Before this article progresses further, it should be established that western Washington State is not America. Instead, it’s another world. But what world could it be, exactly? A vast swath of unspoiled country first...

It’s true in North America that anyone with a car can go anywhere. The open road is as much a symbol of freedom as it is a strip of asphalt devoid of traffic. A driver’s license forms the basis of identity.

As humans, we sometimes forget the little things that bond us together. For instance, the joys of a beautiful sunrise, or the fact that we are four and half months into an existence that does not include an impending...