Mount St Helens :: 30 Years Later

At 8:32 am on May 18th, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake “shook the ground beneath Mount St. Helens in Washington state, setting off one of the largest landslides in recorded history - the entire north slope of the volcano slid away. As the land moved, it exposed the superheated core of the volcano setting off gigantic explosions and eruptions of steam, ash and rock debris. The blast was heard hundreds of miles away, the pressure wave flattened entire forests, the heat melted glaciers and set off destructive mudflows, and 57 people lost their lives. The erupting ash column shot up 80,000 feet into the atmosphere for over 10 hours, depositing ash across Eastern Washington and 10 other states.” - - from The Big Picture which has a fantastic collection of photos of the volcano and its 1980 eruption.

The western side of Mount Saint Helens as seen from the Visitor Center at Silver Lake, 46 road-miles away.

From a viewpoint on the north-northwest side.
Clouds covered the upper half of the volcano for the entire afternoon with an occasional break, which briefly revealed the peaks. This, and the remaining photos were taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Named for David A. Johnston, a volcanologist on duty nearby on that fateful day. His last words were “Vancouver, this is it!”

The lateral blast exploded to the north toward what is now Johnston Ridge and, quite literally, destroyed everything in its path.

The mountains and valleys were tall old-growth forest. Now all that remains are a few denuded logs lying about like pick-up-sticks.

A park service sign nearby tells a tale of the blast as “spoken” by this stump: “Step up and look at me carefully. Notice my shattered trunk, my missing top. I once stood 150 feet tall, surrounded by a beautiful forest of green and growing trees. When the blast exploded sideways out of the mountain, it plowed through the debris avalanche and swept across the landscape, picking up and carrying large chunks of rock, ice, and splintered wood.”

“Within a minute, I was struck and scoured by the stone-filled wind. My bark and branches were stripped and scattered toward the edge of the blast zone, 17 miles away. As trees that had stood for hundreds of years crashed around me, my upper trunk strained, then shattered in the nearly 700 mph winds. Only a small part of me remains as evidence of the blast's power.”

Down in the valley, the blast dumped 680 feet of debris, filling Spirit Lake to the east with logs and ash.

Johnston Ridge was completely denuded. Spirit Lake lies beneath the far ridge at left-center and St. Helens rises up from the valley on the right.

The early evening light emphasizes the ridges and the gulleys now being carved out by the flow of water.

Another view of cloud shrouded St. Helens from Johnston Ridge in the early evening. All photos were taken on Sunday, September 12th.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, which is 5 ½ miles from the crater, has some really nice exhibits as well as a 16-minute movie about St. Helens. If you've never been there, it is well worth the 60-mile drive off of Interstate 5 on State Road 504.

A couple of the many websites about Mount St. Helens:

• The many faces of Mt. St. Helens
• Mount St. Helens Visitor Guide
• Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Gratitude

Gratitude is a beautiful thing. I've been full of thoughts of gratitude all month long. Today I realized what a strange thing it can be though. We did a Skype chat with one of our Reach the World classrooms. And I left with such overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity, I had to blog while I am still full of the emotions that it filled me with.



Picture it. Here we are sitting in sunny and warm Florida...hanging out in our lounge chairs next to the palm trees. Living a leisurely and good life. On the other end is a fourth grade classroom. In Harlem. Living...well, I don't know how, because I've never been to Harlem. But I'm guessing it is not so warm and maybe not so lazy of a pace.



That's not the point though. Because it's not like we were sitting around feeling sorry for them because we are in Florida and they are in Harlem. We've traveled enough to know that every place is interesting and has it's pros and cons. So it's not pity moving us to be here. In fact, we were not really sitting around feeling anything but excited to do this. We want to give this classroom full of wonderful little people whatever it is they might ask of us during the chat. Stories, information, maybe just a chance to talk to someone living somewhere else.

On the other hand, we are not so naive that we aren't aware that they may in fact lead a harder in some ways life than we currently are. We realize just being in school might be a daily challenge. Getting good grades and having great attendance might be something that presses heavily on them and is a giant victory when they do succeed in reaching those goals. We trust like most children, they are warriors in their own ways.

But none of this is on our minds at this moment. Mostly I am just filled with excitement that I get to do this chat with them. And I'm wondering how Austin will do with it all. The point is, I am completely self absorbed really. Just full of myself wondering what I can give and hoping it is enough and so grateful to have the opportunity.

The point is, I'm not thinking at all about what this might mean to them.



Then the beauties and cuties file in and we see them on the webcam. They are awesome. Bright and shining faces and all. Nervous grins so we are waving at them to ease them (and ourselves). The teacher says how excited they've been to meet us. That they showed up on Monday waiting to chat. (We had to cancel and reschedule due to our travel plans) And then she says...they dressed up so they'd look their best for you. I look and see that they are in fact dressed up. In their Sunday best. To meet us.



At which point I lost it. I mean, started crying right on the spot. Had to step away from the webcam to pull myself together. These amazing people were so excited to meet *us* that they dressed up to look their best for it??? Seriously??? Oh, my. I didn't quite know what to do with that except stop and revel in the wonder of it.

These lovelies were extending such a precious gift of gratitude to us. Wow. It's a rare moment in life when you realize equally mutual gratitude is happening right at that very moment. I mean I've been on one side or the other many times and it's a good thing to be on either side. But to have both of you be so filled with gratitude and sharing it in this communal way. It's a deeply spiritual thing. It changes you. It is something words can't quite capture.



I was just showing up to do a chat on our travels. I had no idea such a beautiful gift would be given to me. Incredible! What a wonderful, and oh so fitting way to head into Thanksgiving.



Thank you, Ms. Johnson's class. I can't wait to meet you in person. It is a given I will cry even harder then.

Rider Fatigue and Bicycle Design

While I'd heard cyclists speak of rider fatigue in relation to bicycle frame design and ride quality, I did not understand what exactly this meant until I got a chance to experience and compare a number of different bikes myself. Riding a variety of bicycles over the same routes, I've noticed that some make me more tired than others independent of the ride's intensity. I can be cycling strenuously on Bike A and really feeling it in my leg muscles, yet remain energetic for the duration of the ride and even feel"refreshed" rather than tired at the end. Or I can be cycling at a moderate speed on Bike B and not exerting myself much, yet feeling more worn out than during the more strenuous ride on the other bike.



A reasonable assumption would be that a heavier and slower bicycle would be more fatiguing than a lighter, faster one, but for me that is not always the case. It seems to have more to do with how the bike feels on the road. When a bike does not do a good job dampening road shock, I begin to feel exhausted very easily. I also seem to be sensitive to a bicycle frame's tubing, because some bikes just feel more effortful to propel forward than others, despite similar geometry, size and fit. Oddly, positioning does not seem to have as much to do with it for me as these other aspects: Some bikes I can ride for a long time in an upright position and some bikes I can ride for a long time in an aggressive drop-bar position, whereas on other bikes these very same postures begin to feel exhausting sooner.



What has been your experience with fatigue on different bicycles? Have you noticed any patterns or connections? I suspect that there is no one formula to this. No doubt it is a complex interaction between a number of factors, including individual anatomy.

Royal H. Mixte Logos

Some of you have asked what the decals on my Royal H. mixte will look like, and I now have pictures. But there won't actually be any decals: the logos are being painted (stenciled) by hand, by Circle A in Providence, RI. I chose these designs out of many that were available, because I thought the aesthetic would suit my bicycle very nicely.

So this is what the downtube logo will look like:


And this is what the headtube logo will look like:

The image may seem a little strange in .jpg form, but on an actual head tube it looks ridiculously beautiful - like an expressionist woodblock print. I remember stopping in my tracks the first time I saw this design on another Royal H. bike, and thinking "I want THAT". Eventually I will get a headbadge made and attach it over the logo, but for now it will be painted. (Meanwhile, if you are a headbadge maker, do drop me a line - especially if you are local.)

The logos will be done in a dark gold (more like a bronze or copper) over the sage green frame. Circle A warned me that there won't be a great deal of contrast between the frame colour and the logos, but that is fine with me; I am not going for a contrasty look. The lug cutouts (or "windows", if you will) will be painted the same gold as the logos, and I've also asked Circle A to do the lug outlining. I can do it myself, but their work will no doubt be nicer, plus it will match the other gold detailing exactly. Here is an example of a fancy outlining job they've done on another bike, but mine will be a toned down version.

So there it is. I think the paint and logos are done at this point and they are working on the lug outlining. I haven't seen pictures of the painted frame yet, but I am sure it's gorgeous. The anticipation is killing me!

Duck huddle

The decoys have become unmoored.

One still has a little listing to starboard problem.

I suspect that Magazine Man may be right - it's the duck equivalent of mooning everyone. How rude!

---

In other news, we have DSL!

I had to run and rub Hick's nose in it, since she also lives in the country, and also has a dog named Jasmine.

But she evidently hasn't pleased the high-speed internet gods like I have. Or she doesn't live near a highway, or something.

Road to Trail: Speed, Skills and Bikes

Among the people I ride with it is popular to mix stretches of dirt roads, paths and trails into what are otherwise fast road rides (well, they call the rides "social pace," but there is a certain level you have to reach in order to be social at that pace!). At first I would only join the rides that promised not to do any off-road whatsoever, but now I am gradually starting to ease into riding stretches of dirt trails.



Doing this in the company of experienced cyclists has given me a different perspective than riding in similar terrain alone. The biggest difference is that they go fast, whereas on my own I used to see cycling off road as something to be done cautiously and slowly. Now I am noticing that going fast can actually make things easier.Riding on rock-strewn dirt and gravel requires more effort and lower gearing than riding on pavement, particularly when going uphill. Ride too slowly, and the bike can get bogged down. But maintain speed, and the momentum "carries" the bike through sections that might otherwise seem difficult or scary. It's counterintuitive for a beginner, because the natural inclination is to slow down if the terrain gets challenging. And this is where riding with a group is helpful: following their pace means quickly learning the "faster is easier" lesson through experience. Of course partof it is also psychological. When I am focused on trying to keep up with the group, I don't really have the opportunity to worry about every single ditch and rock and root formation - my instincts kick in and somehow I end up riding through sections I would have considered too challenging if given a chance to think.



As far as skills, I am finding once again (as I did with roadcycling earlier) that I improve quickly with others and very slowly, if at all, on my own. I've ridden on dirt trails before, but now I feel that all those rides taken together did nothing for me compared to the single stretch of off-road I did as part of a ride last weekend. It wasn't a long section, but it had a bit of everything that terrifies me: ditches, rocks, mud, a bit of climbing and descending, even a tad of residual snow and ice. We rode through it quickly, and afterward I suddenly felt like I "got it," whereas on all of my slow and cautious lone rides previously I wasn't really getting it at all.



It seems to me that a good bike for transitioning from road to trails and back needs to be fast, light, responsive, and ideally to have wide tires. Last year I would probably have started with "wide tires" and listed everything else as optional, but recent experience makes me reconsider. I have found it easier to "push" a faster, lighter bike through dirt, especially uphill, than a slower and heavier one. And I have found it easier to avoid obstacles on a quick-responding bike than on a stable but sluggish one. And while wide tires would make things better still, it seems to me that those other factors are crucial.



My impression is that for a while there was a tendency in the bicycle industry to associate wide tires with more relaxed, heavier and slower touring-style bikes - the reasoning being that if you want wide tires, you probably do not need to go fast. Therefore, it was difficult to find bicycles that both had clearance for tires over 25mm and were sufficiently fast and aggressive. That began to change with the rising popularity of cyclocross, and with people like Jan Heine reviving interest in the classic randonneuring bicycle. Races and other competitive events with both road and dirt sections have become more mainstream over the past several years as well. I am not sure whether in the long run any of this will be relevant to me, but it is an interesting development. More builders and manufacturers are starting to specialise in fast road-to-trail bikes, and locally this type of riding seems to be all the rage. Whether I have what it takes to take part in it remains to be determined.

Oh my!

Simply stunning photo from Jon Griffith, again!



Courmayeur in the moonlight



Photo courtesy of Jon Griffith



More here but there is a link on my blog list on the right margin as well.



http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions/3849152-innominata-ridge-mont-blanc

Slip slidin' away

A brief glimpse of sun at the turnpike turn around

The last couple days have been sloppy here in the Laurel Highlands. Copious amounts of rain have saturated the area leaving rocks unclimbable and the trails a soupy mess. Long sections of trail are completely submerged others are currently swamped. Don't get me wrong, running a few hours in the rain is no big deal and usually quite refreshing on hot, humid days. Unfortunately the downside to rain is that it sometimes comes accompanied by dangerous thunder and lightning storms. Personally I've been caught in a few truly scary storms. Mostly on the trail or rock, hours from the car. The whole time feeling vulnerable, helpless and scared shitless. I've obviously survived the experiences. When threats of bad weather are present when trying to get out, my mind races to thoughts of two friends killed by lightning on a mountaineering trip some years ago. Is the risk of getting struck that high or were they in the wrong place at the wrong time? I guess those thoughts and experiences are what had me scrutinizing the radar images the last couple of days. I was an armchair meteorologist watching for gaps between storms that provided time to squeeze in a couple wet, but storm-free runs.




Friday 6/28. Route 31 trail head to the turnpike bridge and back, 11.5 miles. 2:02:10, Elevation: gain 1,974', loss 1,971'.

It rained on me most of the way, with the exception of a few minutes when I was able to snap the picture of the turnpike bridge above. Passed one (saturated) couple on tunnel road heading to Rt. 31 shelters for the night. Really humid, lots of water needed consuming after this one.




Saturday 6/29 Route 653 trail head to Grindle Ridge shelters and back, 11.5 miles. 2:07:34, Elevation: gain 905', loss 908'.

Ran accompanied by "Granola" our 4 legged, trail loving, machine. He usually comes with me on easy training days under 15 miles. He's a great pacer and always makes new trail friends along the way. Today we met a family of 5 on an out and back to Bear Rocks, a group of scouts from McCandless and afather and son spending a few days training for a Philmontscouting trip. Granola seems to put a smile on everyone's face... Keep an eye out for us on the local trails (usually you'll meet him first). Below is a picture of him after his run today, tired and content to be back at the car. The trail wasn't as bad as yesterday, but still a mess. Downed trees were plentiful from the high winds during the recent storms. Ran with only a few brief periods of rain. I managed a seriously painful rock kicking that had me stop and wince a few minutes (luckily near the end). I also managed a spectacular fall from a downed tree that I was scrambling over (after the rock kicking). A few squirrels chuckled at my failed "cat like reflexes"... Trail runner my ass! they declared as I hobbled hobbled up the hill. Run miles, climb often and always ignore the rude squirrel comments! They'll most likely end up as hawk dinner...

Today was a good day! "Granola" post run

Happy Birthday! Two years gone by!

C-T as of Jan 29 is now just 2 years old. Overalla million pluspage readswith 80K+ hits in just Jan of alone.Most views in one day? 3541! Somewhere over 800 comments from readers and 700answers. As of today259 members. Truly unbelievable to me.



Thank you to everyone who drops by for a look see or asks a question or adds a comment! A special thanks to those guys who offered guest blogs this winter when I wasn't writing. Even more so to all the suppliers/manufacturers who trusted me to show case their products in the last two years. It has been great fun!



Here is last year's birthday comment:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/january-29-.html

Then and Now!

I thought this was kinda fun!









Cascade Falls




Top of Cascade 1973









Top of Cascade







Snivellling Gully






3rd pitch, Snivelling Gully 1977









3rd pitch, Snivelling Gully

and at almost exactly the same place, just a lot more relaxed




With no helmets you always had a good reason for a big hat and wantedto be leading!









Professor's Falls
















Ist pitch of Professor's 1978
















Ist Pitch of Professor's









Within just a few feet of the same position in each picture on each climb.

Just 39, 35 and 34 years and a gazillion miles between them.




Life is indeed very good!

Desert Calm

After an argument with someone you love a couple of hours out on the desert alone can really help. Or at least it helped me to calm down yesterday. There is something about being out on the desert that makes you realize just how small you are in comparison to all the nothing-ness that is all around you. Or at first it seems like nothing-ness but the longer you are there you realize just how much there is on the desert. At first it is hard to see anything but sky, dirt and weeds. But gradually the sky gets bluer or darker, or cloudy-er. Then the weeds become sagebrush, wildflowers, and juniper trees. The dirt wholes it all together. It may be sandy and blowing or just down right irritating but it is there to make sure the flowers, brush, and trees are able to survive. As you spend more time on the desert you will start to see the other lives that live there. The birds rabbits, mice, coyotes, foxes, badgers, and if your really lucky deer, bobcats, porcupines.

Here are a few photos of some of the cholla cactus that were blooming. That luscious purple color can't conceivable come from a stickery cactus but it does. And of course the bees were just thick on them.

Farewell A.V. Ristorante

(photo by bethhowe1 @ flickr)

Augosto Vasaio opened his landmark Italian restaurant in July 1949 on New York Avenue, and it became magnet for everyone from stars to well, just everyone. My cousin, Peter adored it for the large portions of comfort food, Italian style. He was in heaven when we had our cousin parties there. I remember him ordering platters and plates until we all left groaning. Plus they were a customer. Uncle Mimi and Dad's business, Modern Linen, kept them supplied with tablecloths and napkins for years.

Dad remembers that Augusto used to fill a station wagon full of stockings, toothpaste, cigarettes- whatever he thought would sell. He and the car would get on a boat to Italy every year, and then back he'd come with a new load of olive oil and pasta and cheeses. Not to mention that Italian yard marble A.V.'s is famous for in the courtyard.

Another piece of Washington history is slipping away. The doors close July 28.
Hurry.

I'll Remember A.P. R. I. L.

Antique Rose Emporium


When my friend Diane Goode first proposed that we make a trip to the Antique Rose Emporium the year was 1999 and I still lived in Illinois. Diane was the relocator assigned to help our family move to Texas and as we drove around looking at houses, our shared love of gardening helped us bond. It took us 11 years to get there but the Antique Rose Emporium was ours last week! I cut a few roses from my no-name tall pink climber and brought them along in hopes the experts could ID it for me.An overcast day and 70°F was perfect for driving nearly 100 miles to stroll the grounds near Brenham, Texas. We stayed for hours...

...reveling in the beautiful setting, inhaling the rose-scented air and enjoying the fabulously lovely wedding area, as our red wagons gradually filled with must-have plants from red columbines to bedding geraniums to Batface Cuphea to Foxgloves to 'John Fanick' phlox.


You can't go to the Rose Emporium and come home without a rose! Diane bought a hybrid musk rose called 'Penelope' and I could not resist the creamy white 'Climbing Iceberg' . It was late afternoon when we left and headed to Brenham for lunch and pie. What a wonderful day!


Pink-splosion was promised by 'Belinda's Dream' and she's delivered! This rose came with many recommendations when I planted it in the dry spring of .., never guessing that the drought would go on for another year and a half. 'Belinda's Dream' made a few flowers now and then but was not that exciting. But since the drought broke last fall, she's become established- acting like the plain secretary in an old movie- taking off her glasses, shaking out her tresses and revealing that she's a beauty, after all.

Reyna De Los Coyolles We took the southerly route back from the rose emporium, veering toward Bastrop, with our destination a place Diane had found on Highway 21 in Cedar Creek. I think that "Reyna De Los Coyolles" might mean "Queen of the Cannas", but if anyone knows for sure please tell everyone in a comment.


This is a fascinating & unusual nursery spread out over several acres. There are displays of beautiful pots and quirky decorations:You will see fields of growing plants in bloom:



There are perennials, daylilies and bulbs with the names of plants seldom written on labels but kept in order inside the nurserywoman Heidi's head. If the exact botanical name is important to you, you may have to do some research after you get home, but the variety of plants is stunning! Some things are already growing in containers - some will be dug for you once you choose them. Diane was thrilled to find a plant she remembers from her childhood growing at this nursery - she's been seeking a Cashmere Bouquet Flower for years.


Choosing a Louisiana Iris had me in a tizzy - how could I have just one color when I wanted them all?
But my garden is small and a decision had to be made - blue? Butter yellow?I've wanted a pale yellow iris for some time so this pale yellow Louisiana iris was the winner:Heidi also had gladiolus and Pineapple lilies - had to try one of those....and yay! there was a row of turtle stepping stones in the same design as one bought for our patio a few years ago. We wanted two but could never find another until now.


I'm still regretting that I did NOT buy one of the white & green amaryllis. Guess we'll just have to go back!
Iris siberica-

My blue violet passalong made it through last summer in good shape but there were fewer flowers than last year -

Every single one was beautiful.




Late start for the Divas of the Dirt in .. - our first project usually takes place in February, but this year we weren't able to garden together until April!

Please check out the Divas of the Dirt Blog where we make a front yard vegetable garden, redo the shade beds and have some wonderful food at Sophia's house.


Happy A P R I L!