Washington State!

 Mount St. Helens

Our trip continued as we made our way To Mount St. Helens. We got off of I-5 at exit 49 onto the 504 Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. It takes you into the Park all the way up to Johnston Ridge Observatory. It was a beautiful ride in, lots of scenic stops, waterfalls, river views, wild life and five different visitor centers.  

The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and subsequent lahars poured vast amounts of sediment into the Toutle.


The Toutle River is a river that rises in two forks on the flanks of Mount St. Helens and joins the Cowlitz River near Castle Rock, which was formerly navigable. 


The US Army Corps of Engineers dredged 85 million m³ (110 million yd³) of sediment from the river and built the $65 million Sediment Retention Structure on the North Fork of the Toutle to keep it clear in the future. Part of the same engineering works is a tunnel to drain Spirit Lake whose natural outlet was blocked by the eruption.

The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway is 54 miles long and takes about 1-2 hours to drive, or more if you like taking pictures as I do!

The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway takes you through land shattered by Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Because the valley floor is now so unstable, the highway is cut into the tops of the hillside and offers sweeping views of the surrounding area. The highway concludes at Mount St. Helens National Monument with the dramatic spectacle of Mount St. Helens gaping crater.

Early in the century Spirit Lake Memorial Highway began as an uneven wagon track. In the 1930s the road was paved and ended at the pristine, serene Spirit Lake, the highway’s namesake. The life-changing eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 annihilated the upper half of the road and mudflows devastated miles of the lower portion. The highway was rebuilt and reopened in 1992. Despite the highway’s name, the road now ends high on Johnston Ridge before you have a chance to get a good look at Spirit Lake, but allowing a view of the volcano itself.

This scenic byway is truly a memorial to its surroundings. You will not lack for sights and activities to keep you busy at the five visitor centers that line the highway. Each center covers different aspects of Mount St. Helens eruption, from the events that led up to the blast to the recovery of trees and animals. The spectacular, sometimes stricken landscape surrounding the highway reminds you of the raw energy the earth can unleash.

At 8:32 Sunday Morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helen's Erupted.
Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. In a few moments this slab of rock and ice slammed into Spirit Lake, crossed a ridge 1,300 feet high, and roared 14 miles down the Toutle River.

The avalanche rapidly released pressurized gases within the volcano. A tremendous lateral explosion ripped through the avalanche and developed into a turbulent, stone-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing.

At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. Wet, cement-like slurries of rock and mud scoured all sides of the volcano. Searing flows of pumice poured from the crater. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.

A vast, gray landscape lay where once the forested slopes of Mount St. Helens grew. In 1982 the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.

Surviving plants and animals rise out of the ash, colonizing plants catch hold of the earth, birds and animals find a niche in a different forest on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.

The volcano continued to erupt until 1986, violently at first, then quietly building a lava dome. Thick pasty lava eruptions oozed out, each one piling on top of the next, like pancakes in a sloppy pile. The lava dome is now 920 feet high. The United States Geological Survey scientists continue to monitor the volcano for earthquakes, swelling, and gas emissions.

Numerous viewpoints and miles of trails have been created for you to explore by car and foot. During the summer Forest Service interpreters lead a wide range of activities, from short walks to amphitheater presentations, to help you understand and enjoy this area. Discover the wonder of winter around Mount St. Helens, where many cross-country ski and snowmobile trails are available.

Each year thousands of climbers make the journey to the crater rim. Permits are required above 4,800 feet year-round.

                                              

                                                 Seattle!

After leaving Mount St. Helens, we made our way to Seattle. 

We spent the night at the Travelodge Inn a block or two from the Space Needle. 

The Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington and is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a symbol of Seattle. Located in the Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators, with over 2.3 million visitors in all for the World Fair. 

The Space Needle.

The Space Needle is 605 feet high at its highest point and 138 feet wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 tons. When it was completed it was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. The tower also has 25 lightning rods on its roof to prevent lightning damage.

The Space Needle features an observation deck at 520 feet , and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 feet. From the top of the Needle, you can see not only the downtown Seattle skyline, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and surrounding islands.

Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle via elevators that travel at 10 miles per hour . The trip takes 43 seconds, and some tourists wait in hour-long lines in order to ascend to the top of the tower. On windy days the elevators are slowed down to a speed of 5 miles per hour. The Space Needle was designated a historic landmark on April 19, 1999 by the City's Landmarks Preservation Board.

We went to the top of the Space Needle the next morning after arriving at the Motel. The view is fantastic up there. Great view of Puget Sound and downtown Seattle. 

After visiting the Space Needle, we went down to walk around the Pikes Place Market. My wife wanted her picture taken at the famous fish market. Home of the thrown fish. We got to see it in action, but my camera was to slow (or maybe I was) to get pictures of that, but we did get one of her, a worker and a crabby one!  

                                                


From there we went to High 5 Pie. My wife wanted to visit there after seeing it on an episode of one of the Food network channels shows. She had lunch there, but was a little disappointed in the appearance of the place, after seeing it on TV. I believe she thought there was more to it than there was. I think TV seems to make it more spectacular than it really is. 

We the made our way over to the Fremont area of Seattle to see the Fremont Troll, (the troll under the bridge) I had never heard of it before, but my wife told me about it, so we went to take some pictures and to see what it looked like. It was pretty cool, glad we went to see it. That is a real vw beetle in it's hand on the right side of the picture, just to give you an idea of it's size.

The Columbia River.

From there we headed east to our next Location, Montana! As we drove through Washington, we stopped to take some pictures of the Wild Horse Monument. The Wild Horses Monument is some roadside art along I-90 in the deserts of Central Washington on a bluff above the East side of the Columbia River. The monument pays tribute to the wild mustangs who roamed these areas in days past. 

Wild Horse Monument.

I just happened to spot them from the highway, so we pulled over to take a few pics, they came out a little blurry, sorry . 

Here is a picture of a Farm on our way out of Washington State. I thought it would make a nice picture, so yes I took it, with no surprise to my wife!

From here we headed into Montana, stopping at a KOA in Missoula for the night.