Shortly after the start of the fall semester, Dan and I packed our bags and headed north to Seattle for a nice little weekend getaway in Washington. Dan had actually been working in Portland, Oregon that entire week and, since it was Labor Day (and because I had a four day weekend to take advantage of before hitting the books), we decided to mix in a little pleasure on the tail end of his business trip and met up with each other in Portland and drove to Seattle to visit Dan's very good friends, Marty and Lavonne. I, myself, have never been to that part of the country (the Pacific Northwest), but wow! It’s beautiful! I will have to fill you in on the details later, but here are a few photos from our trip, including a photo of the Space Needle in the upper right hand corner of this post - the dizzying inspiration for this month's blog title!
The Details - Updated October 31, 2011:
Our first stop was Mount St. Helens where we got an up-close view of the volcano and saw, with our own eyes a full 30 years later, the devastation left behind by the 1980 eruption which killed 57 people and destroyed 150 square miles of forest, as well as 250 homes, 47 bridges, and miles and miles of roads and railway within just a matter of moments. Over time, however, the ashy-gray and nearly barren landscape of the blast zone has shifted to an environment that is very green and life-filled, but the scars still remain.
If you are unfamiliar with the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, here’s a brief overview: On May 18, 1980 at 8:32 am, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the western part of the Cascade Mountain Range near Mount St. Helens. The tremor triggered a landslide that collapsed the entire north face of the snow capped volcano and sent a massive avalanche down the mountainside into the valley below. As the land and snow gave way, superheated gases escaped from within the volcano’s core and set off a colossal lateral explosion. As the explosion tore through and past the avalanche, it picked up huge chunks of rock and rubble and developed into a violent, debris-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. When the slab of rock and ice caught up to the wind, it first slammed into Spirit Lake and displaced all of the water in the lakebed. As the water from the lake washed up the hillside, it engulfed the scorched and splintered remains of the fallen trees from the blast and, as it retreated, the water dragged the remnants down the hill and into the lakebed where they are still seen floating on the surface today. The avalanche then crossed a 1300 foot high ridge and barreled down the Toutle River for 14 miles as a massive mudslide. At the same time, a mushroom-shaped cloud of ash ascended from the volcano thousands of feet into the air and drifted downwind, turning day into night. The eruption lasted approximately 9 hours and dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond for months. The combined events of that day also reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 feet to 8,365 feet and replaced it with a 1 mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing and thousands of animals were killed, as were 57 people. Mount St. Helens is approximately 96 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles northeast of Portland and, as disturbing as the history may be, it is a must see, especially if stories of survival and renewal fascinate you! Here’s a photo of Dan and I standing in front of Mount St Helens near Johnston Ridge Observatory, as well as two photos taken near Spirit Lake at Windy Ridge - one of the “scorched forest” and one of the “floating forest”.
When we arrived in Seattle, our next stop was Pike Place Market where we took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the open air marketplace which sits along the waterfront near the downtown area. We, of course, found our way to 1912 Pike Place for coffee at the very First Starbucks Store, which was established in 1971, and we also made our way 86 Pike Place to watch John Yokoyama’s world famous crew of fishmongers throw fish and have fun with customers who made purchases.
Unfortunately, Dan and I didn’t actively participate in the fish throwing (because we didn’t buy any fish), but it was fun to just stand on the sidewalk and watch the fish fly by and hear cheers of the crowd! While visiting the market, we also took our very first ferryboat ride! Yeppers! We hopped aboard the Tacoma at Pier 54 and glided across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. It was amazing! I love, Love, LOVED the ferry!!!
The next thing on our list of things to do was to visit the Space Needle, the most memorable symbol of Seattle, and enjoy a beautiful sunset and the twinkling lights of the city. It was an absolutely clear day and, from the Needle’s observation deck, we could see both the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, as well as Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, plus Elliott Bay and all of the surrounding islands. Here’s an interesting factoid about the Space Needle taken from the internet: At the time of its grand opening in 1962 for the Seattle World’s Fair, the Space Needle was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River (standing at 605 feet), but it no longer holds that title. Okay, so why do photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle towering above the rest of the city’s skyscrapers? Well, it’s not Photoshop magic. Apparently this occurs because the Space Needle, which is equivalent in height to a 60-story building, stands almost one entire mile northwest of Seattle’s downtown skyscrapers and, since most photos of the city are taken from Bainbridge Island or somewhere in Puget Sound, it just looks bigger. Basically, it’s closer, so it looks bigger!
Our next two stops were Deception Pass State Park and Fort Casey on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. This particular outing made for a very long day in the car, but wow! What a scenic drive! Mountains, islands, lush green forest, rugged cliffs, and saltwater shoreline! Amazing! Oh, and the views of the pass from the bridge at Deception Pass were absolutely spectacular! The bridge, which was built in 1935, spans 976 feet and has a pedestrian walkway on both sides. It connects Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island (the second largest Island in the contiguous 48 states) and is located approximately nine miles north of Oak Harbor and nine miles south of Anacortes.
Fort Casey was also very beautiful and is a favorite family getaway spot for Marty and Lavonne. With the sound of the waves, the squawk of seagulls, and an occasional ferryboat horn (and while Marty and his family played Frisbee), Dan and I explored the beach and half-buried concrete observation stations surrounding the hill above the fort, as well as each of the fort’s 10-inch and 3-inch historic gun displays. Once Dan and I had our fill of the fort, all seven of us walked down to the historic Admiralty Head lighthouse and then down onto the beach where the kids built sand forts, Marty and Dan skipped rocks, Lavonne watched a seal playing in the surf, and I climbed on driftwood - the perfect way to finish a day of exploration at Fort Casey State Park!
Thank you again, Marty and Lavonne, for being such wonderful hosts and for making the weekend so very enjoyable! I’m looking forward to exploring the Columbia River Gorge with you the next time I join Dan in Oregon!
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