After such an epic but exhausting road trip through the UK and Ireland, downtime at home in Arizona sounded wonderful. But after a week at home, we headed to beautiful Pacific Northwest. Oh darn, life is so hard. 😉
It been over 20 years since either of us had been to Mount Saint Helens. After a weekend spent with family, we made a quick stop to revisit the infamous volcano.
Mount St. Helens last erupted July 10, 2008 but it is most notorious for its major eruption March 20, 1980, the deadliest volcanic event in the US. Recently, more than 130 earthquakes have been detected beneath Mount St. Helens, although none of them have been bigger than magnitude 1.3. We spent some time at the visitor center learning about the 1980 eruption and learning if it is likely to erupt again.
Garden snakes are a welcome sight compared to the rattlesnakes back home in Arizona.
After watching a short documentary in the theater of the Johnston Ridge Observatory, the projector rises to reveal the startling beauty of Mount St. Helens.
Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory Overview
- Address: 24000 Spirit Lake Hwy, Toutle, WA 98649
- Fees: $8/person
- Usage: Heavy
