A couple of things about pudget sound garters (t.s.pickeringii) and northwestern garters (t.ordinoides).
The best way to differentiate them is by the head.
The eye size in proportion to head and bluntness of the head are the best characters to use.

sirtalis: large eyes and long head with defined neck. Much slimmer overall than ordinoides.
ordinoides: small eyes, blunt head, neck is not as well defined.
They are also very stocky looking snakes and don't get nearly as big as sirtalis generally.
They both usually have 7 upper labials.

The width of the stripes on ordinoides is useless in identifying them.
These snakes are one of the most highly variable in the Unitied states, perhaps only beeten by sonora semiannulata. These snakes can have thin stripes, thick stripes, two stripes, three stripes, one stripe or no stripe.
The stripes can range in color from white to yellow to orange to red to green to blue.
The background color can be, light brown, dark brown, green, black, spotted or not.
Jerimiah Easter had a poster on the net which has disapeared where he showed 15-20 different color varieties.
Alan St. Johns book, Reptiles of the northwest shows 6-7 variations.
Its not uncommon in Oregon to turn over a board and see three different
color variations. I have witnessed this myself.
Here are some pictures of some I found in one trip to the NW a few years ago.
Washington


Oregon




I have always thought it would be fun to breed the different color varieties of
ordinoides but many of the really cool forms are only found in Washington and it is illegal to collect snakes their period. When you consider that the blue phase of ordinoides and the blue pudget sound garters are only found in WA, it makes you wonder how legal the snakes are that "bob" is selling. I know people who
had inquired about getting permission to catch some garters in washington to breed and they were denied. They have a very strict no take policy on reptiles there, and the antics of people like "bob" won't help to ever get them changed.

Marian,
Sorry to hear about your snakes, but it sounds like they are doing much better.
I hope the little red spot guy you got from me is still doing well.