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2004.11.06 - Back To The Mountain (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! |
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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. |
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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! |
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I sat, and watched the sunrise slowly unfold... it was pretty
awesome! |
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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... |
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But, it didn't matter... the scene around the mountain kept
getting better and better... it MORE than made up for it! |
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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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