I remember driving down the highway in Beaverton with my mother and looking up to see Mount St. Helens erupting.
I said to my mother, “Mom, what is that?!”
Just as I had asked her the question, the radio went to a special broadcast and the announcer said, “Mount St. Helens has just erupted!”
As we listened to the broadcast, I remember watching the cloud of ash continue to grow larger and larger until it overtook the sky. It was an amazing sight and one that I will never forget. Over the next several weeks, there was ash covering everything outside, and we were required to wear masks when we went outdoors.
People were afraid to drive in the ash because the engines were getting clogged with the ash and people’s cars were breaking down. It was an amazing event to have witnessed.