A Study in Contrasts

The weather has been very changeable today, making it hard to know what to wear. These Bellingham Farmers Market shoppers at the Samish Bay Cheese booth demonstrated the range of choices very well!

The Thursday evening collapse of part of the Skagit River Bridge on Interstate 5, located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Bellingham and 60 miles (96km) north of Seattle, was a frequent topic of conversation at the market. Several of our vendors sell their products at farmers' markets in the Seattle area, and many local residents drive south each day for a wide variety of reasons. Phil and I were among those crossing that bridge last weekend, just a few days before the collapse.

Interstate 5 runs from the border between California and Mexico to the border between Washington state and British Columbia, Canada -- a total of 1,381 miles (2,223 k). Drivers now can expect significant delays in both directions as they follow detour routes -- and there are a lot of drivers on that stretch of I-5, an estimated 71,000 cars and trucks daily.

I was surprised to see that the Skagit River Bridge collapse was picked up not only by our national media, but also by several U.K. newspapers, including The Guardian and The Independent, as well as by BBC News.