Thursday – July 5, 2012
It was a bright blue sunny day with a cool temperature in the 60s. We slept well in the Quality Court after the fireworks were over. Selling fireworks is legal in Washington so the explosions continued well into the night. There were public fireworks in Sacajawea Park at about 9:30 which we could see from our 2nd floor window. Afterwards there were the private fireworks until about midnight.
Pine Tree Hills on Route 504
Today was our day to visit Mt. St. Helens so we left the hotel reasonably early and drove north on Route 5 to the Castle Rock exit. Then it’s 52 miles on Route 504, also called the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, to the Johnston Ridge Observatory at the end of the road.
View From the Hoffstadt Visitor Center
The Observatory was named in honor of the volcanologist David Johnston who was on duty when the volcano erupted on May 18, 1980. He was one of 57 people who lost their lives during the eruption. The Observatory was built five miles away in the Blast Zone overlooking the north face of Mt. St. Helens.
Picture of the Blast Zone
One of the pull-offs along the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway marked the edge of the Blast Zone. In the picture above: the black line is the highway and the encircled black dot on the left is the location of this sign.
New Bridge Entering the Blast Zone
Leaving the pull-off we drove across the bridge and into the Blast Zone. After the 1980 eruption, there were no trees or vegetation left in this area. Today there are signs informing the public that Weyerhaeuser planted new trees there as a reforestation project.
Driving Closer to Mt. St. Helens
Mt. St Helens – Still Miles Away
Western Face of the Mountain
Driving Closer
Thinning Trees
Getting Closer
The North Face
Charred Trees
Some New Growth in the Ashes After 32 Years
Edge of the Johnston Ridge Observatory
View From Johnston Ridge Observatory
Behind the J. R. O.
Mt. St. Helens Today
I think of Mt. St. Helens as a very sad and tragic place, but actually it is a place which demonstrated how unpredictable and powerful natural forces can be. Mt. St. Helens also shows how Nature replenishes, rebuilds, and changes over time. Flowers continue to bloom and plants and trees are gradually filling in the landscape.
Lobby of the Embassy Suites – Portland, Oregon
We drove away from Mt. St. Helens, Washington, back along Route 504 then onto Route 5 South toward Portland, Oregon. Jeff found the Embassy Suites on tripadvisor.com and was intrigued by the description and made a reservation. So that was our destination in Portland.
Another View of the Lobby
We learned that the Embassy Suites building used to be the historic Multnomah Hotel which was built in 1912. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. When it was built, the Multnohah Hotel was the largest and most modern hotel in the Northwest.
Another View of the “Palatial” Lobby
The hotel was filled with members of the National Barbershop Harmony Society. There were small groups of people harmonizing all over the hotel and the city.
Logo For the Barbershop Harmony Society
After we checked into the hotel, we went out to explore Portland. One place on our “must see” list was the Portland Art Museum. We walked to 10th Street and waited for MAX – the light-rail train. The downtown center of Portland is a Free Fare Zone, which means that all transportation is FREE to all riders! What a great idea. More cities should adopt this policy.
Modern Portland Mid-Town Street
The Max – Light Rail
It was a short free ride to the Portland Art Museum. We walked to Park Avenue to the museum and were pleasantly surprised to find two rooms of beautiful Ancient Chinese art.
The current new exhibitions were California Impressionism, Ellsworth Kelly Prints, and Claude Monet. We explored as much as time allowed and were impressed by PAM’s collection.
Ancient Chinese Terra Cotta
Chinese Room
European Art Room
Modern Art Room
Contemporary Sculpture
The Portland Art Museum was a delightful place which had an amazing collection of art. It has an excellent collection of art which ranges from ancient to contemporary. It was a late night for the museum and we were able to see as much as possible until almost 8:00 P.M.
We left the museum and took the light-rail back to the neighborhood of the hotel. Jeff had read that Voodoo Doughnuts was around the corner so we went there. We had good pizza outdoors across the alleyway and watched the crowds at the doughnut shop.
Activity Near Voodoo Doughnuts
Picnic tables were set up in the alleyway for people to eat their doughnuts. All the tables were full of doughnut eaters. After we finished our pizza, we joined the line. We waited on line for about 45 minutes. Jeff wanted to try the Maple Bacon, the Voodoo Doll, and the Memphis Mafia. I ordered a simple, small Raspberry Romeo. All the doughnuts were very fresh & delicious!
Line Waiting For Doughnuts
Voodoo Doughnut Sign