* Filled with historical photographs * Includes excerpts from diaries, newspaper files, community histories, and personal interviews The highway through Washington's Cascades at Snoqualmie Pass is one of the most heavily used mountain transportation routes in the country. Yet, within sight of its concrete ribbons, one can find sections of the primitive wagon road that brought prairie-state settlers through the pass to open up the Puget Sound country. Traces can still be found of an even earlier route, the trail used by the Indians for hunting and trading. Others traveled the pass as civilization moved West: fur traders, miners, military horse columns, cattle drovers, farmers, precursors of today's land developers. A little ferryboat once crossed Lake Keechelus to link up the wagon road; then logging and dam building altered the lake forever. The coming of the automobile; the establishment of two railways and then subsequent waves of highway construction brought the pass into the modern era, which also saw the birth of the ski resort in the Northwest. This is the story of the evolution of the Snoqualmie Pass, from narrow Indian trail to multi-laned Interstate 90, and of the people who took part along the way. For the hundreds who drive through the pass daily, for the countless thousands more who have skied, hiked, snowshoed and climbed in this alpine playground, it's a fascinating tale.

Situated in the Cascades about 50 miles east of Seattle, Snoqualmie Pass is intersected by the most heavily used route connecting eastern and western Washington. In the 1800s, use of the old Native American trail by explorers, cattlemen, and miners created a need for a wagon road. A railway and highway followed, and Snoqualmie Pass quickly developed into an all-season recreational paradise with over a half million visitors annually. Known for easy access to snow sports and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, nighttime ski operations, and the world-famous terrain of Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass is also a community of neighborhoods with both full-time and part-time residents who share a unique mountain lifestyle.

A photographic ski atlas for backcountry skiing on Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

Relive the exciting early days of skiing when Snoqualmie Pass was the epicenter of the sport. Ski jumping tournaments attracted world-class competitors to Cle Elum, Beaver Lake on the Summit and the Milwaukee Ski Bowl. The Mountaineers' twenty-mile race from Snoqualmie to Stampede Pass, dubbed "the world's longest and hardest race," was a pinnacle of cross-country skiing. Alpine skiing began in private ski clubs and expanded in 1934 with the country's first municipal ski area, known as the Seattle Municipal Ski Park. And the sport peaked when the Milwaukee Ski Bowl at Hyak opened in 1938. With train access, a modern ski lodge, an overhead cable lift and free ski lessons from the Seattle Times, the Ski Bowl revolutionized local skiing. Lawyer and local ski historian John W. Lundin follows the historic tracks through the genesis of American skiing.

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Guides the reader to great skiing away from the crowds and provides the information every skier will want for fun and challenging high-country adventures.

Pack your bags, hop a plane, and take a trip! Embarking on a journey with your kids can be a thrilling and rewarding adventure. Family travel is also a great way to expand your cultural horizons and help cultivate our next generation of global citizens. This book offers hundreds of easy-to-use ideas for:* Drumming up excitement for the journey ahead* Teaching your kids to pack themselves* Having fun at the airport and on the plane* Easing jetlag and schedule changes* Involving everyone in setting itineraries and expectations * Making museums and tourist stops engaging for everyone* Enriching your travel experience through journaling* Keeping the joy of the journey alive long after your return* Discovering cultural education in your own back yardThis book is intended for well-seasoned travelers and newbies alike who enjoy being with their children, want to enrich their education, and are excited to discover, as a family, the vast and unique experiences this world has to offer.