Mount St. Helens National Monument, Washington

On March 20, 1980 a 4.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington, sending a plumb of ash 7,000 feet high.  The eruption was so intense the blast was heard from as far away as Vancouver, Canada and Redding, California, and set off a wave of volcanic activity that lasted for months. Trees were blown down, strewn haphazardly all over the mountain, and forever changed the landscape, that has yet to recover.

By the end of April Mount  St. Helens, a once perfectly shaped volcano, now had a one mile long and half mile wide bulge that was 320 feet high.  Debris avalanches fell half a mile down the mountainside.

Another eruption on May 18, 1980 sent pumice and ash northward into the valley below and caused 57 fatalities, including a U.S. Geological Survey scientist.  It was one of the largest ever recorded.  Satellite images show the 1980 eruptions blast zone affected 230 square miles of forest.  Old trees were ripped out by the 650-mile per hour blast leaving splintered remnants behind resembling toothpicks littering the mountainside.  At the base of the volcano is the ash that was deposited more than three feet from the 15-mile high eruption plume that lasted nine hours killing all vegetation for 100 miles.

Thirty years later the ash covering the mountain that once stripped all life now benefits the land by serving as mulch in the harsh blast zone and aiding foliage recovery and growth.  Trees and colored flowers now fill the open landscape, demonstrating the eventual transformation to normalcy in the pumice filled forest.  Prairie lupine and Lodgepole pines now dot the land.

We went there two years ago and you could still see an occasional puff of smoke from Mount St. Helens.  Though now passive and quiet, the volcano is not shy to show she is still very much alive.  Follow us, the DeLucia’s, as we tour Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument.

Let’s go !

Update

Last Summer we went to Washington state for the 4^th of July holiday when gas prices were at their highest.  We averaged $4.85 per gallon for a trip log of more than 3000 miles in 9 days.  We got about 18 miles per gallon.  Driving in our SUV, we experimented by keeping our miles per hour to 55 to see if we could stretch some extra mileage.  It worked.  We averaged about 17 percent more by slowing down.  We thought it was bad that one month later, the same trip would cost us $300 less in gas.  Now, one year later, we’re right back to having to economize again with soaring gas prices becoming the norm for this vacation season.  We felt it was our duty to share our budget tips that worked, so other families can get out of town and outdoors, despite the economy.

Camping most of the time saved us money.  In our nine days we spent two days at a hotel and one day visiting with my sister in northern California.  Using supermarkets along the way to stock up on food also saved a lot of money.  Purchasing an “America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass” saves money in the long run on numerous park and federally managed site fees.  By keeping (made-ahead) sandwiches in ice chests, we avoided fast food stops and ate healthier and saved money and time.

Another great way to economize is to enjoy the local flavor.  We had fun stopping at fruit stands along the way in Washington to purchase freshly picked Mount Rainier cherries, a real treat for the mouth and wallet.  We also stayed cool and hydrated by refilling our canteens at water fountains at rest stops along the way.  That’s just something Don and I have been doing for decades, now it’s fashionably called going “green.” To help stay alert on the long drive we kept a cooler filled with caffeine drinks such as Starbucks coffee, Snapple Teas and Mountain Dew.  That alone, saved us a ton on convenience store impulse buys.  Gas prices are going up again, but these tips will ensure you get outdoors regardless of how high they go.

Let’s go!

Ape Cave, Washington

Want to see the longest “commercial” lava tube in the USA? Gather up three sources of light, a helmet with chin strap, warm clothing, boots, and head out to Ape Cave in Washington. The cave was constructed by a pahoehoe flow of molten lava that originated from the southwest flank of Mount St. Helens. The pahoehoe flow crusted over leaving an outer lava tube with lava stalactites, stalagmites and flow marks on the floor and walls. Ape Cave is 12,810 feet or 3.9 kilometers and you can do a complete through trip from one entrance to the other. If you plan to do this, make sure you are up to a canyon up climb that requires actual climbing up and over large piles of rock. The lower cave is an easy 0.75 mile hike that takes about a hour. We choose to hike up to the second upper entrance that is 1.5 miles long and considered more challenging. The most challenging thing we found was the heat of the day and couldn’t wait to cool off underground. Ready for a caving thru trip?
Let’s go!