June 2014 Northern California to Chicago

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PAGE THREE

Thursday 26th June

We have had very heavy rain overnight with flooding and what they call 'ponding' although it is very warm and humid. George has woken up with a bad back but after a good breakfast we are on our way and as soon as we cross the River Columbia we are in the state of Washington; this is the 36th state we have visited since our first visit to California in 1988 when Martin was 10 years old and Amy was only 4 years old. It is a very grey day the weatherman forecast 100%!c(MISSING)hance of precipitation and it is certainly precipitating it down today as we travel through Washington!

We had plans to visit Mount St Helens the active volcano but as the weather does not look like it will improve we decide to look for a shopping mall and we find an excellent one right next door to our hotel. There is a library at the mall so George sits down to rest his back and read a good book while I do a bit of shopping. The hotel 'Guesthouse & Suites' is really luxurious, we have a lovely suite and we go into the spa bath for a while which helps George's back. The weather has improved slightly but we decide to stay here for another night and visit St Helens tomorrow. George thought it was just a few years since the volcano last erupted as he could remember the details well including the fact that 57 people had died but when we asked the receptionist she said it was in the 80s - before she was born! When we checked it was 18th May 1980 - 34 years ago. We eat at the Red Lobster tonight a very good seafood restaurant with very friendly staff and I have a perfect margarita.When we leave the restaurant the sky is much brighter than it has been all day and there is a bit of blue sky so fingers crossed for a pleasant day tomorrow for our visit to Mount St Helens.

Friday 27th June

George has already been in the spa when I wake up this morning and his back is a little bit better, we have a good breakfast and enjoy chatting to several American couples. George is wearing his "Royal Navy Frogman" t shirt and one guy wants to talk to him about the Navy. Americans are so friendly and they always say "we love your accent". We mention to one couple that we are visiting Mount St Helens and they tell us that their garden was covered in ash 4" deep after it erupted.The weather seems slightly better than yesterday but it is raining hard as we set off for Mount St Helens we drive through Toutle Valley and into Bigfoot Country but with the poor visibility we have little chance of spotting a yeti. At the Mount St Helens Visitor Centre we see a movie about the eruption on 18th May 1980 which is very graphic and educational and then we enjoy a talk by a young ranger. The cloud has now lifted a little and although we cannot see the top we can see the crater that was formed after the eruption. I walk up to the top of the Johnston Observatory it is very cold and the cloud has descended once again, there are notices everywhere saying keep to the path the wild areas are covered in foxgloves, wild lupins, campanula, clover and big daisies. When we leave we drive through a cloud which is like thick fog. Spend some more time in the spa and then walk across to Macy's which is just across the car park, we have a meal in our lovely suite this evening. We have enjoyed our few days in Washington very much, tomorrow we head south back into Oregon.

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Photos

Mount St Helens volcano
On a a wet cloudy day

Mount St Helens
Erupted on 18th May 1980 after being dormant for 123 years.

Mount St Helens
The surrounding area is beautiful

Mount St Helens
Lovely wild flowers are all around

Mount St Helens
From the Johnston Ridge Observatory

Comments

[Amy]

Happy holidays
Glad you're enjoying yourselves. Joni Mitchell? That's really exciting! Hope the back is ok now Papa x