Really she blow her top in 1980. I visited in 1978 and it was this perfect example of a shield volcano. Truly beautiful then boom a huge chunk of the cone was gone. Every time I fly over it I can't believe the devastation and how quickly things seem to be recovering. I've heard the new visitors center at Coldwater Ridge is wonderful.

I lived in Olympia Washington during May 1980 and the wind shifted from blowing east to blowing northwest. It was like what living in the dust bowl must have been like. Couldn't see more than just a few feet in front of your face. We wore dust mask and drove very slowly. There is dust from Mount St. Helens everywhere in Eastern Washington. I was just over in Frenchman Coulee and Moses Lake Sand Dunes where you can see a line of white ash clearly in the soil.

St. Helens is worth the visit if you're into geology.