Volcanoes, Accidents and selling a house – Oh My!

We headed further inland via Willamette Highway, otherwise known as Oregon 58 and after the short trip of about 3 hours, arrived at the Bend-Sunriver Thousand Trails RV resort and campground. Such a beautiful drive, following almost the entire length of Lookout Point Lake, continuing along the winding road east over the mountains. The scent of pine was constantly present and traffic was non-existent, making for a refreshing, stress reducing transit.

So stress reducing Chris and I were having deep conversations regarding pulled fingers, cut cheese, fishing without bait and of course solving all of the world's problems. The first two we decided were not for mixed company, the next is just silly and we're still waiting for word from the U.N.

Arriving at our destination the park was packed! Here it was, a Thursday and there was a line of RV's checking in, something we had never encountered before. When I asked the front desk, I was informed this was father's day weekend so they had an influx of folks from the greater Bend area taking the weekend off. Father's day?!? Where had the month gone? Fortunately we were able to score a nice secluded site with plenty of shade, little dust and close enough to the park store to make it a short walk for the obligatory ice cream drumstick (critical camping supplies!).

Last year we toured the Crater Lake area which is about an hour south of where we were staying. This year we decided to go for the seemingly less visited yet just as magnificent Newberry National Volcanic Monument which fortunate for us was celebrating their 25^th anniversary and offering free admission to all of the sights in the over 50,000 acre area. The place is so large we only got to see a few select spots but oh so spectacular!

First up was the 50 story (500ft) Lava Butte. I've included the USFS picture along with some of ours to get a better perspective. Suffice it to say, pictures ARE worth a thousand words. Granted this was not where near as recent as Mount St. Helens but the devastation is readily visible. By the time we got to the visitor center it was already getting a bit warm outside so we opted to take the shuttle bus to the top. Using a phrase like viewpoint is similar to saying SS Minnow is like the QE2.

With the long days of summer upon us we had a good bit of time left to us so we headed over to the Newberry Caldera which is sort off like Crater Lake as it is a volcano whose crater filled with water forming a lake. The differences are the sides collapsed so the two lakes that formed are easy to get at and host a number of campgrounds. The lakes have also been stocked with fish and word has it there are some big ones lurking about. Time and funds prevented us from conducting a population survey but next time...

Overlooking the sunken crater is Pauline Peak, probably one of the remainders of the original crater rim and with its nearly 8000ft elevation, provides an outstanding view of the whole complex. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area though the drive in is an unpaved, narrow, winding road with some serious drop-offs. I am still bearing the impressions of Chris' grip on my leg.

After four days we we reluctantly decamped and headed home. We have some appointments to be at, some more house prep for sale and on July 1^st I will be RiverCom for the last time in an “official" capacity. Unfortunately we'll have to stay in the East Wenatchee area for the next few weeks to rectify some minor damage to our motorhome and Jeep which were caused by an unknown driver while we were parked at one of our stops along the way. All cosmetic and but a few days to fix but really? Surely the other driver had to have noticed.

Such is life. Its still grand.

Exploring

I can't believe four days have slipped by since our last posting. I think we have a good alibi as we've managed to explore the area around the RV park, visited Mount St. Helens and conducted several unscientific fish population surveys. My UV absorption shielding tests proved to be very satisfactory with only minor 'pinking' noted. See, lots to do. Chris says I was just being lazy sitting in a chair by the pond, fishing pole in hand. She completely missed the survey and tests I was conducting.

Probably the biggest thing for us was the visit to Mount St. Helens. Hard to believe the volcano erupted 35 years ago. The Silver Lake Visitor Center was only about 40 minutes from the RV park and is located about 5 miles from I-5. My opinion is this visitor center is tailored for the tourist who, for one reason or another doesn't desire or cannot make the additional 100 mile round trip out to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The facilities are top notch with ample parking including RV's, though its a tight fit for longer rigs.

Inside the center offers exhibits on the eruption of 1980, walk through dioramas, model volcanoes, a movie and of course, the obligatory gift shop. Outside there is a wetland boardwalk trail and on the day we visited we could see the volcano in the distance through a light smokey haze. Since most of the inside stuff was fee based

($5 each) we opted to pass and head on up the road. The volunteers at the kiosk were outstanding; pointing out some of the good way points and which stops we definitely would enjoy. There are a couple of hosting gigs in the area and we will be investigating them for future opportunities.

Our next stop was the Forest Learning Center, some 30 miles up the road. Unlike the other centers this facility is run by Weyerhaeuser and concentrates more on the timber and how the company remained productive despite a little setback such as a mountain blowing the top off itself. Some really good displays, some short movies and of course, another gift shop. The center is free to the public – well almost free, there is a bit of propaganda. What was telling point of this center however was the view. Located high atop a bluff overlooking the north fork of the Toutle river there are meadows and flat lands below; ideal grazing land for the countless elk that have returned to the area.

Some 50 miles from the first visitor center is the Johnston Ridge Observatory where visitors can view the lava dome, the glacier that is growing and get educated on how the landscape was so drastically changed. You will need a Monument Pass or a Recreation Pass to see it all and they can be purchased on site. When we arrived there were four school buses of students just unloading; adding to the surprisingly large crowd of people already there. Since it was noon and we had no desire to battle the crowds or listen to that many students at one time, we opted to head back down the road about a ¼ of a mile to a viewpoint we spotted on the way up.

Here we had unobstructed views of the mountain, the valleys and surrounding areas while sharing it with only three other couples. We picnicked, took pictures and swapped stories of where we were when St. Helens blew.

One thing struck me while writing this entry and Chris agrees so I'm pretty sure we didn't imagine it. No matter where we were, from the first visitor center to the last, everyone there seemed to speak in lowered, hushed voices. Even the students seemed less boisterous, more disciplined.

35 years ago, Mount St. Helens had something to say and I guess we're still listening, even for the whispers.