After a wonderful evening with David and Cheri Herr and their family and a wonderful breakfast this morning, I was off again; this time headed north into Washington state and Mount Saint Helen. The weather was cloudy and overcast and after about 20 miles it started to drizzle a little so I stopped at a gas station to put on my rain suit. Luckily it never did really rain at all but it was cool enough to make me glad I had on my rain suit for the extra warmth. It stayed cloud and cool all the way to the Mount Saint Helen information center. At the center, they were saying that it was too cloudy to see the mountain today but it could possibly clear up later this afternoon. The closest mountain observation post was still 47 miles away with an estimated drive time of 1 hour and 20 minutes. After listening to a park ranger presentation about the history of Mount Saint Helen, I was ready to head up to the mountain. In addition to being 47 miles to get there, it was also a climb in elevation of about 4000 feet. The information attendant assured me that the drive was worth the time even if the mountain was not visible. I have to admit, he was absolutely right about the ride. It has to rank among the best rides that I have had so far on the trip; and I have had some good ones. About 20 miles into to the trip, I stopped at another information center and observation deck. This one overlooked the north fork of the Toutle River. The mountains on either side of the river were green and lush with fir trees but the valley bottom still bore the scars of the flood and effects of the volcanic eruption. The elevation here was about 2600 feet and the cloud cover was just above us. After viewing some of the exhibits there I headed onward and upward. Eventually the rise in elevation took me into the clouds and the visibility was terrible, but not as bad as I experienced at the Blue Ridge Parkway last year. It didn’t take long however until I emerged above the clouds to a bright sunny sky and my first view of Mount Saint Helen. I stopped as soon as I could to get a picture of the mountain before the clouds covered it up again. Well the clouds never did come back so I got several good pictures of the mountain from a much closer vantage point.
After leaving Mount Saint Helen’s, I then headed to my niece’s house in Yelm, WA. I will probably be at her place for a couple of days. Tomorrow I am heading up to the Olympic National Park.
After leaving Mount Saint Helen’s, I then headed to my niece’s house in Yelm, WA. I will probably be at her place for a couple of days. Tomorrow I am heading up to the Olympic National Park.
