Mt St Helens, Washington
We are in the Pacific Northwest, with temps in the 60s, a dense fog covered the summit of Mt. St. Helens as we attempted to approach. Helen was a no show. We were still able to see destruction from the lava flow miles from the mountain. The May 18, 1980, event was the most deadly and destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the US. Fifty-seven people were killed and 200 houses, 27 bridges, 15 miles of railroad and 185 miles of highway were totally destroyed. Weyerhaeuser, a logging firm, quickly invested $9,000,000 to assist in the clean up and rejuvenation of the forest. There was evidence of their commitment to replanting what was lost, even after 34 years since the eruption; the forests are thriving.
Poulsbo, WA
Then we headed north to the Puget Sound towards Seattle. While looking for wifi we found a sleepy little town called Poulsbo WA, an artsy place with quaint shops and thoroughfare. We found a Hot Shot Java coffee house. Friendliest joint in town. We went in for wifi and coffee, but got much more. Super friendly service and recommendations of things to do locally. Cute town.
Bainbridge Island
We traveled south to Bainbridge Island, just across the sound from Seattle’s waterfront. We decided to spend a few days in this socially green town. Being history buffs, we discovered that in 1942, during World War II, Bainbridge Island, under Executive Order 9066 forced Japanese descendants living there into POW camps in California and Iowa. A sad page of history.
Tomorrow we head over to Seattle via the ferry connection to discover the city on foot. Looking forward to a day of quirky fun in Seattle.
A place where there are more coffee shops than fast food restaurants. Loving it.
Eric and Lori Malcolm
The HumbleWeeds
HUMBLEWEEDS 