Mt Saint Helens

So this was the first time I had ever been to the Mt Saint Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory, we were in the area for a soccer tournament and had time for a quick trip between soccer games.

I found the facility itself to be a neat design built into the hill side with an absolutely incredible view of Mt. Saint Helens, but my trip there was a bit abbreviated and kinda reminded me of the Speed Zoo scene from the movie 'True Crime' with Clint Eastwood.

We had time to check out the view, then scamper back down for a short movie on the mountain and the eruption and the damage it caused and then a brief cruise through the interpretive center hitting a couple highlights on the way out and time for a group photo before heading back to the car and back to the motel for some rest before the next game.

The image is from the theater which shows a movie and when done has some curtains the open up for a spectacular window view!!

Mt. Adams

Two Sisters

This is a different view on some shots I took a over a week ago this spot is located in Washington along Hwy 730 near the Oregon and Washington State Line in an area called the Wallula Gap. The Wallula Gap was visited by Lewis and Clark and is recognized as a National Landmark for its geological significance.

Two Sister legend:

"Coyote, the mischievous spirit hero of many native stories, fell in love with three sisters who were building a salmon trap on the river near here. Each night Coyote would destroy their trap, and each day the girls would rebuild it. One morning coyote saw the girls crying and found out that they were starving because they had not been able to catch any fish in their trap. Coyote promised them a working fish trap if they would become his wives. They agreed, and coyote kept his promise; however, over the years he became jealous of them. He changed two of the wives into these basalt pillars and turned the third into a cave downstream. He then became a rock nearby so he could watch over them forever."