Margin Notes: Snow, Speed, Security

Mount Ben Lomond loomed in the distance as seen from Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah on 7-January-2010

TEMPE, ARIZONA - Once more, I headed south to find south only to find snow on this trip. This time, though, it wasn't at my destination, but at the intermediate airport along the way, in this case around Salt Lake City, Utah. Snow in Salt Lake City is not unusual this time of year, but it certainly is pretty when one doesn't have to shovel it or drive on snow-covered roads.

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Those driving on snow-covered roads in Oregon may not be looking at the state's traditional speed limit signs much longer. While venturing into Oregon this trip, I noted a number of US-standard "Speed Limit" signs on the interstate highways, instead of the "Speed" signs with large numbers that have been a hallmark of being in Oregon. Apparently, the transition from the old standard for the state started in 2002, so it will likely be many years before last large-numbered sign disappears from the state highway system, and many more (if ever) before it disappears entirely.

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If we want the murder rate to disappear entirely, then we need to restore faith in government. This is the surprising conclusion reached by several academics, including Randolph Roth of Ohio State University. I've long been an advocate of holding governments accountable and the Al Gore style of "reinventing government" rather than always considering the government an enemy as has been the argument of many conservatives in the United States, but didn't realize it could have live-or-death consequences. Roth discussed his views on CBC Radio One's The Current on Wednesday (see part two).

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I had time to listen to the podcast of that show because I made it through security at the Pasco, Washington airport so quickly. Small airports really are a different world these days. With only one security line, a single person could conceivably hold up the whole process, but with the smaller number of people involved, one's flight is not going to just leave because of a backup in getting to the gate. Furthermore, these small airports can work surprisingly efficiently; my entire 50-seat aircraft--entirely full, as near as I could tell--was boarded in less than ten minutes. I suppose that's the equivalent of boarding a 767 in fifty minutes, but it was still a lot faster than I would have expected. If I could fly out of a Pasco-sized airport every trip, I would.

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In the past generation, the downtown area of Pasco, Washington has transformed into a primarily Mexican business community. The major supermarket in the downtown area is now a Fiesta Foods, a regional chain catering to Hispanics in eastern Washington and Oregon which is one of my favorites. I will never forget walking into the Pasco store for the first time in 2005 and finding an entire row of tortillas. Living in Boston at the the time, where grocery stores had very conservative selections, I thought I was in heaven.

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I've found another aspect of Hispanic influence in the western United States to lead to be heartening on this trip. In Canada, the packaging on everything is in English and French, and I do not know French well enough to understand it. Here, quite a lot of packaging is bilingual, and I have found it very comforting to find I could read the Spanish and verify that it matched the English.

Margin Notes: Snow, Seattle, Ballard, Viaduct

Snow covered my grandparents' home in Kennewick, Washington on 2-January-2009

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - No matter where I go, it seems to snow. After my arrival in Kennewick, Washington on New Year's Day, it snowed about an inch overnight to create a white landscape across the Tri-Cities on 2-January-2009. The sun came out by the afternoon, so the roads were passable and it was actually the most delightful winter environment I have encountered this season.

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The landscape outside might have been different, but very little has changed in the inside routines of my grandparents over the years. They still watch "The Price is Right" on television nearly every weekday morning. "New" host Drew Carey has been well-received by these long-time viewers; they don't seem to miss Bob Barker at all--and my grandfather still does a better job of estimating prices than most of the over-enthusiastic contestants.

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A Union Pacific SD9043MAC locomotive led three Canadian Pacific AC4400CW's on an empty grain train at Napavine, Washington on 1-January-2009

My first train of 2009 came enroute to Kennewick on New Year's Day. A southbound Union Pacific grain train was noted from I-5 near Centralia, so I requested a brief detour off the freeway to Napavine, Washington to see it crest the well-known Napavine Hill, resulting in the photograph seen above.

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This view of Seattle's sports stadiums was taken from the Alaskan Way Viaduct on 31-December-2008, just one of many scenes visible from the structure

Transportation matters of a different kind have been in the news in Seattle. Just when it appeared that the Alaskan Way Viaduct would be replaced by another viaduct or a revised surface street arrangement, suddenly the idea of a tunnel has risen again. The aging and earthquake-susceptible structure has been designated for replacement by the state for years pending the approval of a replacement plan by the City of Seattle. While the cut-and-cover tunnel rejected by voters remains off the table, now a new tunnel proposal has come forward. This one would route the tunnel approximately under First Avenue, potentially far enough inland to avoid at least some of the water table and sea wall issues that made shoreline tunnel so expensive. I have yet to hear a timetable on the disposition of this proposal.

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Amongst the stickers on this vehicle noted on 15th Ave West in Seattle on 31-December-2008 was one proclaiming "Free Ballard"

One of the reasons the route of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is so important is connecting Sea-Tac Airport and other destinations south of downtown to Seattle's northern neighborhoods, including Ballard. This bumper sticker was noted in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle south of the one-time separate city of Ballard. The history of the "Free Ballard" movement is explained on the Archie McPhee web site and dates back to the 1907 annexation of Ballard by Seattle, but rather than being about seceding from Seattle, it's about maintaining a distinct, Scandinavian character to Ballard. In response to the "Free Ballard" movement, there is apparently a "Flee Ballard" movement as well, though I haven't seen its bumper stickers. A distinct Scandinavian character? The next thing we know, Greg Nickels may be declaring Ballard a "nation".

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Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels may be facing approval ratings rivaling that of George W. Bush as a result of his handling of the "Snowmaggedon" sequence of storms in December. Nickels had the audacity to give his efforts a "B" when most Seattle arterials were still covered with compact snow because of the city's decision to use little more than sand to make the streets passable. As shoppers stayed away from Seattle in favor of better-cleared suburbs, Nickels' popularity plummeted. He will likely face a serious challenge in 2009 elections. While he has yet to lower the "B" grade, the city has announced that it will use salt and other deicing techniques if the forecast is for more than four inches of snow in the future. The best headline of my stay in Seattle has come from the Seattle Times: "Licking Political Wounds, Nickels Revises Salt Policy."