Cruise West - Day 7

9/3/2010

Where we'll dock in Rainer, OR

Docked in Rainer - lumber industry is huge here!

We sailed past Portland last night and sometime around 10pm we dropped anchor and spent the night. We pulled up anchor around 6am and docked in Rainier, OR in time for breakfast. Coaches departed at 8:30am for both Astoria and Mt. St. Helens.











Mt. St. Helens from Johnston Ridge Observatory



For the past 2 days, they kept calling for people to sign up until they got the parties evened out and could use only the same 2 buses/drivers we have had for the week. Evidently, we were originally too many for Mt. St. Helens, so they told people that the weather had been bad for the past 2 weeks and it was a miserable, wasted trip. That may have been true. In any event, the argument convinced enough people to switch to Astoria and after they heard all our reports of our visit to Mt. St. Helens, they were pretty unhappy. Compounding their grief was the fact that for the first time I am aware on this trip, a passenger was about 20 minutes late back to the bus and unapologetic. I guess this cut into some quality time elsewhere during the day for the Astoria group as well as delaying their return to the boat. Anyway, the Astoria group was about as displeased with their day as the Mt. St. Helens group was pleased. I guess it could easily have gone the other way, but happy for us that it didn't.





mud field below Mt. St. Helens



Mt St. Helens' new lava dome

Clay at Mt. St.

We had a 2 hour drive to Mt. St. Helens and arrived about 10:30am. We had an absolutely stunningly clear bright day that was just on the warm side of comfortable. The views were just amazing. The scale, the enormity of the volcano and the crater and the mud field are all just incomprehensible. The Johnston Ridge Observatory was the closest we could get and we were told that it was 5 miles away. You would not believe it could be that far as it looked so huge. The ranger there told us that if we were standing there on May 18, 1980 at the time of the blast, we would have 40 seconds to live before being obliterated by 700 degree F ash and steam and the top 1000 feet of the mountain traveling just under the speed of sound. It was incredible and beautiful. The Johnston Ridge Observatory was very well done. They have a theater with a short film and then the screen rises and the red curtains behind that rise uncovering a wall of windows with Mt. St. Helens in front of you! Very dramatic! There is a path you can walk to see Spirit Lake at the foot of Mt. St. Helens and the top of the next volcano, Mt. Adams. Make sure to take your binoculars here to get a good look at the lava dome as well as look for elk grazing on the mud field below. There was a small herd down there while we were there. That really gives you an idea of the scale when a herd of elk are invisible to the naked eye! Clay and I have found ourselves visiting a lot of volcanoes over the years, whenever we had the opportunity to do so we would visit a volcano. So, we have seen more than a few, from afar and up-close and personal, BUT we have never seen anything close to Mt. St. Helens in sheer size and grandeur. Mt. St. Helens is to volcanoes what Iguazu Falls is to waterfalls. They may have the same word applied to them, but their is no comparison when it comes to the enormous difference in size. Very impressive! http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
Gotta love it! Volcano cam! http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/



Mt. Adams in the distance



Eek! Wildlife!



Blast devastation stretches for miles



Map for scale

Coldwater Lake

At about 12:30 we left to go have our box lunches for a picnic at Clearwater Lake. It was quite scenic with another short trail, picnic tables and restrooms that were quite nice. The Johnston Ridge Observatory also had restrooms, gift shop, exhibits, etc. Clearwater Lake was just more of a rest stop area.

Mt. St. Helens in the distance with mud field below

After that we made one more stop at the Weyerhaeuser Forest Learning Center. Make sure to see the film in their theater as it is actual footage of the events of May 18, 1980 and much more dramatic than the film at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. I should note that we were told most of the park of Mt. St. Helens closes down after Labor Day, so we were the last group that had the option of visiting. So, glad we made it and in good weather. We had a 2 hour drive back to the boat. We were running late, but not as late as the group from Astoria. We left as soon as the last bunch reboarded and sailed on west as far as the bridge at Astoria by about 8pm. Then turned around and sailed back east. We sailed all night long as far as we could tell and when it was about sunrise and we woke up and looked out, we were docking in Portland on the Willamette River again.

Parasailers on the Columbia River near Astoria, OR

Last Dinner - chefs walk through the Dining Room

So, anyway our last evening. At 5:30 or 6pm there was a Disembarkation Talk that was supposedly mandatory. But, they were a little confused and told us just to get the right color tag for Airport, Hotel, or Special Handling and they would work it out in the morning. Not sure they really worked it out as they had too many people to split the buses, so all luggage and all passengers were mixed on both buses the next day. The only exception was that our bus had 2 couples going to Amtrack and their luggage. Everyone else had to just check both buses for their suitcases as they dropped people downtown at the Embassy Suites or at the airport. The airport was the last stop, so a tense time for those with flights before noon, as they did not arrive before the 2 hour window. They told us to settle up our onboard bills with Benedict the bartender by 10pm. At 6:30 was the Captain’s Dinner. It was considered by many to be the best meal of the cruise. That wasn’t going very far though as the quality was pretty mediocre over the course of the cruise. The Captain came in to the Dining Room for the first time and introduced all the staff and crew and we applauded them all. They poured everyone 1 complimentary glass of champagne for a Captain’s toast. Then they poured everyone a complimentary glass of white or red wine. We had at least one glass of white wine left in our bottle from the previous night and asked to have the bottle delivered to the table, but it never happened. We did not see anyone else get their requested bottles either, so guess there was a party in the crew mess that night with all the leftovers! There is no dessert served at the Captain’s dinner. After you finish your main course you go back up to the lounge for a dessert buffet. They served bananas Foster. It was very good. Clay had 2 plus bowls! They also had a selection of cheeses and pastries. The pastries were mostly not very tasty, but looked pretty. After everyone had dessert, they showed a 300 photo slideshow with music they put together with the photos of Don, Alison, Nancy and one passenger. They were selling the photo CDs with that slideshow plus more photos for $15 (I think!). We did not buy one, though we enjoyed it, they had a few shots of us and I loved the music they had playing on it, James Taylor's Terra Nova.  Then it was time to go to bed for the last time onboard! Tomorrow we are footloose and on our own after the bus ride to the airport to pick up our rental car.