When going through the Straits from the Pacific Ocean to Puget Sound early in the morning, the traveler who is passing through for the first time will think that he is entering the most uninteresting port on the coast. On the starboard side of the ship all he can see at first is a lighthouse, perched on a rock. On the port side are nothing but trees, which do not add favorably to the scenery. As the ship plows steadily onward the voyager sees a town. From a distance it looks quite interesting, but a closer view of it is disappointing. It is nothing but a hillside covered with saw mills and dirty-tumbledown houses. A Seattle enthusiast, who is also looking over the rail will say proudly, “That is Port Townsend, the first trading town of this part of the country.”
Finally the ship passes through the straits, and wooded hills, mountains, and still blue water comes into view. By this time the gray haze or fog that has been hanging over the surrounding country has lifted and the sun is just coming up over the Olympics, throwing a yellow glow over everything in sight. Then the Seattle enthusiast will point ahead and say with infinite pride, “There is Mount Rainer.”
Mount Rainer stands out in all its magnificence. The morning sun has cast a pink tint over it, and it looks like a mountain one reads about in fairy tales. On every side one sees interesting sights. There are ferry boats playing their way from the islands to the mainland. There are early morning excursionists out in their two-by-four launches. A little further on in the quiet water he sees hundreds of row boats with their owners sitting tranquilly in them waiting for the fish to bite.
When the traveler looks toward the hills he asks concerning Magnolia Bluff. This is a high bluff with many trees on it, but only a few houses. In the center of the bluff are a lot of yellow buildings that stand out. The enthusiast explains that this is Fort Lawton.
Now the ship turns and swings in between Magnolia Bluff and West Seattle, and slowly makes its way to the dock. Looking straight ahead the voyager sees the Olympics, and looking back he sees the Cascades. To the right is Mount Rainer and to the left is Mount Baker. He turns to his fellow traveler, and says, “No wonder you are so enthusiastic.” He is too overcome with the grandeur of it all to say any more.
This piece was first published in Issue 2 of The Keynote, an early student journal, in December 1928.