Coming back to the motor home from Sally’s high school reunion was the first step to our next adventure. We were to be in Portland on Tuesday early for more light repairs on the RV. We had scheduled a little over 200 miles and a stop at an active volcano.
Mt St Helens
Mt. St. Helens last major eruption was in 1980; there was also minor activity in late 2004. The eruption story is well documented and illustrated in a Washington State Park, Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center. There is film footage, as the mountain gave several days notice that it was about to blow. There were earthquakes and ash plumes starting about 10 days before one side of the mountain slid off, uncovering an escape route for the lava, ash and smoke. Film crews and television crews were on hand to record the event. Many people watched from perches that were dangerously close. The state and federal authorities, who had previously evacuated the area, allowed some local residents back in to retrieve some of their belongings. The first day went without a hitch, but, luckily, the second wave was delayed for other reasons, because the volcano blew before they were allowed into the blast site. And a blast site it was. Now, 28 years later, there is still evidence of trees on the ground from the explosion. We know we say it often, but if you get the chance to go to Mt. St. Helens, take it.
We hope we don’t seem pretentious. We really do wish everyone could live the lifestyle we enjoy. But it comes with a price. We get to go places on a low budget because we volunteer; and we have learned to live inexpensively. We have as many repairs on the motor home as everyone else has on their homes. We just have the ability to carry our home to the repairperson. Our satellite for television has been on the blink. We called ahead to Portland and scheduled a visit (and lead time to get the parts) for repairs. Planning ahead allowed us to actually get out faster than we expected. So we took a couple of days in the Portland area to tour.
Portland - the Rose City
We went to the Rose Garden at the Portland Park. We ate at one of the more famous brew pubs in town. That area was interesting, sort of like Virginia Highlands in Atlanta, or Homewood in Birmingham, or even similar to the Garden District in New Orleans. It was an old neighborhood with shops and markets. It was a step back in time, to a place we had never been before. We suggest you take time to look at the area you are in to see what magic may be in your town, but you are too close to notice.
Lunch at the Brew pub
Mt Hood - on the way to John Day
Mt Hood from the RV
Leaving the Portland area, we headed to the burg of John Day Oregon. John Day was a Paleontologist with several excavations. There is a town and a river named after him. Our purpose in John Day was the SolWest Renewable Energy Festival. We were treated to much information on solar power and wind power generation. We listened to speakers discuss alcohol fuels (which are not driving up the cost of food, wheat does not play into fuels, yet it has increased more than corn without losing any acreage) and their effect on autos and trucks. There is a lot to learn, so study up on bio-fuels and conversion kits.
SolWest - Exhibit Area
Teaching the younger generation
Music in the evening in Capitol City
From John Day, we are moving to Malheur National Wildlife refuge. So stayed turned for our next exciting adventure.
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