- 4,822
- Concord, CA
- kylehnat
My journey to the belly of the beast...
On the morning of May 18, 1980, Ms. Helen awoke with a massive case of indigestion, possibly caused by eating a gas station burrito the night before. Around 8 am, she lost the battle and suffered what we can politely call 'explosive diahrrea'. She blew 0.5 cubic miles of her north face into the air, and flushed a monumental mess down the Toutle River. Or something like that. If you want more information (perhaps the kind with "facts"), check out Wikipedia. If you don't care for Wikipedia, then be a square and go to your local library.
Anyway, despite having lived no more than 3 hours from Mt. St. Helens my entire life, I had never actually been there. Then I noticed that SR 504, the main road leading up the mountain, looked like a lot of fun to drive on, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was a good decision. The drive up there is awesome. Reasons follow:
1)Mountain + twisties = fun. Lots of medium and high-speed corners to whet the appetite for destruction.
2)The speed limit: a pleasant 55 mph.
3)It's a road to nowhere. There are no 18-wheelers or oversized loads to deal with (unless they're horribly lost).
4)The scenery (see below).
5)YOU'RE DRIVING UP A FREAKING VOLCANO.
Before you even get to the top, there is plenty to look at. Enjoy some pictures, taken with one hand while steering with the other
.
Caution: Fernando Alonso Ahead.
...home to Yuji Ide's espresso stand.
Along the trek to the top, there are plenty of viewing areas on the side of the road, where one can take more discerning pictures:
Notice that in the last picture, all of the trees are roughly the same age. Kind of spooky.
End of the road at the Johnston Ridge Observatory...
You have to shell out some dough to see the good stuff, but I can think of worse things to spend $8 on. The scenery at the top is unbelievable!
Before you head out on the trails, you must remember what you were taught in 1st grade about volcano safety:
Puh-lease. Everything you need to know about volcanoes can be learned by mixing baking soda with vinegar 💡. I especially like the bit about not panicking. It should read: "If you feel the ground rumble and/or see a plume of ash coming towards you, you're well and truly 🤬. Repent your sins and take solace in the fact that you will die in the manliest way possible: being eaten by a volcano."
Trees = pwn3d.
A canyon carved through the ash by a new river.
A good look at one of the many lava domes in the area. Lava domes are a volcano's blackheads. Clearasil is ineffective at removing them, however.
A look back at the visitor center, and the many people who are too lazy to go for a hike at 4500 feet elevation.
Fancy a drive? Yes, please!
.
Some cool landscapes.
The crater is in there somewhere...
Overall, it was well worth the trip. I'd recommend checking it out if you're ever in the Seattle/Portland/Vancouver B.C. areas. Unless you're scared of volcanoes, in which case I recommend you go to Iowa, where there isn't anything resembling a mountain for thousands of miles.
On the morning of May 18, 1980, Ms. Helen awoke with a massive case of indigestion, possibly caused by eating a gas station burrito the night before. Around 8 am, she lost the battle and suffered what we can politely call 'explosive diahrrea'. She blew 0.5 cubic miles of her north face into the air, and flushed a monumental mess down the Toutle River. Or something like that. If you want more information (perhaps the kind with "facts"), check out Wikipedia. If you don't care for Wikipedia, then be a square and go to your local library.
Anyway, despite having lived no more than 3 hours from Mt. St. Helens my entire life, I had never actually been there. Then I noticed that SR 504, the main road leading up the mountain, looked like a lot of fun to drive on, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was a good decision. The drive up there is awesome. Reasons follow:
1)Mountain + twisties = fun. Lots of medium and high-speed corners to whet the appetite for destruction.
2)The speed limit: a pleasant 55 mph.
3)It's a road to nowhere. There are no 18-wheelers or oversized loads to deal with (unless they're horribly lost).
4)The scenery (see below).
5)YOU'RE DRIVING UP A FREAKING VOLCANO.
Before you even get to the top, there is plenty to look at. Enjoy some pictures, taken with one hand while steering with the other
.
Caution: Fernando Alonso Ahead.
...home to Yuji Ide's espresso stand.
Along the trek to the top, there are plenty of viewing areas on the side of the road, where one can take more discerning pictures:
Notice that in the last picture, all of the trees are roughly the same age. Kind of spooky.
End of the road at the Johnston Ridge Observatory...
You have to shell out some dough to see the good stuff, but I can think of worse things to spend $8 on. The scenery at the top is unbelievable!
Before you head out on the trails, you must remember what you were taught in 1st grade about volcano safety:
Puh-lease. Everything you need to know about volcanoes can be learned by mixing baking soda with vinegar 💡. I especially like the bit about not panicking. It should read: "If you feel the ground rumble and/or see a plume of ash coming towards you, you're well and truly 🤬. Repent your sins and take solace in the fact that you will die in the manliest way possible: being eaten by a volcano."
Trees = pwn3d.
A canyon carved through the ash by a new river.
A good look at one of the many lava domes in the area. Lava domes are a volcano's blackheads. Clearasil is ineffective at removing them, however.
A look back at the visitor center, and the many people who are too lazy to go for a hike at 4500 feet elevation.
Fancy a drive? Yes, please!
.
Some cool landscapes.
The crater is in there somewhere...
Overall, it was well worth the trip. I'd recommend checking it out if you're ever in the Seattle/Portland/Vancouver B.C. areas. Unless you're scared of volcanoes, in which case I recommend you go to Iowa, where there isn't anything resembling a mountain for thousands of miles.
.
