Railroad Bridge [Sunday Bridges]

The Railroad Bridge opened up for an approaching boat at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks---almost always referred to as the Ballard Locks in Seattle. It was my first visit to a lock and I was amazed at how it worked---boats travel from the salty Puget sound to the fresh waters of Salmon Bay, Lake Union, Portage Bay, Lake Washington and vice-versa. The locks were originally built in 1911 for coal and timber transportation.

waiting for a safe passage

August 2009

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Karatula [signboard] - Litratong Pinoy

Corny ang mga karatula ko, pagtyagaan mo na lang muna.  Mga karatula sa Seattle sa aking pag-ikot-ikot doon noong nakaraang buwan.  Ang Bell Street Pier sa Pier 66 ay malapit sa Port of Seattle.  Para itong mall--- maraming restaurants, plaza at marina sa tabi lang ng Elliott Bay.  Kitang-kita rin ang karatula ng Miners Landing sa Pier 57.  Isa rin itong arcade kung saan may mga kid-friendly attractions, shops at kainan.

Sa Pier 55 naman ang daungan ng Argosy Cruises  kung saan kami sumakay ng ferry para makatawid sa Elliott Bay at makita ang Seattle skyline after sunset.

 

Karatula sa bungad ng Hiram M. Chittenden Locks sa Ballard, isang neighborhood sa Seattle.  Sa loob ng complex ay nandon din ang isang botanical garden na ipinangalan  kay Carl S. English Jr.,  isang landscape architect, na nagsaayos nitong garden sa loob ng 43 years mula nang natapos ang locks noong 1911.  Ang Hiram M. Chittenden Locks ay kinaroroonan ng Lake Washington Ship Canal, isang landmark sa lugar na kung tawagin ay Ballard Locks.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Ballard Locks - Watery Wednesday

I don't know much about locks. In the Philippines, we only have flood gates which are cheaper version of a flood lock. So I was fascinated when Che brought me to the Ballard Locks, also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. It's a complex of locks that sit in the middle of Salmon Bay, part of Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal.

I devoted time reading this billboard, "Why are the locks needed?" to somehow understand how this device works. But I guess I was still jet lagged, my brain didn't absorb any engineering fact. Good thing their website puts it simply---here goes:

The locks are there to maintain the water level of the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20 to 22 feet above sea level. The locks also prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes, and move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice-versa.

The complex has two locks, it also includes a spillway with 6 gates to assist in water-level control. A fish ladder is integrated into the locks for migration of anadromous fish, specifically salmon (will post the fish ladder next week).

The Ballard Locks were formally opened on July 4, 1917 and are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

a boat waiting for water level to rise

visitors center

Posted for Watery Wednesday