Remembering Mount St Helens

Two days from now is the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington State. On Friday, April 18, 1980, the dormant volcano came to life in a catastrophic explosion. It destroyed 230 square miles of surrounding forest and took the lives of 57 people.

On that fateful day, I was still in my dorm bed at Washington State University when the sound of people yelling outside woke me up. When I opened the window to see what was going on, I overhead someone saying, "The volcano erupted!" Within a couple of hours, a dark, unnatural looking cloud appeared on the western horizon and slowly came over the town of Pullman, WA. Soon, the ash started falling. It was powdery, blanketing everything and impeding vehicles trying to drive through it as their air filters clogged with the stuff. That evening, not wanting students to venture out through the accumulating ash, the dining hall set up a makeshift dinner service in our dorm lobby. We felt like refugees! Later, I went out on the covered balcony and surveyed the eerie sight. Ash was still falling like snow, and the smell of sulfur filled the air. So surreal.

I spent the weekend holed up in my dorm, except for my trips to the dining hall in the adjacent dorm for meals. I donned makeshift protective headgear...a towel over my head, nose and mouth, and lab goggles covered my eyes. When I returned to my room, I would leave my dusty shoes and clothes in the hallway...all the other girls did the same. It was stuffy in the building as the ventilation had been turned off to prevent the ash from getting into the system. Everyone was glued to televisions to watch the constant news coverage of the devastation around the volcano and rescue efforts of the people affected by its wrath.

As Monday rolled around, classes were canceled as the university dealt with the uncertainty of the health effects of the ash. Was it damaging to the lungs? I decided to take a walk with a couple of friends to another friend's apartment for the day. We slogged through about 6 inches of ash on the ground. Police and other essential vehicles were outfitted with makeshift air filters raised to roof level to prevent clogging by the ash. By Wednesday...the third day of suspended classes...we were finally issued filter masks designed to protect from the most harmful particles, even though analyses of the ash were still inconclusive. On Thursday, the word was if we missed one more day of class, we would have to make up the whole week! Finally, on Friday, April 25...a week after the eruption...students returned to class. By then, the clean up of the town and campus had removed most of the ash from the roads and sidewalks.

It would take months before all remnants of the ashfall disappeared from Pullman. I still have ash I collected when I ventured out on the balcony on the night of April 18. It's a day that I'll never forget because I survived it, although survived might not be the right word for it. Perhaps experienced it would be more appropriate because some people literally DID survive the eruption. Many did not. As we remember this day, I wonder whether MY local dormant volcano, Mt Baker will someday soon awaken.

Road trippin' by the numbers

Okay, here's the first part of my road trip recap...number crunching! How many, how much, days, dollars, etc. It seems with each successive road trip, I exceed the previous ones in many ways. Read on and be amazed...or bored.

Total number of days on the road = 18
Total miles traveled = 4449
Total number of states visited = 8: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho
Most miles driven in one day = 590: from Portland, OR to West Sacramento, CA
Least miles driven in one day = 35: out and about the Los Angeles area
Total number of gas fill ups = 18
Total amount spent on gas = $611.05
Most expensive gas = $3.14/gal: tied between Kayenta, AZ and Moab, UT
Least expensive gas = $2.79/gal: Portland, OR
Number of times I got a car wash = 2: Glendale, CA to wash off the grime of the Pacific NW rainstorms and Ogden, UT to clean off the dust of Monument Valley
Number of tickets = 1: I got nailed by a red light camera at a intersection in Seattle...the $124 ticket was waiting for me when I got home!
Number of times I ate at In N Out Burger = 1: St George, UT...I had other opportunities, but one cannot exist on In N Out alone!
Number of times I ate at a sit-down restaurant = 1: House of Blues, San Diego to get their Pass The Line privileges

Total number of hotels stayed at = 14
Total amount spent on hotels = $1232.60: that's an average of $72.50/night, which ain't bad considering those taxes they tack on...oh, and parking fees at 3 of those hotels
Most expensive hotel = Courtyard at Marriott, Portland, OR: after added taxes and valet parking...hey, I need to splurge at least once in my lifetime...it came out to $134.75
Least expensive hotel = America's Best Value Inn, Page, AZ: at $43.12, it came with it's disadvantages (you'll hear about them in the next blog)
Number of times the hotel clock radio woke me up...and I didn't set the alarm = 2: you would think after the first time I would check before going to bed!

Total number of Five For Fighting shows attended = 6: five were part of the tour and the sixth was a fundraising appearance
Number of shows attended with friends = 2: Seattle and Los Angeles
Number of shows attended where people I met at previous shows were present = 4: Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and Ivins, UT...the last three included John's family!
Number of setlists I procured from the shows = 2: I gave away two others...one to a little girl who didn't have anything for the band to sign, and the other to an older couple who had never been to a Five For Fighting show before and were thrilled to have a memento
Number of photos I got with the band = 2: Seattle and Los Angeles
Number of photos I got with John Ondrasik = 3: Seattle, Los Angeles and Ivins

Number of museums visited = 4: one in Los Angeles and three in Ogden, UT
Number of national parks visited = 4: Grand Canyon, Natural Bridges, Arches, Yellowstone
Number of state parks visited = 2: Monument Valley and Goosenecks in Utah
Number of animals seen in Yellowstone (not counting birds) = 5: bison, elk and a squirrel in the park, and grey wolves and grizzly bears at a wildlife center in West Yellowstone
Total number of arches/natural bridges visited (in 2 parks) = 14

So, after 34 DAYS OFF, I return to work tomorrow! I had a fantastic vacation, and I'm all refreshed and ready to get back to the old grind! I'll be working on my subsequent blog, which will contain the more interesting and unusual events from my most amazing road trip. Stay tuned!

End of the road

My overnight stay in Spokane, WA felt like no more than a pitstop. I was basically on my way home now, but it was too far a drive from West Yellowstone, MT. In a rush to get on the road, I left about 7:30 am. Instead of taking the interstate option, decided on the more scenic, albeit slower US Hwy 2. This route takes you through the wheat fields of eastern Washington and over the Cascade Mountains, while passing through small towns along the way.

Although anxious to get home, I found time to see one of Washington State's most impressive natural attractions. Just south of Coulee City is an area known as Dry Falls. These rock faces were formed at the end of the last ice age, and the water flowing was ten times greater than Niagara Falls. There is no longer any water...hence the name...but it's still an amazing sight.

As I followed Hwy 2 into the mountains, I stopped briefly in the town of Cashmere to visit Liberty Orchards, famous for their Aplets & Cotlets candy. Since it was Sunday, their factory was not in operation, but I bought a few things at their outlet store. I continued on and drove through the Bavarian town of Leavenworth. This is a good place to go if you want a cuckoo clock! When I reached the other side of the mountains, I joined traffic heading north on I-5. I was in the homestretch!

But, there was one last roadblock impeding my way...tulip gridlock! During the month of April, people flock from miles around...even other countries...for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in La Conner. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, they're FLOWERS! And, all the same kind...just different colors. Oh, well...to each his own. All I know is, the volume of vehicles on the freeway suddenly increased in the area and delayed my homecoming, much to my frustration. Thankfully, it didn't last and 30 minutes later...I was home! As I was unlocking my front door, I could hear my cat Kimi meowing. She was SO HAPPY to see me...wouldn't stop meowing!

And, so, my third Five For Fighting groupie road trip has come to an end. I would say by far this was the best road trip ever! I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to top this one. When I get caught up on things, I'll be posting my end-of-the-road-trip number crunching blog, as well as my road trip wrap up. You'll read stuff that I didn't include in my previous blogs. So, stay tuned! Oh, there's no place like home!

Above the timberline...and down again

As I headed north out of the town of West Yellowstone, I had a couple of final encounters with local bison. I'm not sure why, but they sure like to eat along the sides of the road! I had to slow down as I was passing them, although I wasn't really expecting the bison to suddenly dash in front of me. The photo is actually one that I took yesterday at Yellowstone Park, but you get the idea.

My travel day consisted of basically taking I-90 through the length of Montana to my home state of Washington. About 7 hours of driving, with two gas fill ups, a lunch break and 3 rest area pit stops. I really didn't have time to do any sightseeing today, not that my heart was into it. I guess I'm just eager to get back home. Road tripping sure is fun, but after awhile, you get that urge to return to the real world and home, sweet home.

After filling my tank in Butte, MT, I was scanning the local radio stations for music when the sweet sound of John Ondrasik's voice filled my groupie mobile...Chances. I start every travel day with the Five For Fighting Slice CD. It always seems to set the mood for the rest of the day. I never get tired of listening to that one...it's my favorite Five For Fighting album.

Tomorrow, I make the final push home. I'm planning to avoid the interstate and take the more scenic route. It will delay my homecoming by no more than a half hour, and I might check out a couple of things along the way. I'm looking forward to hugging my cat and sleeping in my own bed!

Geysers are cool, but bison rule!

I couldn't have asked for a better day to visit Yellowstone National Park. The temperature was freezing as I arrived at the park entrance just after 8:00 am. There were already about 20 cars in line. I guess they were as eager as I was for the official opening for the spring season! Today was also the official day that my park annual pass paid for itself. Normally, national park entrance fees are $25 per car, and I had already gone to 3 such parks...Yellowstone would be Number 4. That would have been $100 total for me, except the annual pass only cost me $80. And, even though this is the last national park of my road trip, the pass is good for a year. I may be able to use it next year...I'm planning another road trip in March 2011!

As I drove into the park, it didn't take very long for cars to pull off the side of the road to see something...in this case, elk. I did, too, and snapped a few photos. I continued for only a few more miles before I stopped again. It was the first of many bison sightings that I would have today. These magnificent animals were nothing like the ones I had seen in zoos. It seems like living in the wild makes them bigger and healthier looking. My first destination of the day was Geyser Loop Trail, which included Old Faithful. Contrary to popular belief, Old Faithful is no longer very predictable. When I arrived, I had already decided I wasn't going to waste precious time waiting around for Old Faithful to blow. Instead, I started out on the trail to see what else this wonderful park had to offer. I wasn't disappointed. Geysers, springs, vents and pools. No other park in the United States can compare to Yellowstone when it comes to natural geothermal attractions. About a half hour into my walk, I heard a whooshing noise and looked over to see Old Faithful doing its thing. I snapped some photos from afar, but it didn't bother me that I wasn't seeing it up close. For me, it was just one of many things to see at the park. By the time I saw just about everything along the trails, I was on my way back to the parking lot when Old Faithful started spouting again. Like before, I missed being right there to see it. Oh, well.

By now, the temperature hovered around 60 degrees, it was sunny and breezy...perfect weather for a Pacific Northwesterner! I went to a couple of other locations with loop trails to see more stuff, including something I remember from my childhood... fountain paint pots! A pool of bubbling mud that resembles paint. After a lunch break, I was on the road heading to the Norris Geyser Basin when traffic came to an abrupt halt. Bison! A herd of about 30 bison decided to start walking on the roadway, and they have right-of-way! The animals took their sweet time, seemingly obvious to the vehicles trying to get by them. After about 15 minutes of going nowhere, a couple of guys on bikes seemed to spook them and they quickly ran off the road. Bison can move pretty fast when they want to! Oh, one indicator that this park has a lot of bison, you see their droppings...which I will call bison pies...all over the place! And, I mean ALL OVER! Every place I went today, you can see the pies!

As I was walking along the Norris trail, I soon heard the rather irritating sound of voices...LOUD voices! A small group of what appeared to be college students were talking obnoxiously loud, laughing, even chatting on a cell phone. You would think that just for one day they could leave the city out of the country. Just hearing them destroyed the serenity of anyone within earshot of their raucous conversation. Needless to say, I quickened my pace to get away from them, with success. After this trail, I was ready to call it quits for the day. I think I had walked about 6-7 miles total. I wasn't able to see everything I had planned, but I still had a wonderful time. I'll have to visit Yellowstone again to catch what I missed...there's just too much to see in one day!

Tomorrow, I start heading back home. It will be mostly a travel day, although I might have time for sightseeing. My road trip is almost over...but, I think it's time!

It was a BEARY good day!

Before leaving Ogden, UT this morning, there was something I just had to do. My groupie mobile was a bit dirty, thanks to the dust of Monument Valley and the overnight snow in Monticello, UT. I did a Google search and found a pretty good car wash just a few miles from my hotel. Ten minutes and $7 later, the Blazer looked great! They do things right at Supersonic Car Wash!

I drove north on boring I-15...yes, most interstate freeways are boring...then switched to the more pleasant Hwy 26. I stopped briefly in Idaho Falls for gas, and picked up a salad for lunch. I wasn't quite ready to eat, so I continued on until I reached the town of St Anthony. Right off the highway, I found a quiet little park. I ate my salad with the sight of the raging Henrys Fork...a tributary of the Snake River...roaring in front of me.

I pulled into West Yellowstone, MT mid-afternoon and headed over to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. This facility houses grizzly bears and grey wolves. The bears featured here were either orphaned after their mothers were killed or abandoned them, or were captured after they became habituated to human food and failed relocation efforts. There are also two wolf packs whose members were all captive bred. I had never seen such beautiful specimens of both species up close. I guess it helps when they're living basically in their native environment. Plus, the center makes extra effort to feed them properly. For example, the wolves eat elk and deer meat.

I have a big day tomorrow. Yellowstone National Park is officially opening their west entrance and the northern half of the park to vehicles for the season. And, I'll be there at 8:00 am when that happens. The last (and only) time I visited Yellowstone, I was only 12 or 13 years old. I remember very little...Old Faithful, paint pots and another geyser or two. That's it! I'm expecting to see so much more tomorrow. And, I think I'll appreciate what I'm seeing a lot better than before. My LONG wait to see Yellowstone again will finally come to an end!

Guns and railroads

I took things easy today. After three straight days of visiting parks...and a lot of walking...I needed a break. I just did a little bit of walking today...through a few museums. I left Green River, UT this morning and headed north to Ogden. My destination was Ogden Union Station, a once railroad depot built by the Union Pacific Railroad. It currently houses three museums...the Utah State Railroad Museum, the John M. Browning Firearms Museum and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum. Admission for all the museums was easy on the pocketbook...only $5.

I walked through the car museum first, which was the smallest of the three. It only consisted of 9 classic automobiles...all donated to the city of Ogden by the Browning family. I've always appreciated old cars, especially the REALLY old stuff. The autos in his small collection were in wonderful condition, and a few of them even appear in local parades. Next, I checked out the firearms museum. I don't consider myself a gun afficionado, but I AM familiar with certain makes and models, especially those used in battle. John M. Browning is one of the big names in the gun world. His firearm designs later appeared in models of other gun manufacturers such as Remington, Winchester and Colt. And, if you are a World War II enthusiast, I'm sure you've heard of the Browning Automatic Rifle or BAR.

I spent the longest amount of time in the railroad museum. I love museums that deal with historical events, and this museum did not disappoint. The bulk of exhibits dealt with the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad, which originated in the Midwest and terminated on the West Coast. Also known as the Overland Route, the railroad line was built from 1863-1869 by the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads. It was quite an amazing feat, considering all the work was done by hand!

Tomorrow is another easy travel day...nothing really big planned. I think I may even wake up a little later than usual. Oh, in case you were wondering, my sore neck is quite a bit better. The pain is bearable, but hasn't gone away completely. Since I haven't done much city driving lately, less need to turn my head side to side...that's the killer. Not that this would prevent me from being at the stage...and looking up...at a future Five For Fighting concert!

The REAL golden arches!

I was expecting a little precipitation overnight, but I wasn't expecting SNOW! I woke up to about an inch on my Blazer. But, I was prepared...I brought my scraper-snow brush! I also have my chains, just in case...better safe than sorry! Thankfully, the roads were clear as I left Monticello, UT on my way to my only destination of the day... Arches National Park! When I arrived in Moab, I decided to grab some lunch from a local supermarket. I was getting a bit tired of eating out and was craving some REAL food. I grabbed some string cheese, a couple of bananas and a container of enticing smoked salmon pasta salad.

When I arrived at the park, I flashed my annual pass, and continued on. I decided to do what is normally recommended at tourist attractions. Instead of starting at the sights closest to the entrance, I drove to the ones farthest away. The logic is that most people do the opposite, and I think I was correct. I had done some research ahead of time and decided I would try to see as many arches as I could in one day. That meant leaving out the ones that required the most walking to see...or the more strenuous hikes. With plan in place, I did six arches before breaking for lunch. Afterwards, I saw 5 more, including the most famous Delicate Arch. I opted not to attempt the 7 mile hike to get closest to it. Instead, it was the easier .6 mile walk...at least I thought it would be easy! It would prove to be the most strenuous of the day. The trail was fairly level at first, but soon turned into a rock staircase...that went up and up and up! I had to rest for a few seconds at each "landing," but I did better than some. After I reached the top and took photos of the arch...and got a good breather...I started down. As I descended, I tried to encourage those still on their way up. Comments like, "There's no shame in resting," and "It's not too much farther." One guy with his wife was pretty tired, and I told him, "There was nothing in the literature about the steep part, huh?" He laughed and agreed with me!

I would have to say that Arches is the most awesome park I've ever visited, Grand Canyon included. But, the best is yet to come...I think you might guess which park I'm talking about. Tomorrow, will be a sort of rest day...museums only! I'm looking forward to feeding my mind.

Rocks, rocks...and more rocks

My morning began with a rather abrupt and unexpected awakening at 5:30 am. No, it wasn't MY alarm clock...it was the HOTEL alarm clock. And, I didn't even set it! I never check the alarm clock before I go bed because I assume it's not activated. Well, this one was! So, I lost a half hour of sleep. I was planning to get up at 6:00 am anyway...which in reality was 7:00 am. Confused? Turns out the state of Arizona doesn't believe in Daylight Savings time! But, I still needed to account for it since I was traveling to Utah...which DID change their clocks last month!

My first destination of the day... Monument Valley, which is a Navajo Tribal Park. I had never been to this famous park, location of many old western flicks and more recent films like National Lampoon's Vacation, Forrest Gump and Thelma And Louise. Visitors can drive a loop road through the park to see the unique rock formations. I knew ahead of time the road was going to be rough...dirt and rock. I wasn't wrong about that. But, my Blazer negotiated things with ease. I wonder what the other folks in their sedans were thinking as they bounced along the roads on their street tires? The scenery was breath taking...well worth getting my ride covered with red dust! It was VERY windy, too, which blew that same dust into my hair! Yuk!

When I got back to the visitor parking lot, I decided to eat my lunch in my car. As I did so, I noticed a couple of cute mutts walking around, looking for handouts. They walked up to a car where an older man was eating chips. He threw some on the ground, and they gobbled up the treat. After I was done eating, I got out of my vehicle to dispose of my trash. The dogs walked up to me expectedly. I didn't have any more lunch, but I DID have some beef jerky. I gave each of them a couple of pieces, which they greatly appreciated! Such nice, well-mannered dogs!

Next, I traveled a short distance north to a small, but impressive state park... Goosenecks. This park is notable for their rock formations known as entrenched meander which resembles curved goose necks...hence the park's name. After snapping some photos, I took the quickest route to my last park of the day, Natural Bridges. What I didn't realize was that this road would prove to be the most challenging of the day. Utah's Hwy 261 has a 4-mile stretch of gravel road. Not only that, the road is a series of wicked switchbacks and no guardrails as you travel up a steep grade. I handled this challenge with ease, but as I was driving up, I couldn't help but think this is one road you wouldn't want to take at night!

When I arrived at Natural Bridges National Monument, I was admitted with the annual pass that I bought at Grand Canyon yesterday. After getting a park map, I drove their loop road. Natural Bridges has only three stone arches...unlike Arches National Park, which has many more. I had never seen a natural bridge...or arch, if you prefer...in my life, so three was impressive. There were actually trails leading to each bridge, but I only walked to one... Owachomo Bridge. I really didn't have time to hike to the other two, and it was only a quarter mile to this one. There was no one around as I trekked down the stone steps and over rocks to the bottom. It was nice to just have the bridge to myself.

Going to the parks during the slow part of the year is great...hardly anyone around! And, it's not too hot yet. But, it's supposed to cool off and rain overnight! Hopefully, the weather will be favorable for more park visits tomorrow!

It's a GRAND canyon!

The sun was shining as I left Kingman, AZ this morning. When I left Las Vegas after a great Five For Fighting show at Pet-a-Palooza yesterday, I drove over Hoover Dam. Naturally, such an important structure requires a certain sense of security. Before reaching the dam, there was a security checkpoint. I was asked what I had in my vehicle, and it was no surprise with all the stuff I had for my road trip that I was selected for inspection. I opened the back for the female security officer and after looking over my multiple bags...much of it clothes, some of it dirty...she was satisfied and I was on my way.

Today, there was only one activity on the agenda...visit Grand Canyon National Park. In a previous blog, I mentioned that I hadn't been here since I was a kid. I was excited to see what I couldn't remember. When I reached the entrance to the South Rim of the park, I opted to purchase the multi-agency annual pass. Considering it can cost up to $25 per park, it's a steal at $80. And, not only can you use it for the National Park Service, it's also good for other federal areas, such as Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since I'm planning to visit other parks during my road trip, it made sense to get the annual pass.

It took a few hours to drive from Kingman to Grand Canyon, so it didn't leave me as much time as I wanted. Still, I didn't want to rush things too much, so I elected to start my day by walking the popular Rim trail. It was a beautiful day...mid-60s, sunny and breezy. Plus, there weren't a whole lot of people either...I came at the right time of the year! That allowed me to walk the trail with little disruption and enjoy the serenity. I stopped often to survey the scenery from different viewpoints, and I took a lot of photos. I was surprised how many access points there were to the cliff edges...with no fences or railings! It's amazing that there are not more accidents...people falling over the edge! As for myself, the closest I got was a few feet, and I was VERY, VERY careful with my movements. That's one LONG drop!

When I reached the Bright Angel trailhead, I saw the famous mules waiting to take the next group of visitors down the trail. Initially, I had wanted to walk all the rim trails. But, being short of time, I decided to take the free park shuttle to various viewpoints along the rest of the Rim trail. While walking the trails and riding the shuttles, I encountered a lot of foreign visitors. Considering the Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world, it attracts a lot of tourists, both foreign and domestic. I did make one humorous observation. I saw a Korean family enjoying their day at the park. The dad was taking photos with a rather small digital camera...attached to a full-sized tripod! I guess it made it easier to take a steady picture, but it sure looked funny!

Tomorrow, I continue my park adventures. Crossing my fingers the good weather holds!