Sunday, September 16, 2007

vulcanology thwarted

st. helens 013 - Copy
If Emily looks a little forlorn, it's because she is. After driving 200 miles and risking death (more on that later), her reward is profound fog. Ordinarily, visitors would have to pay $8 to approach this guard rail and view the infamous Mount St. Helens. Given the circumstances, we thought it reasonable to have Emily reconnoiter before we ponied up the cash.
 
On a clear day, the view would of looked more like this (credit to this random guy on Flickr).
 
On a road trip, I know that getting there is half the fun. And trust me, it was. I was able to convince Emily to snap a photo when the fog on the drive was thin. Moments before, when visibility was about 10 feet, a minivan full of tourists decided it would be safer to perform a u-turn with zero visibility on a treacherous mountain road rather than keep forging ahead towards a legitimate pull off. After coming to a stop a couple of feet from the driver side door of the minivan, I played a few notes on the international instrument of driving good will. I think he got the point.
 
st. helens 008
 

2 comments:

Chuck Gates said...

"the international instrument of driving good will" - LOL! Sixteen years of training at the SoCal Institute of Freeway Training made me a maestro at playing that instrument.

Your blog brought a smile to my face remembering your great humor. Has Emily got her BMW yet?

(BTW, check out our blog at chuckgatesfamily.blogspot.com)

Anonymous said...

Looks exactly like the first time I went Mount St. Helens. :-(