Washington Travel : How well do you know your state ?

Do you travel a lot around our state ? How well do you know the history, geography, architecture of our state ? Historic landmarks, natural wanders, famous attractions ? Do you like to learn when you travel or you just "relax and have fun" ?

A recent article in the Olympian suggests a little test of your travel IQ about places, things and people in Washington.

While I don't consider myself to be a history buff, I was able to answer majority of questions in the test. It made me feel great that I had a chance to visit many of those places personally.

Places like :

Aplets and Cotlets factory in Cashmere ( while rafting and biking in Wenatchee).

Hat ‘n’ Boots gas station (biking through the Georgetown neighborhood in Seattle).


Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Forest ( hiking and kayaking around the lake).

The artwork “Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies” by David Govedare near Vantage ( climbing).


Waiting for the Interurban ( while biking along the Burke-Gilman Trail).

But it was also interesting to learn that:

Discovery Trail will one day run from Port Townsend to La Push stretching for more than 100 miles from Port Townsend to the Pacific coast near Forks (can't wait to bike that trail !), or that Paul Bunyan-esque Radio Flyer Wagon in Spokane is listed as the World’s Largest Wagon by Wikipedia ( it is 12 feet high and 27 feet long ).

I knew that Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River runs laser light shows during summer, but never had a chance to make it there ( would love to see live !).
Still haven't had a chance to make it to Sun Juan Islands - camping, biking, kayaking, learning about American history ( "The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between American and British authorities over the boundary between the United States and British North America").

If you want to make your travel more meaningful, learn the history of the place you are going to beforehand. Travel is not just about going from A to C via B. Travel is about learning and personal experiences, it is one of the finest methods of self-education.