Mt St Helens 40th Anniversary

Thanks for the Photos !!

Went up there maybe Autumn 1992 and hiked around some.  Spirit Lake had many many logs floating around sitting still;  you could walk around out in the water from log to log.

Many folk tales circulate of gardeners collecting volumes of volcanic ash for the Nutrient value.

Better than Guano for the well-rounded mineral supplement.

There were three eruptions that year; the big one in May, the Grateful Dead one in June, and the one in July.

Saw the big one on TV - hard to believe they let folks back in with that bulge on the mountain.

Experienced the second from the .show. Drums to open second set was unusual - my wife turned to me and said " they're calling on the volcano to  erupt!"  Into Scarlet and then FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!!!  We were in an altered state and were somewhat bemused by the mud falling from the sky as we headed back to Corvallis.

Saw the third one from our back yard in Corvallis. Accumulated about a quarter inch of ash on the car - still have a bottle of it somewhere.

I Was Blown Away At How Many Trees Were Blown From The Ground

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iyUlCB38BTE

https://archive.org/details/gd80-06-12.aud.willy.11361.sbeok.shnf

The June 12, 1980 Portland Memorial Coliseum show.  The 2nd 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens happened in the middle of Fire On The Mountain.

Lol. You gotta drink that covfefe before posting, Dave.

By Druba Noodler on Sunday, May 17, 2020 – 05:38 am

...Grateful Dead Volcano Show;  Portland Memorial Coliseum, June 12, 1980  (cued to the start of the 2nd set, "the Mt St Helens Rumble" > Scartlet > Fire on the Mountain) ... 

Def. High  Surfdead on Sunday, May 17, 2020 – 08:41 am

There were three eruptions that year; the big one in May, the Grateful Dead one in June, and the one in July....Experienced the second from the .show. Drums to open second set was unusual - my wife turned to me and said " they're calling on the volcano to  erupt!"  Into Scarlet and then FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!!!  We were in an altered state and were somewhat bemused by the mud falling from the sky as we headed back to Corvallis.

Accumulated about a quarter inch of ash on the car - still have a bottle of it somewhere>>>

Collected some off my hotel room ledge and still have it.  Without the rain the next day, the ash would have closed the highway to get to the Seattle Center show the next day.

But thanks for linking the archive.

I was up there last August

>Drums to open second set was unusual - my wife turned to me and said " they're calling on the volcano to  erupt!"  Into Scarlet and then FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!!! 
 

your wife was one in that moment, so cool

First there is a mountain . . . .

You're welcome, that was the point of my post, as I'd read what was written above and wanted to hear the music they played.  
 

You can hear some chick losing her shit about half way through the FOTM.  Wonder if she had some psychic flash about what was happening outside, or for that matter, if anyone in the band and their crew knew?

Apparently some folks who tried to drive up to Seattle right after the show had problems with the ash clogging their air filters, causing their cars to break down.

Bill Walton took a plane ride to sight-see the plume:

https://www.jambase.com/article/bill-walton-shares-volcano-fire-on-the-m...

Have ashes of it from my aunt and uncle who live in Seattle where I was born at Northwest Hospital!

I have to visit Northwest Hospital to get my COVID-19 test tomorrow.  If it comes back negative, I get to go in for surgery at UW-Medical Center on Wednesday.

Best of luck, Dave!

Dave, Say Hello to the Doctor who first spanked me! :) And good luck with the test. Left Seattle at around 1 years old for Canoga Park, Ca. Funny story from Seattle. One morning my mom couldn't wake me up and called 911(or whatever at the time) and a bunch of fire trucks and stuff came and they took me to the hospital and the doctor couldn't figure out the problem and he then gave me some glucose and I woke up. Had Hypoglycemia. Doesn't really effect me anymore luckily.

There was ash in Eugene, though it wasn't thick. I was spending a lot of time in King's Valley those days, Surfdead (Stu and KeseyB, you're familiar with the area), and there was quite a thick layer of it there. An aside, I had never seen eels creating nests by taking rocks/pebbles from place to place in their mouths and spitting them out, but my friend lived in a trailer by the Luckiamute and we'd see them while wading. A little creepy, but very cool to see.

Greg, never a Boy Scout, but ever prepared, saved all of his vehicle's air filters when he changed them out so he'd have them if there was ever an eruption close to the Willamette Valley - he planned to use them to get out of the area by replacing them as they got clogged while driving. He never threw anything away and had a million ideas.

Thanks.   This is the operation that has been put off twice already, glad they can finally get me in the pipeline.  I had a pre-cancerous growth removed in November.  The tests came back showing some skin cancer cells that alarmed my primary care physician, so he sent me off to a specialist at UW.  They have to take another slice out of me to make sure this thing isn't spreading.  That was all set up to go when the shutdown happened.   I've been feeling good, and taking care of myself, so I hope this goes smoothly and I can have one less thing to worry about by the end of the month.

Now I have to figure out where I'm going tomorrow.  I've never been to Northwest Hospital before.

>>> Now I have to figure out where I'm going tomorrow. I've never been to Northwest Hospital before. <<<

And what you're going to wear!

I hope they find that there's been no spreading, you have easy healing and you're free! Go Dave!

>>>>>Now I have to figure out where I'm going tomorrow.  I've never been to Northwest Hospital before.<<<<

Can't help you out with directions. I was only there once and my memories a little foggy!:)

Judit --

Thanks for fond memories of Kings Valley and the Luckiamute River (roll muddy river).

I worked for some time on the Chestnut Farm in KV,  and we pumped water out of the creek to irrigate the Chestnut trees.
Really a nice spot out there,  and had fun doing basic Farm Labor. 

Some wealthy fellow owned the place but actually lived in Washington State.  He probably still owns it ?

Chestnut trees were grafts of edible tops and Rootstock of some more hardy variety.

Was an interesting monoculture approach to Chestnut farming.  Some toxins were part of their program,  herbicides and pesticides.  Nothing too horrible,  but enough to help me educate myself regarding better systems.

^

Fond recollections of "The Fort Tavern".  They had an excellent deep-fried Jalapeño Popper with stuffed Cheeze.  The entire platter maybe cost $3.50 or so.

Locals called it "The Fart".  During my residence in Summit,  it was a short drive home and never any cops.

Last I remember,  some Fundies bought the place and never opened it again,  because they hated the Noisy Drunken Sinners (NDS).

Burnt Woodstock

We occasionally went to the little store just across the river, but not to any bars. Sounds like I missed some good times.

^ First place I lived in OR was Burnt Woods at the Shot Pouch cabins.  Story was that the architects bet each other who could build one cheaper than the others,  hence the finish coat of discarded paint and concrete slurry.

Rent was pretty cheap.  The water supply was most likely not up to modern standards of sanitation.

Used to drop off lab gear from the Marine Science Center that needed welding at the welder's on Shotpouch - he lived and worked in a converted barn - on my way home from work there in Newport.

Surf -

Living there,  it was a toss up of "shall we go to the Coast for groceries,  or to Corvallis ?"

So actually,  the Coast was usually more fun and interesting,  because in Corvallis you just went to watch people get haircuts.

Newport public Library had an excellent collection of old LP's,  and there were Kool junk stores for High Culture.

More things to see compared to Philomath or Toledo,  and the Ocean too.

Never watched anybody get a haircut. In fact, I try to stay well away from those establishments.

Denis Kelly has an interesting back story:

 ahttp://www.cuke.com/pdf-2013/e/heart-blown.pdf

CRAZY Images ! 

https://i.imgur.com/TLXIgIv.gifv

Great, so all of you hardcores went to Portland, Seattle and Spokane, but who drove or flew up to the Alaska shows?

Now that would have been a hoot. I only know a few people that went (one of them was in the band so that doesn't really count).

Druba, thanks for going above and beyond with the photos on this thread. It's always been an interesting story to me and I've seen a lot

of crazy photos, but some of these are over the top.

Those people who were that close had to have been scared shitless.

The eruption must have fired the band up.  The next night in Seattle, they played the tiny 5000-8000 seat capacity Mercer Arena, tickets were scarce, and the band played one of the best shows of the year.  Multiple reviewers comment how Jerry had very active fingers that night.  For those of you confused about what Brent was bringing to the band, check out the Rider for outstanding examples of his piano and vocal interplay:

https://archive.org/details/gd80-06-13.akg.clugston.7196.sbeok.shnf/gd80...

My little ash bottle has a place of honor among the rock collection that fills my windowsills.

I was finishing finals week in college in Tacoma that day, but do remember the ash-filled sky, 2 hrs north. 
Shortly before the explosion, my dad was stopped (in close view of the mtn) for a speeding ticket on his way to work... the mountain blew before the officer could get out of his car.... ticket averted!

Great pics. Thanks. I remember being 10 years old and in elementary school in Maryland and someone brought in Mt St Helens ash for show and tell. I vaguely remember seeing jars of ash for sale in 7-11 soon after the eruption. 
 

on another note, the talk about Kings Valley, Corvallis, Philomath, Sweet Home etc. reminds me of a famous book l read a couple of years ago by William Nash called Two Years in Oregon. The book was released in the 1870's and was written by an Englishman that had settled near Corvallis around 1860. And it is chock full of good description on what life was like back then in that area of Oregon... everything from the people, the culture, the geography, business, farming, what it was like on the coast and in the cascade settlements etc.  interesting read. 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/35288/35288-h/35288-h.htm

https://archive.org/details/twoyearsinoregon35288gut 

Donovan - There is a Mountain
https://youtu.be/XcMM5-zBCEc

Apparently, the man driving that pinto stopped so fast that it bent the forks of the Yamaha there.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/07/26/the-story-behind-that-photo-...

I was searching for images of the Toutle River logjam after the eruption and found this great photo essay, complete w/ hippies rescuing horses.... https://billingsgazette.com/photos-eruption-of-mount-st-helens/collectio...

My older brother knew a local helicopter pilot -- who flew us into the crater when it was "safe" to do so... that was an adventure I'll never forget!

The next night in Seattle, they played the tiny 5000-8000 seat capacity Mercer Arena, tickets were scarce, and the band played one of the best shows of the year.

What Brent was bringing to the band, check out the Rider for outstanding examples of his piano and vocal interplay>>>

Paid more than twice face and raced in a minute after the show started.  The medley before drums is an example of what I liked about his first couple years, songs moving around the set lists, band re-energized with the new lineup. 

Don't Ease>Let it Grow>China Rider>CC>Terrapin>Drums

Nice collection of "before" and "during" pics.

>>>>I was considering posting the "after" pics,

I wasn't living up here in 1980, but watched the more recent eruption in 2004 and like to go camping around Mt. St. Helens. The destruction is still amazing.

Here is the east side near Ape Canyon.  Didn't get the full blast, but you can still see the effects of the "lahar" or sudden flow of rapidly melting snow mixed with debris:

Here is the "new" Spirit Lake in the blast zone on the north side.   Decades later its still a moonscape.  Ole Harry Truman is buried 100 feet down there somewhere:

Hope the people who were driving in this car made it out ok:

Nice story about a  Deadhead who owned a lodge up at Spirit Lake...

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/one-couple-continues-to...

^Cool article Joe Buck! Thanks!

Nice article, thanks.