Susan and I really wanted to go and see Mt. St. Helens.  The volcano exploded in 1980, the year 
we were married.  It was so awesome seeing the pictures on TV, and we wanted to visit to get a 
sense of the enormity of the eruption.

One afternoon, after Susan was finished, we took off toward the mountain, attempting to go 
around from the south route (the explosion was on the north side) to the northeastern side at 
Clearwater Viewpoint.  We didn't make it that far because we were running out of light, and we 
only got one or two good glimpses of the mountain.  The trees on the south side didn't get blown 
away like those on the north, so the mountain wasn't visible much of the time.  The one picture 
we got from the south follows.

gll0001.Mt_St_Helens:  View from the south, with the mountain in the distance.

On the following day, Susan was busy all day, so I struck out to visit the mountain by the northern 
approach.  My goal was to make it to Johnston Ridge Observatory, the closest point you can 
drive from the north, about 4 miles.  The pictures listed below show my approach to the mountain.

gll0002.Mt_St_Helens:  A panoramic view from Loowit Point, west of the mountain

gll0003.Mt_St_Helens:  at Loowit Point

gll0004.Mt_St_Helens:  A view from Clearwater Ridge Visitor's Center, about 7 miles northwest of 
the mountain

gll0005.Mt_St_Helens:  A view of Clearwater Lake, just south of the Visitors' Center

gll0006.Mt_St_Helens:  A view of the mountain from Clearwater Lake

gll0007.Mt_St_Helens:  A view of the parking lot at Johnston's Ridge Visitors Center, directly 
north of the mountain in the "blast zone".  Note the size of the tree stumps in relation to the cars 
in the lot.

gll0008.Mt_St_Helens: A view east from Johnston's Ridge Observatory

gll0009.Mt_St_Helens: A view of the mountain from Johnston's Ridge Observatory

gll0010.Mt_St_Helens: Another view of the mountain from Johnston's Ridge Observatory

gll0011.Mt_St_Helens: A final view of the mountain from Johnston's Ridge Observatory