MLenoch wrote:
I was in the St. Helens ash fallout in 1980. I was in a hanger in Wenachee WA
repairing the landing gear of a Steen Skybolt. The ash got into everything.
My car was inside the hanger with the doors & windows closed. The ash got
inside anyway.
In mid morning when the volcano blew, I heard the eruption. I wasn't near any
radio/TV, thus I thought I heard a sonic boom from a passing fighter. A few
hours later the ash came, preceeded by dark clouds like a midwestern fast
moving cold front....little did I know.
VL

Yep...I went down to Centralia (south of Olympia) and there was a few
inches of ash solidly covering the highways. They scooped most of it up
but it still remains to this day in huge piles along side of I-5 where
the Toutle river intersects.

The huge old growth fir trees that surrounded Mt St. Helens were knocked
down like toothpicks--it's quite the sight to see these monsters all
laying down pointing away from the mountain for 10 miles. They were so
impregnated with the silica-based ash that the logging companies
couldn't economically harvest them because the blades on their saws were
wearing out too fast.

Still, and as I mention in the newest thread on this subject below,
there are no notams or airmets out. I wonder why?

Antonio