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2004.11.06 - Back (again)
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I trusted the weatherman one more time, and took a drive out to Mt St Helens

I left about 3:30 or so... as expected, the roadway was basically clear.  The moon (above the exit sign) was a  good sign that this trip might end up being different!

As I neared Castle Rock, it got foggy... It also was pretty cool out there!

I stopped for a "just in case" opportunity at the Castle Lake Overlook... I was shocked at the lack of snow... the picture on the above right was from last weekend...

Shortly after arriving at Coldwater Ridge Observatory, I took up a spot where there was a park bench, and waited for the Sunrise.  My "Mega Mug" of coffee came in handy!

Shortly, three deer walked by, within about 25 feet of me... during hunting season.  The faint glow of light coming from the security lights inside the observatory let my camera's night vision do its thing...  One of them even scratched its head.

But, I was here to see the mountain... and it wasn't long before I realized  that this time, I was NOT going to be skunked out a view of the volcano...

One thing I also noticed... Remember the two planets being close together this weekend?  I managed to capture Mars and Jupiter in the photo, as well... very cool!

I sat, and watched the sunrise slowly unfold... it was pretty awesome!
You couldn't see the glow of the magma in the crater... or where the steam came out at... but you could see a wispy haze above the rim of the crater, which told the tale of the hot magma below...
But, it didn't matter... the scene around the mountain kept getting better and better... it MORE than made up for it!
When the sun broke the horizon, I reluctantly headed out... I took a couple of parting shots on the drive out, one in my rear view mirror from I-5 near Centralia... I didn't realize that you could see the mountain from that far North.
 

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