I was working in Tacoma on that day. Even from there looking up in the sky you could see the ash plume. Later that day we learning about the people who died. I remember lots of interviews show on TV with Harry leading up to the eruption. Ten years later in 1990, I went to the mountain. I couldn't believe how devastated the place still looked. It's pretty overwhelming to see all the trees laying pointing outward according to the terrain. And so far out to boot.
Couple months later we were traveling east on I-90. We stopped at a rest area near Ellensburg and the ash was piled up like snow in the winter. I retrieved some ash as a souvenir but somewhere along my life I lost it. I had some pictures of the ash and ash plume but those pictures are long gone as well.
Thanks for the memory reminder of that day.
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