Canada 4

It was a sunny day in Victoria when I set sail on the Victoria Clipper from Victoria to Seattle but by the time we are out at sea the heavy sea mist came down. I had a visa (see picture) stapled in my passport for entry into the US. It was dark when I got to Seattle and drizzle was in the air. The monorail snaked its way around the soggy Pacific city. The taxi pulled up the steep streets and I was at my hotel. The next day I went to the Space Needle. I went to a Science-Fiction Museum, the Music Museum and walked around the downtown area of Seattle. I then went to the Science and Natural History Museum. I went in a simulator and in a planetarium. Then, as it was getting dark, I went to the top of the Seattle space needle and had dinner. After that I went to the very top and looked at the dark city spread out below me. The next day I went to the Pike Street Market which is the oldest market in North America. In the evening I went to a play/show/restaurant called Teatro Zinzanni ( http://dreams.zinzanni.org/ ).

The next day I went to Mount Saint Helens Volcano. As I climbed higher and higher into the Cascade Mountains I could see increasing evidence of the huge impact of the volcanic eruption. The ground was littered with dead trees 15 miles from the volcano. In some areas humans have replanted the forest and some areas it has been left to grow. The eruption in 1980 created new lakes, streams, hills, forests, wetlands and habitats. There were various viewing points as I got higher up into the range. At 4000ft low cloud took over and visibility was only about 30ft. That was when I was 5 miles from the volcano which is the closest non-scientists can go. In the parking lot of the Johnson Ridge viewpoint (the closest point the public can get to) the ground vibrated in a really odd way. It was an earthquake caused by the volcano. It was like standing in a house in London with an underground train going through a tunnel below. It was just under 4 on the Richter scale. I was told by a US GS guide that they happen every few days since the 1980 eruption. They are usually quite weak. He also said that the volcano has been slowly oozing lava for the last 2 years. There were signs around advising what to do if there is an ash cloud eruption and warning of huge fines if any flora or fauna is damaged. I descended the mountain and the cloud cleared. I picked up some pumice, took some photos and headed back to Seattle.............

The next day (today) I went back to Victoria on the clipper. The weather was clear but very windy. Tomorrow I am going to Parksville, Tofino and Comox which are towns on Vancouver Island. Tofino has strong storms this time of year so I will be doing some storm chasing. More soon.