Here is the view from my front porch this afternoon. That is Mt. St. Helens of the famous 1980 eruption. Did you know that it has been continuously erupting since 2004. (It hasn't made any spectacular plumes recently for the national media to pick up upon. That may be why they haven't noticed.)
I really want to have the view from the house across the street where the living room window looks striaght out on the Mountain. The view was more spectacular in March of 2005 when the mountain gave us a bit of a show. Here is the veiw from the Cascades Volcano Observatory in east Vancouver.
I love waking up on a summer morning and seeing the mountain silhouetted by the rising sun. It can be really beautiful when there is a steam plume coming off the growing lava dome. Just a quick primer on cascade eruptions. They can be extemely violent like 1980. The lava that comes out of the volcano can be extremely explosive. However, this eruption so far has had non-explosive lava and thus it is coming out onto the floor of the crater in the volcano and building up a lava dome which could eventually fill up the hole left by the 1980 eruption. (Cascade volcanos often put out solid lava which doesn't flow like Hawaiian volcanos. Think toothpaste not milk)
The scientists say that the new dome could be visible above the south rim (from my house) within about 10 years. Now I am looking forward to seeing that. There is a volcano in Siberia which has completely rebuilt itself after an eruption similar to Mt. St. Helens in 1980. It only took about 40 years. If it sounds like a long time then you need to come and see the volcano up close. The eruption in 1980 was the largest recorded landslide in human history. One quarter of the moutain slide away in about thirty seconds. Here is a computer enhanced video made from pictures taken on May 18, 1980. (requires Real Player)
If you haven't been to the Johnston Ridge observatory you need to come next summer. The observatory is named after a scientist killed in the explosion and sits only five miles from the mouth of the volcano. It is a beautiful and amazing place. There are some great places to hike around the volcano and it has even been reopened for climbing. Here is the link to the forest service Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument which runs the actual sites around the volcano. While you are there check out the volcano cam. It gives you updated views every five minutes from Johnston Ridge. (While creating the link to the volcano cam I happened to catch the moutain right at dusk. You could see the glow off the new lava dome. Sometimes it is really fun to check it after dark so you can see the glow)
Here is a picture of my family and I at Johnston Ridge, labor day weekend this year. It really is a once in a lifetime thing to see an erupting volcano. I strongly encourage you to go and check it out.
Erik Wecks
REALTOR, ABR
Http://erikwecks.com
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Erik, My wife is a volcano nut, and she'd love going this summer and checking the sites you recommend. I've heard Mt Hood is also great and has a chance of going up in smoke as well. I guess we could stop in Seattle as well. I guess I'll have to spend some of my WorldMark Points :)....