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

2105, 2015

History lives on Orcas Island

Washington Our Home
May 21, 2015
History, Puget Sound, Recreation, State Parks, Western Washington
3
4712

There are very few places in Washington where you can hike through the woods, trip over a 200-year-old cannonball and land amongst an assortment of arrowheads and prehistoric bison fossils. In fact, there’s likely only one place where that amazing scenario could potentially play out, and that is on Orcas Island in the San Juans. As the largest island in San Juan County, Orcas is surprisingly not named after the

2912, 2014

Long on coastline, longer on history

Washington Our Home
December 29, 2014
History, Pacific Ocean, Recreation, Restaurants, Western Washington
1
2178

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

1812, 2014

LeRoy Tipton’s take on local lodge history

Washington Our Home
December 18, 2014
Family, History, Olympic National Park, Recreation, Western Washington
2
1796

I introduced myself and my wife to our Lake Quinault coach tour guide, LeRoy Tipton. He said our names twice and quipped, “I have a really good memory. But my recall does not work very well. In fact, I have a very good memory except for names…faces, places, events, dates…stuff like that.” During the twenty-minute introduction where LeRoy (pronounced “luh-ROY” not “LEE-roy”) eloquently set the stage for our three-hour tour

2011, 2014

A memorable meal at the Lake Quinault Lodge

Washington Our Home
November 20, 2014
History, Olympic National Park, Recreation, Restaurants, Western Washington
0
2510

“Yes, Mr. President. It is, indeed, breathtaking.” Those are the words I imagine Washington State Governor Clarence D. Martin spoke in 1937 after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt first commented on the beauty of what was then known as the Mount Olympus National Monument. Of course, Governor Martin would likely have been hiding a smirk at having to reinforce such an obvious statement by FDR. After all, it was a natural

3110, 2014

Port Ludlow: From industry to opportunity

Washington Our Home
October 31, 2014
History, Puget Sound, Recreation, Restaurants, Western Washington
0
1488

When most folks want to unplug for a weekend, they are often disappointed to find that their secret hideaway has suddenly become everyone else’s destination hot-spot. Many of Washington’s smaller beach communities can end up crawling with tourists during the busy season…good for their local economy, sure, but the bane of travelers looking for peace and quiet. However, a few places still remain where individuals, couples and families can find

2707, 2014

Pateros will rebuild. They’ve done it before.

And so have Brewster, Twisp, Malott, and Methow, just to name a few of the resilient communities within north-central Washington. As the Carlton Complex of fires continues to ravage the dry, rolling hills along the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers between Wenatchee and Omak, it can be easy to succumb to the notion that all is lost forever in the wasteland that is still only 50-percent contained. However, these communities of

0701, 2014

Mariners Caravan kicks off in Lacey!

The 2014 Seattle Mariners Caravan will hit the road on Tuesday, January 7th, visiting communities across the Pacific Northwest to increase excitement for the upcoming season. Select members of the 2014 Seattle Mariners will visit elementary schools and Boys & Girls Clubs to deliver the DREAM Team message and host complimentary autograph and photo sessions for the public. The Mariner Moose and members of the Mariners broadcast team will also

0408, 2012

Lake Chelan, often mistaken for an Italian lago

Washington Our Home
August 4, 2012
Central Washington, History, Mt. Saint Helens, Western Washington
4
1699

I’m reading (actually, listening to) a book called The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan. In it, Gifford Pinchot comments that Washington State’s Lake Chelan bears a striking resemblance to Italy’s Lago di Como (Lake Como). I thought that was interesting so I put together this little side-by-side comparison thanks to the technological marvel that is Google Maps. What do you think? Does

1803, 2012

A parkful of Washington State history

Being cooped up in the house for days on end is enough to drive anyone mad, and throwing a four-year-old in the cage can sometimes seem just plain cruel. So needless to say, I had to get my poor wife and son out of the house before we all ended up in the newspaper the next day. Despite the intermittent weather on Saturday, we decided to visit Tumwater Historical Park