Interrupting for technical difficulties

We moved on to Washington State, but still close to the Oregon border. We wanted to see a few things along the beautiful Columbia River and Mt. St. Helens. We also needed to stay in one place for a more extended stay than is normal for us. We had to ship our laptop to Dell for repairs. Technical support had tried to coach us through a remedial measure, but after two hours, our screen still was not working properly. We decided that if a similar tech support request comes our way again, we'll simply advise that we don't have a screwdriver that works on our laptop! We needed time for the computer to make it's way to Houston, TX and back again. The RV park in Kelso, WA fit the bill very well. It's great for an extended stay with some perks like a great walking trail, fitness equipment and a quiet setting.

Our first outing was to view Mt. St. Helens. Craig and I had a hard time believing 30 years had passed since the eruption. We had some recollections from the news reports at the time, but we definitely had our eyes opened by visiting the exhibits and the mountain itself. Several things we didn't fully realize:

• Rumblings of the impending eruption began six weeks prior to the major event, causing officials to evacuate residents in March, 1980 (can you believe it has been that long?).


• The major event occurred only one day after local residents had been allowed to return briefly to their homes to check on things and retrieve belongings (very bad timing!).


• The major impacts of the eruption occurred within minutes and with no distinctive forewarning (the rapid forming of the bulge on the side of the mountain and explosion).

The terrible devastation surrounding the mountain was caused by three sequential events:

1. the collapse and massive avalanche of the mountain,
2. the surge of mud, snow, boulders and trees
3. and the blast from the sudden explosion of volcanic gases, ash and lava horizontally.

The visitor's center had provided some great perspective on the explosion while we were still at quite a distance from the mountain. We were much more appreciative of both the mountain's appearance before and after the eruption when we were able to get a closer look.

The contrast of the reports of the eruption and the quiet that envelopes the mountain now gives rise to an eerie feeling - even 30 years later!

After seeing the heavy forests in other parts of the state and on nearby mountains, the barren acres with stumps and still visible fallen trunks provide continual evidence of the massive destruction. Presentations told us of massive, 8' diameter trunks literally blown out of the ground and thrown down the mountain with boulders and ash.

Many acres have been replanted with new forests that still look 'young'. We can only imagine how the area looked without this new growth. In many areas, the natural wildflowers were in full bloom.

Evidence of returned wildlife also appeared with this small herd of elk near the base of the primary observation center for the mountain.

We left the mountain sobered from the unleashed power from the subsurface areas of the earth. We also were intrigued with the return of life to the thoroughly destroyed landscape. We were saddened to hear the stories of lost lives and amazed at stories of a few survivors. More prominent than any of these impressions was the fact that the awesome God that created this world could certainly and equally amazingly destroy the creation in very short order. We dwell on this world and with Him forever due only to His grace.