Twenty-five years ago today....

wendybeth · 05-18-2005, 09:13 PM

Mount St. Helens erupted, and I got a week off from school! The newspaper printed a special insert today- brought back lots of memories. Weird day. The picture below was taken at 3:00 in the afternoon, and it was nearly pitch black out. (Had been a sunny, clear day).

Ghoulish Delight · 05-18-2005, 10:19 PM

I have a pen with some ash, as well as just a bottle of ash. I was 2.

sleepyjeff · 05-18-2005, 10:30 PM

It was sunny and clear here in Portland, even though we are only 1/3 the distance from the Mt. as Spokane.....prevailing winds being West to East and all.

We got our Ash a couple months later durring the Big July Eruption when the wind was blowing South.

What a Year that was...Miracle on Ice, Hostages in Iran, Soviets invading Afgahnistan, the Marial Boat Crisis, the Olympic Boycott, Asteriods, gas lines, and Volcanic Eruptions

cirquelover · 05-18-2005, 11:58 PM

I've seen a lot of news coverage today on it. I remember it well, my mom and I had just moved into our new house and when we turned on the tv for the first time there it was. My mom freaked out a little, She was much worse once the ash came our way a month or so later.
I still have my tshirt somewhere and ash in at least one form!

I can't imagine having day turn to night. I'm glad I wasn't closer.

My husband wants to take the boy up there now that they opened back up Johnston Ridge, of course she is rumbling again!

Drince88 · 05-19-2005, 04:19 AM

Not only did the winds help Portland stay ash-free on May 18, the direction the mountain actually blew did too. From Portland, the Mt just looks like it got chopped off, but from other directions you can see the huge chunk taken out of the side, too.

I remember my Dad was flying for work quite a bit then, and from what he said, the Air Traffic Controllers must have loved it when there were clear days - 'cause all the airplanes requested to go around the mountain to show the passengers.

I also remember what Mom did with us one weekend (or maybe it was Spring Break) earlier that year - the mountain had been rumbling and the "zones" were set up by the governor (Dixie Lee Ray, I think) - it was a great day weather-wise, and so we drove up I-5 a ways so we could look at the mountain "before it changed forever".

I'm going to visit the area for the 4th of July and hope to be able to go to at least one of the visitor's centers finally. I heard one of them has a movie they show of the erruption, and then they open the curtains and you see what it looks like from just about the same angle live.

Ponine · 05-19-2005, 08:19 AM

San Diego, California....
I don't know what day, I know that I was home from school... I would have been eleven.
We walked outside onto the street, myself, my mom, and a bunch of other moms and kids from the block.. we all stood in the middle of the street to watch the closest thing to snow we were ever going to see on our street.
Our cars were covered in a light film, and it was very easy to write your name on the cars, and windows. So much easier than dirt!

I dont remember how long we stood out in the street, but it was a good while. In retrospect, i dont know that we ever stopped and thought as kids that anyone was seeing it any worse than we were, or that any one was in danger.

wendybeth · 05-19-2005, 08:38 AM

That morning, my mom and I had gone outside to lay in the sun. It was supposed to get pretty warm that day, and the sky was clear. Our backyard was filled with tall pine trees which limited our view of the horizon, so we didn't notice anything at first. Suddenly, my mom, who is from Nebraska (AKA Tornado Alley) sat up and said "Run inside- get in the basement!" I looked in the direction she was staring, and then I ran like hell. There were dark, churning clouds moving in over the treetops, and within minutes the sky was dark. Mom turned on the TV while I ran downstairs to hide from what we supposed was a tornado. The wierd thing was the silence- no thunder, or loud winds, or even the sounds of birds. Anyway, a minute later mom yelled downstairs for me to come up- it wasn't a storm, but volcanic ash. I was like "Volcanic ash? Wtf?" We wound up getting tons of it, and it took years to clean it up.

I've been through the Mt. St. Helens zone, and gotten pretty close to the mountain. They haven't taken down the old utility poles and trees that were scarred by the blast but managed to stay upright. (They just put in new utility lines next to the old). They all lean in the direction of the blast, and in the distant hills some of the trees are missing their lower branches, while others on higher hills are minus their top branches.

Kels · 05-19-2005, 08:54 AM

I don't remember anything about that day but I remember playing in the pile of ash that was swept up from the yard/street/etc. My avatar is a pic of me (on the left) and my best friend standing oh so proud, ready to wreak havoc. I was almost 3.

scaeagles · 05-19-2005, 08:54 AM

I was in 4th grade, and my family and I moved from Vancouver, WA to Napa, CA, on May 11, when my dad took a promotion and we had to move. (Not that I was upset. That time in WA is the entire reason that I despise rain and live in the desert now.)

My aunt, who lived a few blocks from us, would daily have to get up on the roof to shovel off the ash because the weight would get too great for the structure.

sleepyjeff · 05-19-2005, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaeagles

(Not that I was upset. That time in WA is the entire reason that I despise rain and live in the desert now.)

My family used to live in Pheonix back in the early seventies and any time it rains really, really hard here in Portland my parents say "it's like Arizona"---

05-18-2005, 09:13 PM	#1
wendybeth Nevermind Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,847	Twenty-five years ago today.... Mount St. Helens erupted, and I got a week off from school! The newspaper printed a special insert today- brought back lots of memories. Weird day. The picture below was taken at 3:00 in the afternoon, and it was nearly pitch black out. (Had been a sunny, clear day). __________________
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05-18-2005, 10:19 PM	#2
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	I have a pen with some ash, as well as just a bottle of ash. I was 2. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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05-18-2005, 10:30 PM	#3
sleepyjeff Go Hawks Go! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Parkrose Posts: 2,632	It was sunny and clear here in Portland, even though we are only 1/3 the distance from the Mt. as Spokane.....prevailing winds being West to East and all. We got our Ash a couple months later durring the Big July Eruption when the wind was blowing South. What a Year that was...Miracle on Ice, Hostages in Iran, Soviets invading Afgahnistan, the Marial Boat Crisis, the Olympic Boycott, Asteriods, gas lines, and Volcanic Eruptions __________________ River Guardian-less
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05-18-2005, 11:58 PM	#4
cirquelover Cruising around in my automobile... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,617	I've seen a lot of news coverage today on it. I remember it well, my mom and I had just moved into our new house and when we turned on the tv for the first time there it was. My mom freaked out a little, She was much worse once the ash came our way a month or so later. I still have my tshirt somewhere and ash in at least one form! I can't imagine having day turn to night. I'm glad I wasn't closer. My husband wants to take the boy up there now that they opened back up Johnston Ridge, of course she is rumbling again!
	Submit to Quotes

05-19-2005, 04:19 AM	#5
Drince88 Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 481	Not only did the winds help Portland stay ash-free on May 18, the direction the mountain actually blew did too. From Portland, the Mt just looks like it got chopped off, but from other directions you can see the huge chunk taken out of the side, too. I remember my Dad was flying for work quite a bit then, and from what he said, the Air Traffic Controllers must have loved it when there were clear days - 'cause all the airplanes requested to go around the mountain to show the passengers. I also remember what Mom did with us one weekend (or maybe it was Spring Break) earlier that year - the mountain had been rumbling and the "zones" were set up by the governor (Dixie Lee Ray, I think) - it was a great day weather-wise, and so we drove up I-5 a ways so we could look at the mountain "before it changed forever". I'm going to visit the area for the 4th of July and hope to be able to go to at least one of the visitor's centers finally. I heard one of them has a movie they show of the erruption, and then they open the curtains and you see what it looks like from just about the same angle live.
	Submit to Quotes

05-19-2005, 08:19 AM	#6
Ponine Virgin Ears Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,075	San Diego, California.... I don't know what day, I know that I was home from school... I would have been eleven. We walked outside onto the street, myself, my mom, and a bunch of other moms and kids from the block.. we all stood in the middle of the street to watch the closest thing to snow we were ever going to see on our street. Our cars were covered in a light film, and it was very easy to write your name on the cars, and windows. So much easier than dirt! I dont remember how long we stood out in the street, but it was a good while. In retrospect, i dont know that we ever stopped and thought as kids that anyone was seeing it any worse than we were, or that any one was in danger. __________________ There's something strange, There's something wrong. I see a change - It's like when love dies.
	Submit to Quotes

05-19-2005, 08:38 AM	#7
wendybeth Nevermind Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,847	That morning, my mom and I had gone outside to lay in the sun. It was supposed to get pretty warm that day, and the sky was clear. Our backyard was filled with tall pine trees which limited our view of the horizon, so we didn't notice anything at first. Suddenly, my mom, who is from Nebraska (AKA Tornado Alley) sat up and said "Run inside- get in the basement!" I looked in the direction she was staring, and then I ran like hell. There were dark, churning clouds moving in over the treetops, and within minutes the sky was dark. Mom turned on the TV while I ran downstairs to hide from what we supposed was a tornado. The wierd thing was the silence- no thunder, or loud winds, or even the sounds of birds. Anyway, a minute later mom yelled downstairs for me to come up- it wasn't a storm, but volcanic ash. I was like "Volcanic ash? Wtf?" We wound up getting tons of it, and it took years to clean it up. I've been through the Mt. St. Helens zone, and gotten pretty close to the mountain. They haven't taken down the old utility poles and trees that were scarred by the blast but managed to stay upright. (They just put in new utility lines next to the old). They all lean in the direction of the blast, and in the distant hills some of the trees are missing their lower branches, while others on higher hills are minus their top branches. __________________
	Submit to Quotes

05-19-2005, 08:54 AM	#8
Kels isn't listening right now. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: 1,004 miles - about 15 hours 23 minutes Posts: 112	I don't remember anything about that day but I remember playing in the pile of ash that was swept up from the yard/street/etc. My avatar is a pic of me (on the left) and my best friend standing oh so proud, ready to wreak havoc. I was almost 3.
	Submit to Quotes

05-19-2005, 08:54 AM	#9
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	I was in 4th grade, and my family and I moved from Vancouver, WA to Napa, CA, on May 11, when my dad took a promotion and we had to move. (Not that I was upset. That time in WA is the entire reason that I despise rain and live in the desert now.) My aunt, who lived a few blocks from us, would daily have to get up on the roof to shovel off the ash because the weight would get too great for the structure.
	Submit to Quotes