Day 58, Friday, August 12

Today’s plan was to go get an oil change in Portland and then to head up to Mt. St. Helens. I’d planned what I though would be a nice route up the West side of the mountain and had planned to move on to Mt Rainier by this evening. WRONG. As I talked with one of the guys at Portland Motorcycle Company he said I’d planned the wrong route to the mountain and gave me a new route.
Before heading up to Mt. St. Helens, I decided I wanted to go see Mt Hood and a bit more of the Columbia River Gorge. Watching the wind surfers and kite boarders ripping out across the water was enough to get my blood boiling. I could easily see myself getting into that sport. Unfortunately it’s DEFINITELY a money sport. Maybe after I quit chasing this motorcycle dream and get a new job!
I made an effort to get as close to Mt. Hood as I could and took a scenic loop through the Hood River Valley and then headed up to Mt. St. Helens via the route the guy from Portland Motorcycle had suggested. What a great suggestion! The road was freshly paved and incredibly twisty. He’d told me I’d be dragging the pegs on my bike and he was absolutely right.
I got to Mt St Helens in the late afternoon, in time to see the mountain in full day light but also at such a time that the Western sun and the shadows to made it hard to photograph and also too early to wait to see the mountain at sunset. Instead, I resolved to find the closest campsite and head back over to the mountain in the morning.
Ironwood campground, it turns out was just a few miles away from the road leading into Mt. St. Helens. I pulled in, got assigned a campsite and headed over to set up camp in the dark. The family in the site next to mine was a huge group from one of the relatively local towns and when I went over to ask them if they’d figured out where the running water was in the campsite, they struck into the standard questions about my trip. Half an hour and a good deal of laughter later I finally left their campsite to get the water I’d initially set out in search of. I bet I hadn’t been back in my campsite, heating up a dinner of left over spaghetti and sauce, when they called over and told me to come join them around their campfire while I ate my dinner. Oh, and would I please help them finish off some home made peach cobbler! Can I just say again that I LOVE this trip I’m taking?!?!? I don’t think I left their camp site until nearly midnight. Another great day!