By Morf Morford

Tacoma Daily Index

I’m sure you seen some of the “what’s special about your state” memes and websites.

Yes, every state, if not community, is unique.

But I kind of feel sorry for those states that parade their unique characteristics.

I don’t argue or correct, but I happen to know that, when it comes to odd if not eccentric places, situations, events or even place names, getting anywhere near Washington is a challenge – even for states much larger such as California.

Most of our cities and regions, from The Palouse to Spokane to Puyallup take their current names from the Native cultures.

As we know, the best test of a new transplant (or weather reporter) is the ability to pronounce local place names like Sequim, Yakima or Nespelem.

Our beloved mountain, perhaps the most defining geographic feature of our state, has somehow not kept its Native name.

We have many islands with lakes (from Anderson to Whidbey to many more).

How many states have islands, waterfalls and prairies, mountains and glaciers, and swamps, deserts and caves? Or walkable trails that cross the state – in two directions?

You can walk or bike across Washington from the west to the east on the Palouse to Cascade trail or south to north, from the Oregon border to Canada on our branch of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Besides standard trails, you can experience a converted rail-line tunnel (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/john-wayne-pioneer-trail-snoqualmie-tunnel or https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/iron-horse-tunnel)

Or hike around a massive river delta.

How many states have ginkgo trees? Or a ginkgo petrified forest? https://parks.state.wa.us/288/Ginkgo-Petrified-Forest.

Washington designated petrified wood as the state gem in 1975. Though it might be rock-hard and jewel-like when polished, petrified wood is actually a fossil, not a gemstone.

75 ports in Washington

There are 75 ports in the state, located in 33 of the 39 counties. You can see them here.

Don’t you need water access to have a port?

No. The primary purpose of a port district is economic development – and you don’t need a navigable waterway to do that. The Washington State Legislature has given ports broad authority to promote economic development – they can build and operate airports, marine terminals, marinas, railroads, and industrial parks, and in some cases, promote tourism.

Lopez, Allyn, Royal and Quincy are just a few ports you may not have heard of. Many of the ports, large or small, have tours or opportunities to visit.

You say Bigfoot, I say Sasquatch, but some say Yeti

Bigfoot is sometimes confused with Sasquatch…Yeti never complains.

Washington state has the most Bigfoot sightings of any state in the U.S. with 634 sightings followed by California with 437. You can see a relatively current map of Washington state Bigfoot sightings here. By this map, it looks like a lot of Bigfoot sightings between Seattle and Olympia.

If you want to try to catch your own sighting of these elusive creatures, spring is probably the best time. Here’s a good place to start – https://old.thetravelinsider.info/destinations/pacificnorthwest/wherewhentofindbigfoot.htm.

In this profile of Bigfoot sightings, notice that Pierce County has the highest number of sightings – https://www.bfro.net/GDB/state_listing.asp?state=WA.

As I may have mentioned before, I grew up in what was then rural Pierce County. To see the documentation that the area with the highest number of Sasquatch sightings within Washington, and indeed all of the USA, is the greater Spanaway area does not surprise me at all.

Primaeval grunting and thrashing around in the woods in the middle of the night sounds like the Spanaway area I knew and loved.

But the biggest question of all – does Sasquatch even exist? Have cryptozoologists ever proven the existence of a mythical creature? Not yeti.

UFOs?

Who needs Area 51 if you live in Washington?

The first sightings (1947) of UFOs were over Mt. Rainier and Maury Island. And yes, that means right over Tacoma. https://www.history.com/ufo-sightings-location-map

The Maury Island sighting also contributed “men in black” to our popular culture vocabulary.

Plants and animals of Washington

With its varied terrain and altitudes, you’d assume, correctly that our state hosts a vast array or flora and fauna. We have every size and category from grizzly bears and pygmy rabbits, sea anemones and sagebrush, diminutive lichens and giant Palouse earthworms, deer-ferns and death camas.

Within Washington there are at least 3,100 vascular plant species, 140 mammals, 470 freshwater and marine fishes, 341 birds, 25 amphibians, 21 reptiles, an estimate of thousands of mosses, lichens, liverworts and fungi and an estimated 20,000 invertebrates (including more than 2,000 moths and butterflies). http://www.landscope.org/washington/plants-animals/#:~:t

Oddly enough, we have remarkably few toxic or poisonous plants, animals or snakes.

We have nettles, the appropriately named Devil’s Clubs, poison oak and a few other nasty plants. You can see a full list here – https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2019/02/08/Env-Wet-PoisonousPlantsBooklet_WEBversion.pdf

Orcas

How many states have their own resident orcas?

We don’t see them often, but they are unforgettable if you have the opportunity to spot them.

In spite of their protected status as an endangered species by Washington state, the U.S., and Canada, the Southern Resident orca population has fallen. In 1995 we had 98, and only 74 as of September 2020. Even with the recent birth of two calves, this group’s numbers remain dangerously low.

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If you are looking for a Bavarian flavor, check out Leavenworth. For a Scandinavian vibe, try Poulsbo. For culture and world class urban attractions, from music to museums to stage productions, you can’t beat Seattle.

For a list of one-of-a-kind state events, check out this website – https://www.experiencewa.com/wa/events or get a guide to the state here – https://www.experiencewa.com/guides. If you need inspiration, you might start here – https://www.experiencewa.com/articles. For a few other tips and guidelines, check out this website – https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/.

From a Stonehenge replica to Microsoft, Amazon or the Boeing Flight Museum to isolated parks and wilderness areas, to ferry rides and much, much more, you can find it all here.

Just don’t tell anybody…..