Mt. Saint Helens Sediment Control, WA (Monday, September 1st, 2020)

The eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18th, 1980 caused the largest landslide in recorded history, as seen below.

A sediment retention structure was built from 1986-1989 to capture and store the sediment and to protect downstream communities.  It is 184 feet tall and 1888 feet wide.  There is a loop trail that allows access to the structure, so we decided to take a hike.

A beautiful forest hike started us out.

When we left the forest, we walked across the top of the structure to see the sediment plain below.

Looking down off the the structure.

The view from down below.

We followed the loop trail the rest of the way back to the parking lot, and at the end there was a locked gate.  What?  There was no way to get through it, and we really didn't have time to backtrack over a mile back, so guess what?  Up and over we went.  When we got on the other side, the signs said something about government property...No trespassing.  What?  This is posted as a public trail.

Oh well, it was a fun little hike with lots of good information.

Mt. Saint Helens (Monday, September 1st, 2020)

Our daughter's in-laws are into town this week to meet the new grand baby, so to give them all some family time, we will be on our own most of this week.  Today we will be learning about the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens.  The visitor center and other learning centers are all closed because of Covid, but we're sure that the exploring will still be great.

Our first glimpse of the famous mountain.

As we made our way up highway 504, there was a scenic turnoff for the Hoffstadt Creek Bridge.  There was a great view of the bridge, but there was also a lot for information about Mt. St. Helens.  This bridge lies at the edge of the May 18,1980 eruption blast zone.  Everything beyond this point was destroyed.  This bridge is 600 ft. long and 370 feet tall.

Much of the forest was cleaned up and has been replanted by Weyerhauser over the years since the eruption.

After leaving the bridge overlook, we continued to make our way toward the mountain.  This valley is a sediment plain caused by the eruption.  Even 40 years later, there is still sediment flowing from the eruption zone.

As we stopped at the overlooks, we were amazed that we were often the only car in the parking lots.

The 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens blew out the north side of the mountain.  If you look closely, you can see the steam that still comes out of the west side of the volcano.

The closer we got, the more beautiful it became!

When Mt. St. Helens erupted, it threw ash and debris for miles, blocking river and changing the landscape.  This picture shows Castle Lake, one of the lakes created by the eruption.

Even though the visitor's center and learning centers are closed, there is so much information at every stop.

Again, we are the only car.

We stopped at Coldwater Lake for lunch, and there were some other people enjoying the lake, but still not many.  This is another of the lakes that was created by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

As we got closer to the mountain, it took us back in time.  It has not been re-planted or cleaned up since the eruption.  The trees that were sheared off from the blast were carried miles, and now remain where they landed.  The stumps are still there as a reminder of the force.  Regrowth is minimal.

The area north of the immediate eruption zone is now a baren sediment plain, even after 40 years.

Elk on the plateau below us.  Wildlife is starting to come back to the area.

Mount Saint Helen's before and after the eruption.  The mountain lost 1300 feet of altitude.

And as everyone know, Washington is Sasquatch country, so you should always be on the lookout!

Exotic Fruit Tasting (Tuesday, September 1st, 2020)

We have all been trying to come up with ways to help each other get through this new life of quarantine because of Covid.  So our youngest daughter took Steve's parents dinner from Panera last night, and dropped off some exotic fruits.  Today, they did a tasting together over facetime.  Life during a pandemic takes a bit of creativity, but we're all managing just fine.

This is Life! (Friday, August 28th, 2020)

 Our great plan for today included the Narrows Brewery to pick up some craft beer, and the Fish Peddler in Tacoma to pick up some fish and chips for dinner.  That doesn't sound to difficult, does it?  But sometimes life throws a curve ball and we have to change our plans.

On our way to the brewery, we decided to stop at Chambers Bay for a stroll along the golf course, which didn't seem like a big deal, but it put the first notch in our happy baby window. So by the time we made it to the brewery to get our beer, the baby had lost it, wanted nothing to do with his car seat, and just wanted to play.  So we enjoyed some play time before continuing on to the Fish Peddler.  We ordered our food, and it was going to be about 40 minutes before we could pick it up.  Yikes! 

So we pulled out some beer, fed the baby, and picked blackberries while we waited. 

What started out as a very trying car trip turned out to be one of those family bonding moments that we will never forget.  By the river, we passed around samples of craft beer we had just picked up, played with a now happy baby,  and really enjoyed our 40 minute wait!  With everyone now happy, we even ate our seafood nacho appetizer in the car before heading back home to enjoy our dinner.

Sometimes, this is life!

Port Townsend and Sequim, WA (Thursday, August 27th, 2020)

A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I met my high school friend Linda-Ann and her husband in Tokeland, WA, just south of West Port, WA.  We had such a great time, that we decided to do it again.  They are currently camping on the Olympic Peninsula, so our plan was to come up early and snoop around, and then meet them later in the day in the town of Sequim, WA.  

Our first stop for the day was Port Townsend.  A beautiful port town just east of Sequim.  It was foggy and cool, but a beautiful day for exploring.

The Maritime Center has a boat shop where they build and repair boats.  Interesting!

Mount Baker in the distance.

When we finished up in Port Townsend, we made our way to Sequim where we would be meeting Linda-Ann, her twin, Kate (also a friend from high school) and both of their husbands.  It was hard to explore here because we were so excited to see everyone!

We found ourselves a farm stand and bought some kale, corn and fresh basil to take home.  The man working this particular stand was in his 90's, and still worked the farm and stand each day.  He had some great stories to tell.  I just love this little town.

Cline Spit County Park.

The end of this spit was privtely owned, and had literally been taken over by seagulls.

When we left the spit, Linda-Ann and clan were just coming back into cell service and heading our way, but because of an unfortunate incident with a wasp nest, Steve and I ended up having to head back without ever meeting up.  It wasn't our lucky day, but after my incident with fire ants a few years ago, I don't take chances anymore.