Washington State is being pulled apart, not by two, but by three different continental plates sliding and crunching past one another. This is my first thought when I see the oceanic blue water on our left that tells us we have reached Tacoma. Yes, I know this would not be among the first dozen thoughts of most people. The grandeur of any view is not lost on me. It is perceived almost instantly then quickly supplemented by, not replaced by, the question “How”? How did this come to be. Geology has been a fascination since I moved from “why” to “how” as a young child.
The land north of Tacoma is shredded into roughly north/south strips of alternating land and water. The land is bunched up into mountains to the left, mountains to the right, and hills between. The water runs deep. Deep enough to conceal submerged naval submarine bays. Deep enough to make some shorelines vertical. Deep enough to make traditional bridge building impossible.
The preponderance of waterways rather than roadways makes the Seattle/Tacoma/Vancouver area the ferry capital of North America. Oh and by ferry, I mean big water taxis not other homonyms that middle-earthers or conservatives associate with this neck of the woods. In fact, new and used ferries come from all over the world to be commissioned in this waters.This ragged segregated land is a transportation nightmare. Just because you can see your destination does not mean you can get there easily.
Luckily the Seattle Sound region has a transit system that is getting better every day. A real subway, expanding light-rail, regional trains, long-standing electric buses, and large articulated buses that run express routes well into the surrounding suburbs. Density and higher than average costs are driving a greater proportion of folks to join the dedicated commuters and those with no other options that use transit elsewhere. This makes Seattle an appropriate node on a circle tour of America.
