Originally Posted By a goofy guy Yesterday was the 26th anniversary of a major eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. Where were you when it happened? I am looking for people who remember it, experienced it, and/or knew where they were when it happened. Personally, I was at tech school in Texas in the USAF (United States Air Force). Since my family lived in Washington State at the time it meant a lot to me to have my home state in the national spotlight! Thanks, AGG
Originally Posted By tiggertoo I was celebrating my Birthday. Although I was young, I remember it pretty well as I have a lot of family in Northern Oregon and Central Washington, and my parents were frantically calling around to see if everyone was okay.
Originally Posted By a goofy guy Well, happy birthday! What part of Central Washington? I'm in Yakima. I remember wanting to go back to Washington to see what was happening but I had no leave to take so was unable to go.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy I saw it erupt Goofy Guy. I was in 7th grade and was coming out of church when we heard about it on the radio. My mom drove to a place in Portland where we could see it happening. It was a totally clear day, so the sight was awesome!! Today, I live in a place where I can see Mt ST. Helens from my neighborhood. I still am amazed at how the once rounded top mountain is now a flat top mountian. Anyone ever see the movie about Mt St helens about that dude who would not leave the moutnain when it was starting to act up??? Harry was his name. He is still up on that mountain. LOL
Originally Posted By hopemax I was 4 years old, watching tv in the living room, in Bellingham, WA. I heard a very loud BOOM! and I went into my parents bedroom to ask what it was. My Mom said she thought it was a garage door closing, my Dad said, "No, I think it was the mountain." The guy was Harry Truman. I have a coloring book that tells about his story. I remember there were folk songs written about him, played with spoons. My aunt & uncle lived in Moscow, ID so they were in the path of the dust cloud. They had to tape all the windows and around the fireplace. They mailed out baby jars full of ash to everyone. It was a really big deal. My Mom's brother called, and he had never called us before and it was probably another 10 years before he called again.
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<What part of Central Washington?>> Most of my family in Washington currently lives in North Bend, Buckley, and Bellingham. But at the time of the eruption, my grandparents lived in La Grande. The ash cloud, they said, was tremendous; the weight crushed their shed.
Originally Posted By mele I was born in La Grande. I'm always surprised when I hear that other people know it exists. LOL I was up in Alaska so didn't see the explosion. We moved back down to Oregon a few months later and I just remember seeing the Toutle (sp?) river as we drove past it from Seattle. It really scared me. I was in Salem during a few other minor explosions and remember ash all over the playground. My husband was living in Kirkland, WA and can remember his mom taking theminto Bellevue, towards I-90 where the could watch the clouds billowing into the sky.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy <<I remember there were folk songs written about him, played with spoons.>> Folk songs played with spoons??? LOL I remember the people selling ash from the eruption. Can you imaging the $$$$ they would have made if there was EBAY back then? Every dude in Japan would want a bottle of Mt St Helens Ash.
Originally Posted By mele My friend, Rebecca, sent my son a jar of ash from Mt. Etna while her husband was stationed in Italy/Sicily. It's a lot different than the ash from Mt. St. Helens. It's really black and really hard to get out of carpet (in case you were wondering.)
Originally Posted By Ursula I was a kid and I was at home In Los Angeles, but I remember watching the news. Then, my dad called his friend who was a helicopter pilot. This guy was with the forest service and later came down to visit and brought us a jar of ash as well as pictures from his chopter of the blast.
Originally Posted By JohnS1 At the time, we lived in Northeast Portland, on a ridge where, from our back yard deck, we could barbecue and sit on or lounge chirs and see Mt. St. Helens to the north. But...on the day in question, we were spending our last day on a weekend vacation to Lincoln City, Oregon. That morning, around 8 am as I recall, we heard and felt this huge boom sound. The people at whose home we were camped outside, had told us that there had been some dynamiting going on in the woods above them. We figured that's what we had felt and heard. But about ten minutes after the noise and earthquake-like movements, they rushed outside and told us that My St Helens had blown its top! Apoparently, the sound waves were carried high above the volcano and in a cncave sort of fashion, they descended upon places about a hundred miles away, like where we were. What a trip to know we had heard things that people in Portland hadn't even heard! Later that Sunday, we arrived home to find people in our neighborhood out in the yards watching the plumes of ash (which that time, headed east instead of south to Portland). Later that fall, subsequent erruptions caused our fall weather to rain mud.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <Apoparently, the sound waves were carried high above the volcano and in a cncave sort of fashion, they descended upon places about a hundred miles away, like where we were. What a trip to know we had heard things that people in Portland hadn't even heard! > Stuff like that is just boggling...and fascinating. And it actually rained mud? Whoa...
Originally Posted By MissCandice I am just 2 years younger than Beau? That totally blows my mind. Anyhoo, I was in the 5th grade and lived in Bremerton, WA. I heard a big boom but I don't remember seeing the ash cloud. Now that I live in Washington again I want to go to Mt St Helens but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Originally Posted By KachinaBear I was born the day after it errupted (May 19, 1980). My mom said she knew she was going to have a girl because the whole sky turned pink!
Originally Posted By ilvdland I was with my mom, she used to clean office buildings at night. We were on 1st Ave S., across the street from the new drive-thru Starbucks that just opened down the street from Krispy Kreme. Anyways, we were working (I was 10 at the time) and someone called us at the office to tell us to go outside and look for the cloud - it was the freakiest thing to see......
Originally Posted By Beaumandy Just drove home and Mt St Helens released a pretty good plume of ash and steam this afternoon.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe personal notes to two of my favs here Beau and Mele--When are you two going to meet with your spouses as referees of course? Aren't you close GEOGRAPHICALLY? Also Beau I thought you went to lost wages with your 4 foot 11 inch fireball? One day trip? Did you win?
Originally Posted By Beaumandy Hey Joe, I was in Vegas with the wife for one night and didn't do much gambling. We took in a show, had a nice dinner, laid by the Luxor pool and visited Nellis Air Force Base on business. I'm going back to Vegas on June 28th for the World Series of Poker $1500 buy in hold em tourney, then back again July 28th I hope for the 10k buy in main event in poker where first prize will be 7 million.
