Where were you in ’62?

I wasn’t even a thought in 1962, but a lot of people were traveling to Washington State to take part in the World’s Fair in Seattle, with its “Century 21” theme. You can’t see it in this shot, but the Klickitat–as every vessel in the fleet did at that time–had the “Century 21” sign and logo attached to the side of the ferry. It was the first and (knock wood) only time our ferries were ever used for promotional/advertising purposes on the outside of the vessel.

One thing period movies never seem to get right is that all the vintage cars they use are almost always sparking, car-wash fresh. Understandable, given the valuable nature of a classic car these days. However, that didn’t reflect reality. Period photos always show cars how they were, just like today–in varying states of crustiness. Case in point, that lovely sky-blue ’61 Chrysler, which looks as if it has been taken off-road as some point on its way to the Anacortes terminal.

One thing that strikes me about these nearly 60-year old photos is the fact that the Anacortes terminal…basically looks the same. Sure, there’s another slip and an overhead walkway, but the basic structure and certainly the terminal building looks essentially the same.

The terminal is due for an upgrade, and due to several factors including a failing seawall, not particularly seismically sound and rising sea levels it probably should be happening sooner than later. Fauntleroy is the bigger priority for now, and understandably so, given the amount of traffic that goes through there, but hopefully eye will be turning to Anacortes soon.

But first, please tear down the schedule and redo it for larger/slower boats. And please, when it comes to creating a new schedule for the islands can we please never hear the phrase, “But we’ve always done it like that!” That is 99% of the problem right there.