Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A Trip to Mount St. Helens



I have lived in the beautiful, picturesque Pacific Northwest my entire life and can't imagine living somewhere that doesn't surround me with endless green beauty. The beauty is everywhere so I have yet to experience it all. I recently experienced Mount St. Helens which erupted in 1980 and greatly affected a very large area. 




I had no idea the magnitude of that day on the natural surroundings here in the Northwest nor of the resulting understandings for science. 




We traveled about 3 hours from home to see this amazing site. The elevation is so high we were literally driving through clouds! My kids opened their windows hoping to catch some to take home.




Many trees have been planted to begin to reforest the area destroyed. So much has grown back, yet it still appears almost desolate. One can be fined and prosecuted for walking on the land over 5 miles from the volcano because of the delicate growth.




My children enjoyed the trip and learning about the volcano, my mother loved it, and my husband and I enjoyed it. It is a great experience for any age. I am glad we went and am still surprised by how amazing the nature there was considering what we are surrounded with on a daily basis here. 




We stayed in cute cabins just a 30 min. drive from Mt. St. Helens. Even in the cabin area we saw nature unlike what we see at home. 




Deer walked around like there wasn't a human for miles. This picture is not zoomed in. The deer was eating grass less than 5 feet from the road and we stopped and watched him for several minutes.




It was an experience I wish everyone could experience and highly recommend it for anyone who has the opportunity to go.



2 comments:

  1. Wonderful photo's Jody! Gorgeous! I love the wildlife being like that. They are at our new place, as well. Can't wait to get to St. Helens in the Spring! :o)

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  2. Wow, after 30 years, I had no idea the area was still so desolate. And I LOVE that cabin, so cute! Glad you had fun, we might need to take a drive up someday and check it out! ;)

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