It took us over 4600 miles and 28 days to get through the first part of the journey and we're now on our descent to what will hopefully be a safe landing in Chicago. It was a great ride up and things go half as well on the way back I think we'll both be happy. 

Leaving Vancouver we set our sights on Mount St. Helens in Washington. It's an easy drive going south because you can see her the entire way. The first stop was the visitor's center that several people, including the AAA book,  told us was a must see. What they didn't tell us was it was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I don't know, but I think that's important information for people to have when they're on a 9,000 mile road trip trying to make the most of their time. Fortunately, I'm not bitter. 

Across the street from the visitor's center was a huge timber B&B. We eyed it before heading to the visitor's center that was CLOSED (oh, did I mention the visitor's center was closed?) then decided we better check it out before it gets dark. (For your reference, National Parks do not have street lights.  So, when you visit these parks, please make sure your brights are working or wear a miner's hat if you are taking a walk on one of those roads).  The Blue Heron Inn (www.blueheroninn.com) is sitting on a hilltop looking directly at snow-capped Mount St. Helens.  The view from the driveway was unobstructed  so it looked very inviting from our vantage point. The check-in was even better. The home phone was hanging outside with a flyer informing potential guests of the price and the phone number to call if you were interested in staying.  Of course I called...it wasn't my money and we had nothing to lose. The friendly proprietor, Eric answered. Very casually he apologized for not being there but he was at his daughter's basketball game and wouldn't be back for a couple hours. Then, he gave us the security code to the keypad and told us to check out the place and he thought the room was cleaned but maybe the bathroom needed to be cleaned and if we liked it, just call him back. Huh? Excuse me sir but you just gave us the security code to your house and NOW you tell us the bathroom MIGHT be dirty but you'll clean it when you get back? Who cares? We had three stories of living space, a fully appointed kitchen, no other guests and a huge veranda to ourselves...we weren't going anywhere and frankly looked forward to hearing if his daughter won her basketball game. We got ourselves hooked up on his WiFi, had our music playing and were drinking a nice bottle of wine when they arrived. I think Eric was as pleased as we were that we broke into his house.  Too bad the rest of the world isn't run this way...we'd all be better off I think. 

Dinner was a treat. There's really not too much going on in the Park this time of year so Eric recommended the Toutle Diner which was about 3 miles away.  The diner is a family owned restaurant in an RV park and features an espresso bar AND a beauty shop.  They don't serve liquor because they're across the street from the school that has K-12 grades so that was probably smart on their part.  It was 7:45 and the family was ready to call it a day but since our new friend Eric called, we were welcome. They were quick to tell us the special was a Philly CHEESE Steak...made with prime rib. Sounded good so we asked for mozzarella cheese on ours. The daughter responded that it didn't come with cheese. Then I wondered what would have been easier for her...to add cheese to the sandwiches or erase the word "cheese" on the special board...a toss up for sure. We got the cheese and the sandwiches were delicious I have to admit.  We would have stayed to get our hair done in the on-site beauty shop but I think we used all the mozzarella.

Eric made an incredible breakfast for us...the best we've had in a hotel. Certainly B&Bs are supposed to have good breakfasts...but Eric is a great cook and went out of his way to make sure we got exactly what we wanted. Being the only guests has its benefits...especially when you have the security code memorized.

We went to the visitor's center (which was now open) and we thought they should know their hours are not correctly posted to the public. They didn't really care...it was still going to cost us $3 each to get in and see the history of the area. Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980 after it was shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale. We learned that nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits. Talk about devastation...the ice storm in Stanley Park didn't hold a candle to this catastrophe! Much of the land near our inn was owned by Weyerhauser and they have replanted over 68,000 acres of trees over the last 28 years and some stand 70' tall already. They are a huge lumbering operation in the Pacific Northwest so they really need these trees. The good news is they didn't only plant them for their own purposes but aligned with Habitat for Humanity in an effort to rebuild homes in the U.S. and Canada, with some of their employees volunteering their time. Now that's a good story.

We did a bit of hiking in the area and drove up through the Park. It was really quiet except for the speeding lumber trucks barreling down the 2-lane highway. Lisa is now an expert on the mechanics of the lumber trucks so make sure to ask her next time you see her. I didn't ask, but she told me anyway.  And now every time we see one (which is about every 9 minutes) she quizzes me. So please, will somebody please ask Lisa to explain the mechanics of the lumber truck so I can get a break. It's not that complicated really. And, I'm not sure if she's interested in the trucks or the lumberjacks behind the wheel.