What makes the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument so interesting is the raw power of the aftershocks following the eruption of May 18th, 1980.

Oh, you didn't know about these? They started with the then governor of the State of Washington, mouthing in an almost whisper, on national television, to Jimmy Carter on his visit to see what the Federal Government could do to help the situation, the word — MONEY!

This then became the clarion call to local politicians, construction companies, and the poor suffering entrepreneurs of what had been, a week or two before, an economically depressed area. Also the Burlington Northern Railroad was shaking in their boots over potential law suits as they were the offical owners of Mt St Helens when she blew. If this became an offical National Monument, they were off the hook.

What a scrap it was between the various Chamber of Commerce's, Cowlitz Vs: Skamania (where what was left of the mountain happened to be) County, and the depository of motel/hotel taxes and the State of Washington Department of Tourism. Perhaps because of it's closer proximity to Seattle (which happens to get most of the state's tourism tax dollars) Cowlitz County won the war and the Highway 504 "plastic Hollywood" drive was conceived

The washed out road up the flooded Toutle River valley was rebuilt, at an unbelievable cost, and renamed the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. While this construction was underway a Mount St. Helens Visitor Center was built 5 miles from the Mt. St. Helens, exit 49, strip mall on I-5. The promise here was, weather permitting, St. Helens could be seen some 30 miles to the east. The same weather permitting, at 50 miles distance, what is left can be viewed from Portland, Oregon, along with, for reference, Mount Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier.

Another gift shop/visitor center was built by Cowlitz County, and today makes money offering gifts, meals and helicopter flights to the 'but not into the crater' mountain. The National Park service, when the road was completed, established the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, and then, years later, the Johnson Ridge Observatory with the mountain only 5 miles to the south. The memorial highway is plowed in the off season (November to May) so tourists can come to observe a snowcovered mountain and landscape that really looks no different in wintertime than any other Cascade Mountain Range peak. FYI —the forest road to Windy Ridge is only open from June to October.

The split purpose of the National Park Service management of the monument seems to satisfy, for the price of the entry fee, the lookie-loo attitude of 3 million visitors per year (most coming out from Seattle), showing off the disaster, with Disneyland style exhibits while at the same time protecting the land outside of self-guided walks, for the seemingly exclusive use as source material for Ivy League academics who need to publish, or perish.

After the eruption I followed the dusty and rough gravel surface US Forest Service roads in from Carson, to take a look at what had happened on the ground. It was an emotional experience, with every step kicking up pumice dust.

Then last summer I returned once again to Meta Lake, and Windy Ridge, overlooking the length of the new Spirit Lake, and allowing the photographer a direct, close up shot, of the crater. The surprise was that Forest Road 99 was paved all the way, even suitable for motorhome travel. Now this was something worth sharing.

Born before WWII, I have watched the wrinkles of time and "civilization" encroaching on my very special world of the wild West. Here, BAM!, in a moment, everything old was gone. The excitement of visiting this special place is that there was new growth, everywhere, even in the landforms, the starting of a new cycle all over, once again. It's almost too much for one lifetime.

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