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USA Volcano Travel Stories 

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Awesome Mt St Helens

Mt Saint Helens USGS

I Have been here a couple of times and my jaw always drops a mile.This volcano is truly awesome , the hole in the mountainside where the eruption blasted out is enormous- Awesome is the best word to describe it.

The first time I went I only really got to potter around. But the view from the Johnston ridge observatory is phenominal , although a bit dependent on the weather.

Mt St Helems Spirit Lake half filled with logs LKP

The second time I went we walked Eastwards from the Observatory on a path which narrowed with a cliff and a drop.We got closer to the volcano. The whole landscape is grey and dusty but 25 years on the plants are reclaiming the land. A plant looks like Rose Bay Willow Herb was everywhere - pink spikes I call them.You can still see combed down trees and the view into the Tootle river shows the lahars.

The visitor centre has a great film with a surprise at the end .

Mt.Rainier ,Paradise and Bears

Mt Rainier LKP

This is a real beauty and the beast experience the stunning beauty of the mountain and the realistion that this is the most dangerous volcano on the continent.

However this a great place to visit , the meadows reminded me of Austria with all the flowers. Paradise is an apt description for the location of the visitor centre. There was a good choice of walks,I did a circular walk up through the meadows. We encountered some bears so we did have to keep singing and talking as bears don't like surprises.

The visitor centre had a really good film.

Yellowstone:Where is the volcano?

Yellowstone Canyon LKP

I did'nt really know much about Yellowstone when I went just that it an amazing national park in the USA famous for Old Faithful and Yogi Bear. It was fascinating to find out what a whopper of a volcano it was. So big you can't see it!

We camped just outside the park and had a dip in the "boiling river"where a hot spring flows into a fast flowing river to make a perfectly warm spot- very relaxing.

Mammoth Springs was like a big layered cake - terraces of minerals and cascading water.

The whole landscape steamed and boiled as we travelled to Old Faithful . We waited on the circular benches with around 1500 other people for the eruption and it happened right on time. Next a 3 mile round trip walk to look at the other geysers and pools in the area.Such bright colours and very steamy sulphur clouds everywhere. All quite flat walking!

Next onto the enormous Yellowstone lake and Yellowstone Canyon - so this is why its called Yellowstone! Very spectacular coloured cliffs with two amazing waterfalls to look at. Saw a little black bear looking for its tea by the side of the road. Hey booboo!