Kalaloch, WA to Cascade Locks, OR

Day 27 - June 26, 2010
Mileage Today: 391
Total Trip Mileage: 7,452

We woke up a bit later than normal this morning. I guess we are still a bit used to Alaska time. We did our regular routine of packing up and loading the bike, but now we have added a new item to the list of morning tasks - locate a Safeway. This has been the single best find for breakfast this trip. We are able to get some muffins, coffee, wifi, and gasoline all in one stop.

A bit of a cloudy start out of Kalaloch…



… but today we are headed inland to visit Mt. St. Helens, and they say all you have to do is travel a bit in to the interior to get out of the cloud belt.

Beautiful, warm, sunshine:





(and Mt. St. Helens in the distance)

The 50 mile ride from the interstate into Mt. St. Helens Park is incredible. You climb up 4,000 feet in elevation on a twisty mountain road. It wasn’t long before you could start to see the remnants from the eruption in 1980.



The above pictured river valley was filled in width debris from the collapsed peak, after the eruption, to a depth of 600ft in some areas, totally burying the river. Over the past 30 years the river has started to cut a new path.

Side view of the Volcano:



We continued on to the Observation Center on Johnston Ridge. This was the location where a USGS Vulcanologist was monitoring activity within the Volcano when it actually erupted. He was overcome by the pyroclastic flow, but he managed to send out a distress call; “Vancouver, Vancouver this is it!” (<-click for more info)

The view from the observatory is the familiar one, the huge crater left from the eruption in 1980.



After the eruption Mt. St. Helens had lost 1,300 feet in elevation.

Downed trees that were within the blast zone of the eruption still lay blown down in the direction of the blast:



It was a bit surreal being in that close of proximity to something that is capable of causing so much destruction. Not to mention this thing was also actively building lava domes from 2004-2008.

So, we have been gone for about a month now. We have gone about 7,000 miles. I am tired, Nikki is tired, but I didn’t realize how tired the bike had become. As we were pulling out of the parking spot at the observatory Mr. V-Strom gets all narcoleptic-ey and decides right then and there that he is taking a nap.
I then kindly asked the people picnicking at there car directly adjacent to my sleeping V-Strom if they would take our picture.

Narco-Strom:



Only the second drop of the trip. I would have guessed it much higher.

Then we hauled out to find some camping. We crossed into Oregon, where we found our site, and set up our tent…



under a canopy of tall trees.





jordan