In Bellingham, WA. I felt like I was missing the excitement of witnessing Mount Saint Helens eruption.

I felt like I missed most of the excitement. Here in Bellingham, we hardly got any effect so I had some of that geologic experience second hand.

It would have been exciting and not too daingerous, from a distance, like in my home town of Pullman where it was dark by noon from ash fall.

My mom and sisters were living in Pullman at that time. My sister Judith mailed a plastic container of ash from the driveway that I still have as a momento.

That afternoon, I was mowing Mrs. Taylor's grass. She invited me into the house and said, "Have you heard what's happening to Mount St. Helens?" The TV was full of news including dust causing problems all the way to Montana!

After I got home, I heard on the radio that the volcano was heard in Vancouver, BC. Wow.

Then I thought, "what was I doing that morning?" I was cleaning the kitchen in a Bellingham restaurant and remembered hearing a rattling at the door. No one there. That must have been from the blast.

I didn't have a TV so I tried to tie my big old multi band radio to my bike rack to keep listening while I rode up a hill to try and look south. Couldn't see any evidence of the plume.

Later that evening, I went to a WWU campus TV lounge to watch the news.

A few years later, I visited Mount Saint Helens area by bicycle.

In 1986 I biked to Windy Ridge on east side of mountain. Got some photos.

Again in 1994, I biked to Johnston Ridge on west side of mountain. Got some photos.

A-frame cabin partially buried, 1994.

Mount Saint Helens is a tourist attraction, 1994.

Someone took my photo at Johnston Ridge, 1994.