gentle, left-of-center, rural way of life than you expect to find near either of those cities.
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