Along the scenic Chuckanut Drive leading to the lovely town of Bellingham, Washington, we put aside some precious time to make a spontaneous stop at this privately owned Japanese garden.

A wooden sign at the creaking entrance gate requested a donation, but seemingly no one was around to collect it. Like so many other locations we visited in the northwest, no one was around to bother us or disturb our peace as we slowly strolled around the grounds at our leisure. The coastal wind was just strong enough not to be nuisance, but to rush through the trees and lend an even more calming and mystical atmosphere to already enchanting surroundings.

I could have easily spent hours in such a spiritually soothing locale. Thank you to whoever decided to keep such a lovely property open to the public for at least that one day.