Day 1 - September 3, 2002 Last updated: 9/24/02 1:00pm PT
This year’s anniversary trip was close to home. We went to Mount St. Helens for a couple of days. We also did a side trip to the Pacific coast to see a some lighthouses and Astoria, Oregon. It’s been 22 years since Mount St. Helens erupted (1980). There are places that have been planted with new trees, but there are also a lot of places that have been left alone, and still show a great deal of devastation.
There are two roads that lead to Mount St. Helens. First is the north road out of Castle Rock (Hwy. 504) that leads to the Johnston Ridge visitor’s center.
The Second road to Mount St. Helens is Hwy. 503 from Woodland. This is by far the better route. It takes longer and is farther from Seattle, but well worth the drive. There’s better scenery (thick forest and more dramatic destruction still visible) and better roads, as in fun to drive (hills and curves), plus Ape Cave is pretty cool too. If you only have one day to do this trip, or if you are visiting from Portland, take Hwy. 503.
Taking Hwy. 504 on day 1, we set out for the Johnston Ridge Visitor’s Center, named after one of the scientists studying the volcano at the time of the eruption (he did not survive). In the middle picture, Denise is standing in front of a tree stump that was left over after the eruption.
Here is a close up of the new lava dome that has built up. You can see steam rising from the center.
Mount St. Helens
