Tough Decison
FAST FACTS
BLACK BALL LINE
Until 1818, ships ran on their own schedule. Then the Black Ball Line changed that by scheduling ships to leave on a specific date. The company, originally based in New York City, eventually moved to the U.S. west coast in the late 1880s. The MV Coho was launched in 1959 to become one of the Black Ball fleet’s most esteemed ships. Today, the MV Coho is capable of carrying 1,000 passengers and 115 vehicles between Victoria, B.C., and Port Angeles, Washington.
DANGEROUS MOUNTAIN
Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption was the last major eruption by that volcano, but it has experienced at least four major eruptions over the past 500 years. More than 900,000 tons of ash was cleaned up in areas around Washington State after the 1980 eruption. Mount St. Helens is located about 88 km northeast of Portland, Ore., and 150 km south of Seattle, Wash. The volcano experiences small earthquakes beneath its surface and the threat of another eruption in the future is considered to be very high.
MOTORCYCLISTS BEWARE
North Cascades Highway, a.k.a. SR20, is the northernmost route across the Cascades mountain range in Washington. The Washington State Dept. of
