Tour de Cascadia
I have been a bit negligent lately in posting to the blog, as I have been away recently traveling to an assortment of places in Cascadia, for an assortment of reasons. I am now back at my computer, and after a stint of catching up with work, I have a moment to reflect on some of the things I saw.
I had the opportunity to verify that I wouldn’t want to live in Seattle again anytime soon. It’s a great place to visit and all, but I don’t feel like I have the hours and hours it devote to the commuting ritual that Seattleites seem to love so very much.
It has been suggested to me that I shouldn’t sing the praises of what a nice place Bellingham has become. So close to the vibrant cultural life of both Vancouver, BC and Seattle, it is feasible to make a day trip to either one. And, just to think, that we are only one high-speed, high-frequency rail line away from the economic benefits of making fast, efficient travel throughout the Vancouver-Seattle-Portland corridor a reality. But if I say just how wonderful a gem the Bellingham area is, more people may find it. So, forget that I said anything about it being such a wonderful place.
I had a quite pleasing trek through the San Juan Islands. It is a great place to visit during that time of year when the weather is still good but the crowds have slipped away. Aw, shucks. It’s a great place to visit any time of the year.
After my trip through the San Juan Islands, I am pleased to report that my travels on Washington State Ferries was nothing but a pleasure, and went off without mechanical incident. Upon my arrival back in Anacortes, I was not subjected to scrutiny by the Department of Homeland Security, despite having arrived from the foreign land of San Juan County (like last time around). It just goes to prove that things are not all the doom and gloom that I always seem to report here in my blog.
I am pleased to see that it appears there is the usual wide variety of commerce taking place all around Cascadia. People still commuting to work, the growing sprawl of the Seattle metropolis, and Boeing workers who can afford to take the time demand better pay and conditions are all signs that we think that all is well.
Maybe I go to all the wrong places, but Tacoma seems to be as vibrant and improving a place as ever. Improvement projects are happening all over, Downtown seems alive, and the waterfront seems to be a fine place to live, work, and play. After seeing my first-hand view of Tacoma, I would be willing to drop all of the negative stereotypes I have had about the place. However, I still prefer living in Portland.
For a place that has ignored transit issues for so long, I was pleasantly by the number of new and innovative ways to get people around the Puget Sound area. There are a variety of HOV lanes, tolling schemes, transit improvements, and so forth. I will yet hold out hope that all will go well. Let’s just not mess up all of the progress by voting for Tim Eyman’s I-985 or stopping needed progress by not passing Proposition 1. We need to keep the pressure on to let Cascadia remain a livable place.
It was fun to see actual paper copies of the newspapers that I can only usually read online. Since we don’t get all the stories online, we tend to miss out on the feeling and the flow of the areas that they cover. Yeah, there is a lot of information available in the Online world, but there is certainly still a place for newspapers in our society. Be they made of paper or distributed through a handheld device, the newspaper is still an important resource, with the Online versions acting as supplements.
In all, I had a good time seeing the world of Cascadia. All is well in the land. We must all work to keep it that way.
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