Designed first and foremost to be practical, bridges nevertheless are often breathtaking in their construction, combining function and aesthetics. The historic structures that span the Evergreen State's highways are no exception. These technological wonders are extraordinary by any measure, yet their stories have remained largely unknown. Conceived by visionary engineers and built by anonymous workmen, Washington's highway bridges are amazing triumphs of skill, and played a significant role in the state's history. Several, at the time of their completion, attracted worldwide attention and the praise of professional engineers, influencing the course of bridge construction. In their quest to compile the first comprehensive history of the state's highway bridges, the authors poured through the extensive records at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), collecting definitive documentation and photographs from across the state. This magnificent book, including more than 100 illustrations, represents the culmination of years of study by many individuals associated with WSDOT and the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (Olympia).

In Geology Underfoot in Western Washington, the most recent addition to the Geology Underfoot series, author and geoscientist Dave Tucker narrates western Washington�s geologic tales, covering sites from it�s low-lying shorelines to its rugged mountaintops. The book�s 22 chapters, or vignettes, lead you to easily accessible stops along Washington�s highways�and some trails, too.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Oregon's legendary bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough designed a first-rate collection of aesthetic bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway to enhance an already dramatic and beautiful landscape. The six largest of these, at Gold Beach, Newport, Waldport, Florence, Reedsport, and Coos Bay, eliminated the last ferries on the Oregon Coast Highway between the Columbia River and California. McCullough planned to build one bridge each year after completion of the Rogue River Bridge at Gold Beach in 1932, but the tightening grip of the Depression threatened his plans. In 1933, McCullough and his staff worked day and night to finish plans for the remaining five bridges, and in early 1934, the Public Works Administration funded simultaneous construction of them. The combined projects provided approximately 630 jobs, but at least six workers perished during construction. After the bridges were complete, Oregon coast tourism increased by a dramatic 72 percent in the first year.

The idea of a big city named New York Alki began in 1851 with the arrival of the Bell, Low, Denny, Boren, and Terry families on a Puget Sound shore. Since that rough beginning, logging, farming, shipbuilding, fishing, steel manufacturing, trolleys, and bridges have shaped the area's people and built communities. Beaches on Puget Sound and a river leading inside the country have defined the Duwamish Peninsula. In 1907, long having discarded the misfit name New York, the town of West Seattle was annexed into Seattle. Being the largest landmass annexed to Seattle brought advantages while West Seattle's neighborhood distinction and independent spirit remained.

Freebie Travel Guide to Western Washington Historical, Cultural and Sometimes Notorious on the Cheap The Freebie Travel Guide to Western Washington escorts you to renown but sometimes obscure attractions that are available to savor without the burden of admission fees (unless indicated otherwise). Featured are attractions known to insiders with unconventional tastes that provide legitimate insight into what distinguishes Western Washington. Many of the accompanying stories once made international headline news. Several of the profiles were once known exclusively only to locals. This guide not only photographs each location, but also provides specific background commentary, addresses and locations where each profile may be accessed. There is no equivalent touring guide that exposes both the aesthetic and gritty in such explicit fashion. If you are bored by limp and uninspiring travel advice, this guide is ideal for the restless searcher looking for something unique and different. Paranormal activity sometimes accompanies at no extra charge. The Freebie Travel Guide to Western Washington includes: Scenic, Adventure and Entertainment Sites Twilight Tree Graveyard of Rialto Beach, Abandoned Cascade Railroad Tunnels, Snoqualmie Falls, Camp Hayden, Ford Ward, Fort Worden, Gas Works Park, Lake Crescent, Sequim, Pike Place Market, Poulsbo, Life and Death Cycle Sites of Salmon, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and Tumwater Falls, Blakely Harbor Park, Shi Shi Beach and Cape Flattery Historical Oddities Watergate Figure John Ehrlichman’s Law Practice, Alfred’s Café Mysterious Sightings, Lester Brothel Plane Crash, The Monastery Disco, Old Town Café, People’s Theatre, Pioneer Square’s Totem Pole, Seattle’s Unlucky Thirteenth Police Precinct, Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Edith Macefield Holdout House, Sycamore Square Haunting and Bellingham’s Waterfront Tavern Killer Clientele. Architectural Wonders and Curiosities Rainier Square Towers, Amazon Spheres, Arctic Club Building, Cadillac Hotel, Port Townsend, Chamber Bay Monolithic Icons, Space Needle, Smith Tower, Columbia Center Tower, Dexter Horton Building, Flat Iron Building, JM Hotel and Café, LaSalle Hotel, Lou Graham Block, Matilda Winehouse Building, Merchant Café, Seattle Central Library, Seattle Tower, Skagit Hotel, Wayside Chapel and Yesler Hotel. Murder and Crime Serial Killer Ted Bundy’s Home and Crime Sites, Green River Killer, Floating Cadaver Fleet of Billy Gohl, Brides of Christ Cult Executions, Attorney Fred Cohen Execution. Pang Frozen Food Fire, Deadly Curse of Jake Bird, HI-Joy Bowling Alley Murder, Kenneth Bianchi, Maurice Clemmons Police Coffeehouse Execution, Incestuous Murder of Sylvia Gaines and Wah Mee Gambling Club Massacre, Deceased Celebrity Memorials Bruce and Brandon Lee Gravesite, Jimi Hendrix Memorial, Kurt Cobain’s Suicide House and Layne Staley’s Overdose Apartment Storied Bridges Amgen Helix, Aurora, Deception Pass, East 21st Street, Fremont, Montlake, Rainbow, Tacoma Narrows, Vancouver-Portland, West Seattle and Wishkah River Bridges Public Artwork Fremont Troll, Sacred Stone Labyrinth, Tacoma Bridge of Glass, Vessel Installation, Henry Moore’s Vertebrae Sculpture, Olympic Sculpture Park, Rain Forest Gates, Vladimir Lenin’s Statue, Mirall Sculpture, Hat n Boots Statuary, Raymond Iron Cut-Outs and Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. Cuisine Preparation Din Tai Fung’s Potstickers and Dumplings Assembly Room and Espresso Vivace Coffee Art