We continued on to Coldwater Lake. Joe thought I should put my toes in there to see if it really was coldwater but I never found a good spot. But there was a very nice boardwalk that let us get good views of this lake created by the eruption.
Joe was checking out the trees and thought maybe these ones we were seeing were birch but they finally had a sign identifying them as red alder.
Wildflowers were abundant along this drive, many different kinds and colors. When we stopped at our next lookout, I got pictures of the wildflowers as well as a log that was still buried in ash.
I think our next stop was Elk Rock Viewpoint which was also the Science and Learning Center (closed). But we did see elk. They had spotting scopes set up and we saw two groups of elk here, one of about 17 and the other of about 10. Once we saw them through the scope, we were able to find them in our binoculars but it was way too far for photos.
We continued on to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, the end of this drive.We got to see more elk here, again through a spotting scope. We went inside just in time for a movie, and stayed long enough to watch a second one. When they raised the curtain at the end of the film, the wall was all glass, looking out over Mt. St. Helen. It was a surprise, but a neat view. We saw a total of 3 films on Mt. St. Helens, and all three were excellent. They were all different, and covered different aspects of the event.
When we came out of the building, though, the mountain was socked in and we never did get to see the top, or the crater. Every day we've been in Oregon and Washington has been clear and sunny, until today.
It started misting again just as a ranger talk began, so we, along with lots of other people, headed back to the parking lot. Cars leaving were driving through mist and clouds.
We had a little snack in the car and waited for the weather to improve, which it did somewhat. We headed down the mountain and made our next stop at Castle Lake, which we had missed going up. And lo and behold, there were two elk here, fairly close.
As we came off the mountain, we stopped at a couple of restaurants and checked out their menus, but we ended up eating in the RV. But as we came into the campground, Marilyn spotted a deer with her fawn. That was exciting.
I should probably post an update on the Johnsons. After they left us in Prineville last week, they made it to just outside of Reno the first night and to Bishop, California the second night. But Mazie got to feeling bad again and Dave took her to the hospital in Bishop (where I got my head wound glued back together). They didn't have a cardiologist there and advised against her traveling home in the RV, going through some places far from medical help. They wanted to fly her back to Reno, but she told them if she had to fly somewhere, she would prefer to just go home. So they flew her back to Sierra Vista, and she went straight to the ER there. But they just kept her overnight, couldn't really find anything, advised her to see her cardiologist, and sent her home. Meanwhile, David was driving the RV home, which he did in 2 1/2 days. He got home Sunday morning.
She has since seen her cardiologist. They are going to have her do a stress test and put her on a heart monitor, but they think it might have just been a reaction to the allergy medicine she was taking in Oregon, or the coughing she does. They told her she had not had a heart attack, which was a great relief. We are hoping she gets some answers and is on the right track now. However, her hand is still giving her some trouble, especially her little finger.
We leave here on Friday, heading up toward Olympia/Tacoma. But it was very difficult finding a campground that wasn't full. We probably need to figure out our travel schedule and try to book ahead a little further.
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