Thursday, October 12, 2006

day 1 (part 2)
after seattle, we made our way to mount st helens - an active volcano (which supposedly is due to erupt anytime!) located in washington. we drove up to the highest observatory station, the johnston ridge observatory which was approximately 4,500 feet above ground and about five miles from the volcano! it was a childhood fantasy come true! when i was younger, i was always very interested in extreme weather phenomenons - i always dreamt of witnessing an active volcano erupt or chasing a tornado. haha. as sulynn puts it, im crazy. haha. but yes, i guess this is the safest/closest thing i can get to fulfilling my fantasies;)

the road up was so deep into the mountain range - that the gps couldnt detect the roads (see - it's all blank)! as u can see, i am very fascinated by the gps. haha.

enjoying the breath-taking scenery - as we drove up!

it was really a very long long long drive up to johnston ridge observatory! we took about 45mins to drive up!

finally reaching the top!! it was really freezing up there though!

it was so cold that all four of us had to wear our hoodies - not that it helped much though. haha

the uber fresh air, the awe-inspiring view of mt st helens and the scenery beyond made the long long journey worth it:) too bad the clouds were hovering around - that was why we cldnt get a good view of the whole volcano:(

the view from the top - the surrounding mountain ranges! it's scarily high from here!!

the live specimens of (the now hardened) lava which erupted from mt st helens back in 1980!

oh no - am i in trouble!!?


enjoying the beautiful sunset as we drove back! i didnt manage to take a photograph of the actual sunset though - coz my cam had no battery:( bah.