0509, 2022

Virginia V and the Mosquito Fleet

Washington Our Home
September 5, 2022
History, Maritime, Podcast, Puget Sound, Western Washington
0
308

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Before there were roads around the Puget Sound region, there were rivers. Before the stagecoaches, there were Salish canoes. And before the planes, the trains, and the automobiles…there was the water, and the ships that traveled upon it. In the earliest days of human habitation in what is now Washington State, the fastest way to get from place to place around the Salish Sea was by paddling a canoe, whether

0111, 2021

The Daring Heist of D.B. Cooper

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Feeling a slight bump up in the cockpit, the pilots of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 looked at each other nervously as rain pelted against their windshield at around 200 miles per hour…a relatively slow speed for a Boeing 727. They didn’t yet know that that bump meant their ordeal of the past several hours was just about over; that they, along with their flight engineer and flight attendant, would live to see another day—because the man known only as Dan Cooper had just exited the plane by leaping from the rear staircase in mid-flight, with a parachute and 200-thousand dollars strapped to his body, never to be seen again.

0401, 2021

Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

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Two weeks after Valentine’s Day, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the south sound region of Washington state near where the Nisqually River empties into Puget Sound. It was nearly 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, and the state legislature was in full swing. The violent tremors lasted nearly a minute, rocking the state capital of Olympia and the nearby cities of Lacey, Tumwater, Nisqually, DuPont, and Shelton. The shocks registered

0707, 2017

Fort Cascades in Skamania County

Washington Our Home
July 7, 2017
Destinations, Family, Hikes, History, Military, Western Washington
0
1906

Nestled just a stone’s throw beneath the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington lies an unassuming National Historic Site filled with stories worth telling. On a recent work trip to the south end of Skamania County, I stumbled upon this great heritage destination. If you’re looking to escape a bustling city without traveling too far into the void of central Washington, Skamania County is an excellent

3006, 2015

The Columbia Gorge has a north side, too

Washington Our Home
June 30, 2015
Central Washington, History, Legislature, Restaurants, State Parks
2
2002

Believe it or not, there are actually people who don’t know the Columbia River has another side. Some of those folks have admitted as much to Earlene Sullivan, Executive Director at the Greater Goldendale Area Chamber of Commerce, who unfortunately understands the sentiment. Interstate 84, the fastest way to get inland from the sprawling, urban metropolis of Portland, zips along the northern border of Oregon…the south side of the Columbia River. Many a Pacific Northwesterner are familiar with

2912, 2014

Long on coastline, longer on history

Washington Our Home
December 29, 2014
History, Pacific Ocean, Recreation, Restaurants, Western Washington
1
2173

Washington State’s Long Beach Peninsula is well known for many reasons. The prolific oyster and razor clam harvests, Jake the Alligator Man at Marsh’s Free Museum and one of the longest beaches in the world (28 continuous miles of sand-filled fun) are just a few. But there’s more to the iconic arm of Pacific County than just having a good time which, incidentally, is far too easy to do. Many

0610, 2014

Why James Glover deserves Spokane’s gratitude

A recent article by the Pacific Northwest Inlander calls into question whether or not Spokane pioneer and founding father, James Glover, is deserving of having a new plaza next to city hall named in his honor. Lisa Waananen Jones, who wrote the Inlander piece, “Facing History: The story that James Glover didn’t want you to know, and why it’s threatening his legacy,” did a competent job assembling the different parts

3006, 2014

2014 Darwin Award winners from Washington

I’m not sure if I’m happy or embarrassed about this designation, but a friend of mine forwarded me the list of the top six vote-getters for the 2014 Darwin Awards. If you don’t know what the Darwin Awards are, please visit their website and prepare to waste several hours reading through the page-turning impossible-but-true stories. In short, “the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the

1305, 2014

Hidden history in Ferry County

Washington Our Home
May 13, 2014
Eastern Washington, History, Pacific Ocean, State Parks
0
1920

It probably won’t be your first choice for a Washington state park family vacation. It might not even be in your top 100. However the Ranald MacDonald Grave Heritage Area definitely warrants a visit if you find yourself traveling near the U.S.-Canadian border in Ferry County. Ranald MacDonald’s gravesite is located in a Native American cemetery just off County Highway 501/Customs Road overlooking the Kettle River. Dubbed “the smallest state

0509, 2013

Around the state in 48 hours: Part 1

Washington Our Home
September 5, 2013
Central Washington, Eastern Washington, General, History, Restaurants, State Parks, Western Washington
1
1453

Everybody thought I was joking when I said I was taking a business trip from Olympia to Vancouver to Yakima to Spokane to Wenatchee to Everett to Bellevue to Tacoma and back to Olympia in two days. The itinerary I had laid out with Google Maps said it was a cinch and I’m the guy who enjoys driving around this beautiful state we call home. Well, I proved to everyone