Favorite Place: Mount St. Helens, Part 2

Margot — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:10:17 +0000

Our Favorite Place this week is Mount St. Helens, Part 2

Last week I showed you pictures of Mount St. Helens as it appeared to us on our first sighting as we turned the corner in the road. [If you missed that go here.] The further we went into the park, the more severe the damage. But here and there you can see life coming back. In the photo here you can see that, twenty-seven years after the eruption, trees are slowly growing back.

According to one of the rangers on a special hike, fireweed is the first flower that will grow back. We saw lots of that plus a few others. It was so nice to see flowers blooming in the middle of the decay and standing tombstones.

We stayed in the nicest old-time campground called Iron Creek. They have wide campsites surrounded by huge old trees, but no hookups. It is about five miles south of Randall, Washington. From the campground Mount St. Helens is about 15 to 20 miles. Visiting Mount St. Helens was a good reminder of how Mother Nature operates. There is the devastation but it’s followed by signs of hope. I thought these reminders were appropriate ones for Easter.

The purpose of this weekly feature is to share some of the places we’ve been. They are places that stay with us for one reason or another. If you would like to join us, post a picture on your blog, go to the comment section here and leave your link. Visit others who share their Favorite Places. Feel free to borrow the button.

Favorite Place: Mount St. Helens

Margot — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:10:01 +0000

The purpose of this weekly feature is to share some of the places we’ve been. They are places that stay with us for one reason or another. Join us. Post a picture on your blog, go to the comment section here and leave your link. Visit others who share their Favorite Places. Feel free to borrow the button.

One of our Favorite Places is Mount St. Helens in Washington State.

Everyone who lived in the area of south Washington and Oregon on May 18, 1980 remembers where they were that day. That’s the day Mount St. Helen erupted. People were killed, animals and vegetation were wiped out, roads were damaged and ash spread hundreds of miles. The area is now protected by the Federal government. We visited the area and here are two shots of what we saw. This first picture is what we saw as we rounded the corner for our first look at the area.

It was so strange. It looked like a movie scene from a post-nuclear era story. And – this was 27 years after the eruption. We’ve seen the aftermath of horrific tornadoes and major fires. But this was worse than any disaster we’ve seen. It was death for miles is all direction.

The good news is we were able to see the start on the reforestation program. Join us next Sunday when I’ll show you a couple of those pictures. Until then, keep looking for those Favorite Places.

Joyfully Retired » mount saint helens

Favorite Place: Mount St. Helens, Part 2

Favorite Place: Mount St. Helens