Frank: Mt. St. Helens is a lot more interesting than I thought
it would be, and a lot more popular than I thought it would be. To get to the
observation point you drive east from Castle Rock 47 miles. That’s 47 miles out
and 47 miles back because it’s not a loop. To me that’s a very daunting trip to
go out and look at half a mountain. So I figured that the road would be a
narrow two lane rural highway at the end of which would be a parking lot that
would hold perhaps 25 cars. Instead what we found was a 4-lane superhighway all
the way from Castle Rock out to the observatory. (In this case observatory
means a place to observe Mt. St. Helens.) And the parking lot at the
observatory was roughly the size of four football fields and was probably about
half full when we were there. Now I understand the need for such a nice road
going out.
On the road are three opportunities for being impressed.
The first was at 19 miles and was Patty’s Place at 19-Mile House Restaurant. It
had been a private residence up to the 1980 big blow and afterwards was turned
into a restaurant and the food is really good. We had chicken and dumplings and
peach cobbler.
The second opportunity was the Learning Center about half
way up. Truthfully, I think it’s sponsored by Weyerhaeuser Lumber because it
was a thinly disguised explanation of all the good the big W does by planting
and cutting down trees. Personally, I have no problem with planting and cutting
down trees. Thou shalt not find me out hugging trees. As a matter of
fact, on our travels through Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, I saw a lot of
trees that I think could be harvested and not make even a small dent in the tree population up here.
The final opportunity is the observatory itself. It’s
magnificent! The movie they show of Mt. St. Helens blowing up is mind boggling.
In a tribute to David Johnston, a scientist six miles from the mountain when it
blew, at the beginning of the movie they play his last words to his home base, “Vancouver,
Vancouver, this is it!” (Personally I think he probably said something after
that.)
We all remember the blow up of Mt. St. Helens. We watched it on
the national news. But, until you visit Mt. St. Helens and see all the displays
and see the movie they show there, you can’t even begin to get the feeling of
the massive amount of rock and ash and energy that was propelled out of the
side of that mountain. So, bottom line, if you ever have the opportunity to
visit Mt. St. Helens, do it.
As we left Burns, Oregon this morning, I noted that we
had a about a third of a tank of gas, which should be good for about
100 miles. Since there were several small towns in our planned route I figured
I’d fill up a ways down the road. Thirty-five miles down the road, we passed by the
little non-town of Crane, Oregon. We were booking along pretty good when I saw
a small tavern on the side of the road and asked Cheryl if she wanted a cup of
coffee, she said, “Yes,” I hit the brakes, decided there was no way I was
gonna make the turn into the driveway, took my foot off the brake, and said to
her, “Sorry about that, maybe in the next town.”
But, wouldn't you know it about 100 yards down the road was
a sign, (dear Lord give me a sign!) and that sign said, “Next gas 120 miles.”
Now for any of you who have read our blogs before, this may sound like déjà vu
all over again because we did the same thing before in Denio, Nevada, a couple
years ago.
At the moment we were on Rt 78, a two-lane rural highway, and I decided
it was better to turn around and go back 35 miles to Burns than to run out of
gas in 65 miles if we kept going. I made a u-turn in a rancher’s driveway, and
we started back. As we approached the Crane Café for the second time, I asked Cheryl once again, “You
want a cup of coffee?” She said, “Yes.” This time I slowed down and had no
trouble making the turn-in and there, way off the road, shining in the morning light, was one single, lonely, unleaded only, gas pump.
I couldn't believe my eyes! So, I got us two
cups of coffee, a slice of coconut cream pie which we ate and got gas. $104
later (did you ever believe you’d see a tank of gas costing $100?) we were once
again heading south on 78 to our eventual destination in Winnemucca, Nevada, at
which we now sit.
Cheryl: Sending huge apologies for lack of a picture of
the seven handsome cowboys we saw riding horses along the road yesterday. I got
so flustered I missed the shot! However, it’s emblazoned on my memory, and I’ll
not soon forget the sight.
Your
intrepid trailer spam-masters,
Brian
Williams, Diane Sawyer, and backseat drivers, Lady and The Tramp
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