The Day My World Shook [WRAP]

reply to post by Whateva69


Thank you! I didn't expect it, there were SO many good entries!! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

reply to post by westcoast


Definitely brings back some memories. We were fortunate enough to live in Snohomish Co. at the time, so our exposure to ash did not happen as it did for you.

I recall every time we would make a trip to Spokane on I90, we would stop and scoop up the ash that remained for many many years in quantity!

Great story! And btw, Baker has always been a personal favorite of mine.

reply to post by BuddyHarper


Ummm.....that is already a movie.

If you would like to submit original work, I am sure you are welcome to do so and even start your own thread with it!

reply to post by westcoast


OK first off.. WOW Great story WC. You definately have a knack for this writing thing I felt as if I was in your shoes, experiencing it with you, or even AS you. Well done!

Now to the meat of the story, as I too experienced St Helens that day, but from a very different perspective. I will just append my story to your thread, as its not worthy of its own thread, but makes for a nice anecdotal addition to yours

I too was 9 years old on that fateful Sunday morning. Unlike you, I was lucky enough to live on the west side of the Cascades, so my experience with the eruption was less immersive than yours I was up early, to watch my favorite Sunday morning cartoons ( Starblazers FTW!! ) and I heard a large BOOM outside. My parents, who were still in bed, thought it was me banging around in the living room. Now I barely even reacted to the boom outside, as our retired neighbor across the street had a habit of getting up at the crack of dawn, to hunt moles in his yard with a shotgun that he had borrowed from my dad. Imagine if you will, a small rambler in suburbia of the early 80's, owned by a retired couple, and the perfectly manicured lawn that would accompany it. Our neighbor tended to take a bit of issue with the moles that continually were attempting to destroy the putting green like lawn he so lovingly cared for.

It was only about 30 minutes later that my cartoons were interupted with the news about the eruption. I ran and woke my parents to share the news with them. Of course I was terribly excited about it, because I had been avidly following Mt St Helens from its first grumblings. The majesty and power of it all was like a drug for my spongelike 9 year old brain, and to this day vulcanology, plate tectonics, earthquakes and geology are a few of my favorite subjects. My mom and I decided to go out to try to see if we could actually see the ash plume from where we lived ( Lynnwood at the time ). And were able to do so from just a small overpass on I-5. I remember that sight to this day, and even think I have a picture that I took of that somewhere.

About a year later, we had to head down to the Portland area for something, and I insisted that we stop along the Cowlitz river, one of the two rivers that got absolutely devastated from the runoff and ash from the mountain. I to this day still have the 3 mason jars with the ash that I collected. Along with the edition of National Geographic that has the picture of St Helens blowing its top.

I cannot imagine the terror you must have felt at seeing that as a child in the Yakima area ( I assume thats about where you were ) I know the dark clouds, and then the snow that was not snow that started to fall would have been terrifying. I remember seeing the pictures of day turned to absolute night from the clouds and ash.

Thank you for the wonderful story WC.

Danno

reply to post by MoparDanno


Hey Danno! Sorry it took me so long to respond. I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

It's interesting that you remember the activity building up to it. I don't recall any of that. Of course, my memory isn't so good, but maybe it was talked about more on the West side. It seems like most of us were taken completely by surprise.

It's cool that you kept the ash! I really wish I had some still. There was SO much of it though, that I just remember being really sick of it. You can still see it in the canyon between Yakima and Ellensburg.

I found this info on the vast amounts removed from the Yakima area:

The City removed over 544,000 metric tons of ash from our community, which were deposited in community landfill sites! The airport alone removed over 15,000 metric tons of ash. The in-field horse track at the Yakima Fairgrounds was covered with over 136,000 metric tons of ash. Also at a City park, ash was dumped to a depth of 3 meters, with over 317,000 metric tons of ash. An irrigation system was installed, and rye grass was planted which grew quickly in the ash. Eventually, a new City park and soccer field complex was created from an area that had previously been a low wasteland. Ash was also used as fill material in a number of other privately-owned locations throughout the Country.

source

reply to post by westcoast


Westcoast, your are a great writer! I enjoyed reading your story. You made me part of an real-life adventure, without any danger for my physical self. And what an awesome event you experienced....

I felt as though I was there to Amazing! great post I had just left a year previous. I lived by Snohomish, Wa. I could see Rainer when the overcast burnt off. Thanks for your post and vids.
Oh wanted to say. I was listening to web bot named Video on You tube by Courtney Brown. It was about a remote Viewing which included an event on the West Coast, to occur this coming June. You may want to hear it?
It's named Wujo Comformation

youtu.be...
Thanks so much really enjoyed your story thumbs up

Nice writing!

A friend tells the story of how he was driving up the coastal highway just south of Cannon Beach looking at the glorious Oregon ocean views. At some point he realized that people had pulled off the road, parked, and we looking the wrong way, towards the east! He finally looked where they were looking and of course it was St. Helen's starting up. Over 100 miles away as the crow flies and a whole coastal range over, and you could still see the clouds and lightning strikes.

reply to post by westcoast


I loved your story! I live 1 1/2 hours south of Spokane, and the memory of that day will forever stay with me.
Ms. Nugget

reply to post by nugget1


Thanks for the response! I'm glad you liked it.

I just now noticed the few posts prior to yours (I wrote this awhile ago)...so thank you to them also.

I'm going to tuck this picture in here, too, so that people can see what that ash cloud looked like. It was pretty damn scary for both kids and adults alike. I'd forgotten the snow like ash so thanks for this thread. I remember the plume, the clouds, the darkness and lightning and grey being everywhere but not that puffy stuff.

keenanevans.files.wordpress.com...

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Love that picture...it really was something. They couldn't make a movie with special affects that would do it justice. Funny how talking about it brings back memories you didn't even know you had!