Going West 2013: Sunday July 7

Saturday we met Katie, Jordan, and Jordan’s parents at Mt. St. Helens. From the visitor center at Castle Rock to Johnson Observatory at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway is a 50 mile journey from largely untouched forest to the blast zone, which is barren except for wild flowers and grasses. Mt. St. Helens appears from many different viewpoints as the road winds its way from the Toutle River valley to the observatory which is located on an adjacent mountain with a view directly into the blown-out side of the St. Helens crater. The river valley was the path of the lava flow , so there is little vegetation and the river has carved a channel through the ash. It is an other-worldly vista. The clouds were kind enough to lift so we had great views of the snow covered mountain and into the crater. On the way up we stopped at several viewpoints and visitor information centers. The whole experience was a pleasant surprise for all of us.

We continued to Katie and Jordan’s house with the intention of parking and camping on the lawn of a neighbor. When we arrived we discovered the camper was much too large to maneuver on the very narrow and hilly road and intersection to the camping spot, so we had to do the K turn thing and find another spot. Katie was able to arrange for us to stay at one of the WSU research farms, which is where we are now. Very exclusive.

Today we went to mass, then did some mundane things like get the truck serviced, then off to Seattle to spend some time at the Pike Street Market. We walked around for an hour or so, then met Jordan’s dad’s niece, who lives nearby. Dinner was at a restaurant in Pike Street Market overlooking Puget Sound. Back at the camper I discovered we’re having a structural problem with the camper, so tomorrow I’m going to try to find a place to get it repaired. We’ll be on Vancouver Island for a few days, so hopefully this will work with the RV repair facility.