Today was my day for visiting one of the most infamous mountains located in the Cascades mountain range. The mountain is named Mt. St. Helens. This mountain is infamous for erupting on May 18, 1980 and causing all kinds of havoc in the Washington State area.
Mount St. Helens is most famous for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, at 8:32am PDT[1] which was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. The eruption caused a massive debris avalanche, reducing the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 feet (2,950 m) to 8,365 feet (2,550 m) and replacing it with a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide horseshoe-shaped crater.[2] The debris avalanche was up to 0.7 cubic miles (2.9 km3) in volume. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and allow for its aftermath to be scientifically studied.
The cascade mountain area is one of great beauty. I drove to highway 5 out of Portland north back into Washington State. Then I took exit 49 off of the Interstate highway 5 towards Castle Rock. At Silver lake there is a visitor center for Mt. St. Helens. Then I continued west on Highway 505 which takes you right to the Johnston Ridge observation area. The drive up into the cascades is incredible, and will take your breath away. I stopped several times during the journey up into the mountains, to take pictures. Still very evident is all the destruction Mt. St. Helens caused during her violent tirade, over 29 years ago.
The park rangers give talks about the eruption. Also they show an amazing movie. Which tries to to recreate the events of the eruption, and does a pretty convincing job. The Johnston ridge is named after geologist David Johnston who was observing Mt. St. Helens prior to the eruption. The ridge which is named in his honor, is located 5 and 1/2 miles from the mountain. When the eruption began his last words were; "Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!" The blast was so catastrophic, just like the blast of an atomic bomb. David Johnson was killed almost instantly.
The only disappointment during my visit was that clouds, obscured the good views of Mt. St. Helens. So I never go very good pictures of the mountain itself. On the decent down from the mountains. I stopped and got a great picture of Coldwater Lake, that was formed from the eruption.
On the return trip down from St. Helens. I also stopped in the small town of Toledo, Washington. Which is the gateway to Mt. St. Helens. I do enjoy the small town experience. For those who follow in my footsteps. Here is a good tip. Have lunch or take lunch with you when your journey up to visit Mt. St. Helens. Because you can't buy any food on the drive up, or at the Johnson Observatory. However they do have a great pizza place located in Toledo. Sandy's Pizza is a great reason for visiting Toledo. The restaurant is located right across from the Toledo, Mt St. Helens mural.
Being up in the mountains is always an uplifting experience. Seeing Mt. St. Helens and learning the story of the eruption just confirms my thoughts that we humans are really not the controlling force behind the creation and destiny of our planet. Mother Nature is the boss! There is a much more powerful force that controls this world, that we exist on. To us humans what Mt. St. Helens did was catastrophic and a horrible act of violence. I see it another way. That volcanoes are just an portal for this planet. For the regeneration and creation of new life. After all, a volcanic eruption is the same as any female giving birth. Think about it.
The best way to see Mt. St. Helens is by plane, I'm glad Allan convinced me to do it...it was awesome
ReplyDeleteYes I agree Christine. It was a great decision you and Al made to do the flight. The pictures you and Al took are amazing. They should be published in a travel magazine!
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