It’s a dark and lonely commute by ferry in the winter (as seen on the covered bow deck)

Light at last! April 15, 2009 at 0623 PT, Mt. Rainier reveals itself

May 01, 2009 at 0622 PT, ah…a daylight commute at last

I bid “Good morning” to Mt. Rainier and toast the Olympic range on my return home. As commutes go, I would wager that few are as stunning. When I moved to Vashon Island (while retaining my day job in the city), I promised myself the beauty of Puget Sound would not go unnoticed on my daily ferry run, that the majesty of this place would not be diminished by familiarity and routine. Years later, I’m happy to report that no written passage, no cordial conversation, no wistful daydream can upstage the spectacle that rises above the ferry’s wake on any given horizon line on any given day. Add the gift of a clear sky and rogue cloud and you’re rendered speechless and small.

The moods of Puget Sound (and its ferry-riding commuters) are many. Here are some coming-and-going photos of my commute with a view, when clouds allow. 

Going: SE toward Mt. Rainier      Home: NW to The Olympics

March 02, 2009 at 0635 PT                March 02, 2009 at 1700 PT

March 06, 2009 at 0820 PT                         March 12, 2009 at 1706 PT              

May 21, 2009 at 1647 PT, heading home to Vashon on a gloriously clear day, a view of the  Olympics from start to finish with Blake Island in the foreground and the southern end of Bainbridge Island just to the north.