Tag: Hood Canal

Rhodies on Mt Walker

Rhodies on Mt Walker

Mt Walker is about 30 miles SSW of Port Townsend, Washington and while it’s in the Olympic National Forest, it is not in Olympic National Park. There’s a road all the way up to the summit, which is very nice, since the trail is steep: my lungs would complain on the way up and my knees would complain on way down. One of the nice things about Mt Walker is that this time of year there are wild rhododendrons all up and down the mountain. The blooming season at the bottom is pretty much over when the blooming is just beginning up above. The photo is from the south summit viewpoint … the north summit viewpoint looks out over the NW corner of the Olympic Peninsula, including Pt Townsend. The mountain in the distance is Mt Rainier; the nearest water is Hood Canal and there is some of Puget Sound in the distance.

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Bridges: Open or Closed?

Bridge Opening For Navy Ship

One of the facts of life living on the north half of the Olympic Peninsula is that access to and from major population centers (think shopping and medical appointments) relies on crossing the Hood Canal bridge. In the case of Navy vessels (both submarines and support ships going to/from the Bangor Naval Base (think Trident Nuclear Submarines). Depending on the time of day, the delay can be easily close to an hour. And longer delays are possible during stormy weather, when the bridge is opened to minimize the strain of water being pushed against the span. Then the roadway is closed until the weather moderates.

But my question is: when do you call the bridge “open” and when do you call it “closed”? To me, when the bridge is open, the roadway is closed. But I’ve had conversations with people who say the bridge is closed … meaning that it is open for highway traffic … and other conversations where “the bridge is open”, meaning that it is open for highway traffic. Having grown up in Seattle, with its numerous draw bridges, I’m used to the perspective that when a bridge is open, it is open for boat traffic.

Are you mixed up yet?

Unexpected Delay
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Stuck

Stuck with the bridge open for boat traffic
Bridge Supports

One of the drawbacks to living where I do is that it’s a long way from major shopping areas with a bridge to cross. When the bridge opens for boat traffic, it can create a huge traffic backup… especially on holiday weekends. But when the weather is nice and you have nothing else to do, it can be an interesting photo op.

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