Pictures from the blast site - St. Helens

Well, as promised from yesterday, these are just a few of the pictures that we shot on our road trip to Mt. St. Helens in Washington state last weekend. I have to admit that I've never been more disappointed in how my pictures turned out. They just do not even in the slightest way convey the sheer magnitude of this landscape. Imagine if you might, that what was once an enormous and vast forest was drastically and forever changed into a wasteland, which is ever so slowly, but surely returning to life. These first few shots were taken from the bottom at an observatory location near the small community of Toutle, Washington. There really wasn't much color so this first shot is of a small blooming heather plant that shows promise of spring.

My husband and my second best friend. Did I mention that it was very cold that day? It had snowed lightly earlier in the day and then again on our way down off the mountain.

This is a very large marshland that was created in this low-lying area. There is a 1 mile hiking loop around the perimeter with lots of birdlife to be viewed.

This is a shot of the Toutle River as it looks now. The ash and volcanic silt is everywhere and in some places appears to be in excess of 40-50 feet deep still. I can't even imagine how it looked with huge old growth trees and mud several stories deep flowing through here. Even as far as 30ish miles down, they had closed the I-5 bridge for fear the debris would take the bridge with it as it passed downstream.

This is another of the Toutle River with lots of new growth Alder near its' bank. Although there was no color, I found the view to be very calming and somehow beautiful in its starkness.

A little further up the mountain, this was our first view of the valley.

I zoomed in a little on this shot. The day was cold and grey and overcast with absolutely no sunlight. I would like to revisit this place on a beautiful summer's day and see the difference.

This shot is of the same valley, but taken further up the mountain and from the opposite direction. Shot using a 15x zoom. The camera does nothing for the magnitude of this valley.

Every bit of the grey in the background is volcanic ash.

This is a close-up of the Toutle River. Since the valley was torn and gouged and made so very much wider, the river has spread out and the whole thing looks vastly different than it once did.

This shot shows the roadway we had been on just a few miles back down the road. Notice all the new growth forest. The blast occured in 1980.

Again, this was shot with a 15x zoom. I would like to point out all those tiny brown dots in the foreground of this picture and on the trail. It is very hard to see in this picture, but I believe those are Elk. This will give you a small indication of just how far down the valley floor is.

This shot was taken with the wide angle lens and no zoom. Hopefully this gives you an idea of the size and depth of this valley and just how big those mountains are. I felt small and insignificant, and there is still a little bit of an eeriness to the place just imagining that when the volcano errupted, the trees, mud and lava flowed down through this location at the rate of 150 mph. Anyone or anything in its' path didn't stand a chance.

So, that's it. Someday I will revisit this place and this time I will make it up to where the road ends at the Johnson Ridge Observatory and peer down into that crater. But in the meantime, here are a few facts courtesy of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Volcano Review.

1986-2004 Snow and ice accumulate in the crater (about 650' thick) forming North America's youngest glacier. At 0.4 square miles the glacier's area is 1/5 that of all of the pre-1980 glaciers combined.

October 2004 Eruptive activity resumes with more than 1000 small earthquakes per day and small steam and ash eruptions. A new lava dome rises through the Crater Glacier at a rate of 1 dump truck load per second.

2004-2008 The quiet extrusion of mostly gas-free, semi-solid lava continues until the extrusion pauses in February 2008. During the 3-year long eruption, a total of 7 lava spines are extruded, filling the south crater with a 1,300 foot tall pile of fragmented rock (taller than the Empire State Building and 2/3 mile long by 1/3 mile wide).

Hmmm...do you think she's just taking a nap???

Sunny Monday

It is truly a sunny and very, very cold and blustery Monday. I prefer cold and dry to warm and wet any day. However, having said that, I'd like to add that I'm dreaming of the warm, balmy and lazy days of a summer afternoon. Aaahh just imagine reclining in the warm welcoming rays of the sun and having nothing more pressing than to lift your glass for a cool, refreshing sip and maybe to turn the page of that novel you've been losing yourself in. Surrounded by the sweet smell of a myriad of blossoming buds and the occasional buzz of a passing honey bee. I can sure imagine that, can't you? But alas, that's not the case...at least not yet. I checked my calendar and we won't reach the middle of winter until the third week of February. I know that sounds like a long way off, but as you know, time does pass rather quickly and before you know it, we'll all be sweating our tailfeathers off and complaining how hot and dry and dusty it is. We're sure a dissatisfied bunch by nature aren't we? So, in the spirit of living in the moment and not wishing my life away, I have decided to ponder for a moment just exactly some of the things that I do appreciate about winter.

First, I enjoy wearing layers of warm and snuggly fabrics next to my skin. Like my favorite marled cotton yarn cowl neck sweater. It's generously sized and feels cozy and soft and is long enough to cover the parts that I wish to show a little less of. I can jump out of a shower feeling clean and refreshed, throw it on with a pair of jeans and feel dressed enough to go just about anywhere. I love sweatshirts and down vests and thick, fuzzy socks. I love wearing my bearskin boots with the deep, fuzzy fleece lining. With or without socks, they feel good on my feet. I love wearing neck scarves. I have several different ones in varying materials and colors and patterns. Added to any outfit, they display a dash of color and a little extra pinache. And, you gotta love that it's definitely not swimsuit weather. I don't have to worry about my white legs or the fact that maybe I forgot to shave either. That's always a plus, not to mention a timesaver in the shower. If I really stop and ponder preferences about the seasons, I'd have to admit that I'm more of a warm weather person over a cold season fanatic; but in any case there's things to be appreciated in all cases. I appreciate a hot cup of chocolate or coffee enjoyed near a blazing fire in the woodstove and wrapping up in the amazing hand knit cotton blanket given to us by my friend Alicia. Or, simply being thankful for a warm home to come into after a cold winter's evening doing chores in the barn. Savor the possibilities of the season and in my humble opinion, we can all find something to be enjoyed and appreciated. I must admit that when I give a few moments reflection, there are numerous blessings of winter. And without the spice of variety in our lives, even the most beautiful summer's afternoon would soon become the mundane. And, if nothing else, who can honestly say that a season without flys isn't really a good thing?

We spent a very leisurely weekend, having accomplished very little at all if truth be told. We did not go to church, we did no housecleaning or laundry and more meals were eaten out than were prepared at home. We did not go riding or do any repairs on our lengthy list of projects. We sound positively lacksidaisical don't we?? Aahh, yep. Guilty as charged I'll admit.

We did take a road trip on Saturday and that was primarily enjoyable. We chose to drive up to the blast site of Mt. St. Helen's in Washington state. It is truly amazing and makes one feel quite small and insignificant. I did take some pictures of course, however for several reasons we stopped our adventure just shy of having reached the end of the road at Johnson's Ridge Observatory where you can look down into the actual crater. The snow was getting deeper and deeper on the sides of the road, the route up the mountainside was getting steeper and steeper and the valley view was getting deeper and deeper. As the afternoon waned, this flatlander got increasingly more nervous at continuing our ascent up to the viewpoint and the decision was made to stop and continue at a later time. Call me a coward, trust me it's nothing I didn't say to myself, but everything in my heart and soul said to stop. I think that I'd prefer to call it my spidey senses or woman's intuition or whatever you want to blame it on, but I got spooked and made the decision to trust my gut (or my guardian angel) and turn the car around. Against my husband's wishes I might ad. He thought I was being a chicken and overreacting, but was kind enough to go along with my cowardice and not make a stink. Trust me, I had visions of failing brakes and plunging granny mobiles plummeting down the mountainside never to be seen or heard from again...(have I ever mentioned that I have a very active imagination?) Anyway, you get the picture, I cried a little, was embarrassed at my cowardly behavior and was more than just a little dissapointed at having driven all the way up there without getting to witness and photograph the grand poobah!! Dammit all anyway. What was a gal supposed to do?? Just ignore what my inner wadworks was telling me and damn the torpedos full steam ahead!? I just couldn't do it...for what it's worth, I have in my past ignored my inner voice and lived to regret it. The problem was, given the scenery and the grand scope of our surroundings, I feared that if my spidey senses were correct and we were not supposed to continue our trek up said mountainside - we definitely would NOT be living to regret it. I therefore chose to regret and vow to visit again on another day...presumably a warmer and clearer day, perhaps in the good old summertime. Having said that, I do have some fairly amazing photographs to post. I just don't have them ready for posting today. Sorry. But, hopefully tomorrow, when I can forego all the drama and confessions and just post some really awesome pictures for our mutual viewing pleasure. All from the safety of our very own little chairs in front of our little computers. Doesn't that sound nice?

So, these pictures posted here today are not the ones that I personally snapped yesterday. These are just a sampling tidbit of what is to come...

Blessings from cingspots (remember her? She's the one who's afraid of heights.)