After living in a state a short jaunt from an awe inspiring force of nature with the capacity to affect my life in a major way, one would suppose I had visited long before now. Better late than never.
Over the past almost three years our family has admired Mount St. Helens from a distance--on those few days when the sky was clear enough to actually see it--but never ventured too close.
This is in part because our oldest daughter learned all about it the first year we moved here and was rather reluctant to see it up close and personal.
It took a visit from my mother in law.
This is actually typically how we see our historical places of interest. As a school teacher she has accompanied us to many interesting sites with visitor centers and gift shops.
This time our group also included Rob's sister and her four daughters. And the day we went couldn't have been more beautiful: blue skies and 70 degree weather, great for hiking and picture taking.
We stopped at several points along the way, ending up at Johnston Ridge where we watched a video about the 1980 eruption.
When the film ended (which Signe shook through with her hands firmly clasped over her ears), the screen and curtain rose to reveal a large glass window framing the volcano right before us. It was awe inspiring.
The girls hiked up the trail ahead of us, but it was nearly six by that time, so we didn't linger long before heading back home.
Next time I would like to actually take the hike up the trail.
Regardless, the girls had a great time and deemed it worth the long car ride--which is saying something!
1 comment:
What a great day! Next time let's do the Japanese gardents.
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