We first caught a glimpse of the volcano at the visitor's center--it looked so far away! And, as usual, a photo just does not capture the awe and vastness of something like this!
Then, we headed out on the drive to get to the observatory (75 miles in). And, as we drove, each bend showed us a better view than the last!
It was very scenic and peaceful and not crowded with people:) We made several stops along the way--this waterfall was just one of the stops!
The girls thought it was fun to stand that close because when we looked toward the falls-they got sprayed with water...they just giggled!!!
This bridge was just 1 of the 19 bridges that had to be rebuilt after the 1980 landslide and eruption! We crossed 9 of them, I think, on the trip to the observatory.
A large part of the immediate surroundings of the crater have been left alone and are not to be touched. It is a national historic monument. So, you could still see ditches from the mudslide and how it pushed up the hills. You could also see a lot of the trees that were snapped off and thrown from the blast!!!
The Forest Learning Center was very educational and hands on. I learned a lot and the girls had a blast! We really wanted to take a real helicopter tour but at $169 per head, we settled for the stationary chopper:)
They were excellent pilots!
The exhibits were very cool and all of the information was great. The survivor's stories were crazy! Overall, it was a great day and adventure!!!!
We were at an elevation of 4,300 feet!
And, did you know that no one in close proximity to the volcano heard the blast?! I think it was like a 60 mile perimeter!!! CRAZY!!
