Ballard Locks - Ballard Locks #1

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, popularly known as the Ballard Locks, raise and lower boats traveling between freshwater Lake Washington and saltwater Puget Sound, a difference of 20 to 22 feet (depending on tides). A couple hundred yards downstream is a scenic overlook, almost directly beneath the Burlington Northern trestle bridge shown on the cover. From that spot we hear a portrait of commerce in 3-dimensions: by land, by air and by sea. www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Locks-and-Dams/Chittenden-Locks/ Major elements: * The distant roar of the lock spillway and fish ladder * Alarm bells signifying the opening of a lock * Boats queuing up to use the lock * Two freight trains passing overhead (one long, one short) * A guided tour boat coming through the lock * Planes and trucks * Two walkers * Seagulls and crows