Beamer Reamer
Death Before Disco
Well folks, I'm embarrassed. I've lived in the PNW for 27 years now and just made my first run up to visit St. Helens. It uncorked in 1980 and has since been a marvel for scientists and regular Joe's alike to watch the landscape bounce back, or not - whichever the case. My mother visited in the late 80's and a few times over the years since and always comes away with awe and a spiritual renewal around the ability of the Earth (or God from her POV) to repair and to sustain. I was just looking for some nice roads on a beautiful day. I managed to work my way from the Seattle area all the way to Ilwaco (SW most corner of the state) without hitting any road with more than one lane in any direction - the mountain was just a side trip. The day was absolutely gorgeous and oddly - it was one of those perfect outings with very few cars blocking the way. I ignored the camera until I got close to the busted volcano.
My take away from this outing: this needs to be on everyone's list of to-do's. The roads were great, but "the moment" that you find yourself in as you take in the views, the interpretive centers, the devastation, and the recovery will leave you thoughtful for awhile. I had somewhere to be this time through, but I will go back soon and spend much more time in the observatory, watching the movies, etc.
This was the sum total of FJR's on the trip and half of the riding contingent.
A whole lot of this type view was available once in the area. This is highway 504 and is about 51 miles in length from I5.
Getting a little closer...
A peek (peak?) at 504 as it heads towards the Johnston Observatory.
A wide angle view still about 10 miles out.
Almost there...(ok, maybe mr. zoom lens gave an assist)
Once you get close to the end of the road, you find yourself on the side of the volcano that blew out so dramatically. This picture captures the moonscape that still exists 30 years after. I restrained myself from adding several more.
What you find at the end of the road is this:
And this:
And when you walk up and look over the wall, you see this:
What it looked like before May 1980 -
Artsy fartsy pic #1
And then I pointed myself back down hill and drove some most excellent roads to Ilwaco. This is the pic of the famous Columbia Bar on one of the most calm days I have seen in this area. Buoy 9 is what you see (Buoy 10 is the uber famous fishing landmark). Oregon is what you see beyond the river.
They have an observatory for this part of the state as well
Artsy fartsy pic #2
Thanks for riding along, let's do it as a group later this summer.
My take away from this outing: this needs to be on everyone's list of to-do's. The roads were great, but "the moment" that you find yourself in as you take in the views, the interpretive centers, the devastation, and the recovery will leave you thoughtful for awhile. I had somewhere to be this time through, but I will go back soon and spend much more time in the observatory, watching the movies, etc.
This was the sum total of FJR's on the trip and half of the riding contingent.
A whole lot of this type view was available once in the area. This is highway 504 and is about 51 miles in length from I5.
Getting a little closer...
A peek (peak?) at 504 as it heads towards the Johnston Observatory.
A wide angle view still about 10 miles out.
Almost there...(ok, maybe mr. zoom lens gave an assist)
Once you get close to the end of the road, you find yourself on the side of the volcano that blew out so dramatically. This picture captures the moonscape that still exists 30 years after. I restrained myself from adding several more.
What you find at the end of the road is this:
And this:
And when you walk up and look over the wall, you see this:
What it looked like before May 1980 -
Artsy fartsy pic #1
And then I pointed myself back down hill and drove some most excellent roads to Ilwaco. This is the pic of the famous Columbia Bar on one of the most calm days I have seen in this area. Buoy 9 is what you see (Buoy 10 is the uber famous fishing landmark). Oregon is what you see beyond the river.
They have an observatory for this part of the state as well
Artsy fartsy pic #2
Thanks for riding along, let's do it as a group later this summer.
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