Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Taking a Mt. St. Helens Roadtrip 30 Years After the Volcano Erupted

Thirty years ago, yesterday, May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted in one of the biggest volcanic explosions in recorded history.

Thirty years later you can drive to within a few miles of Mt. St. Helens' crater, looking right into it from the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

The Roadtrip to the Johnston Ridge Observatory is on a new highway that is a feat of engineering, taking you deep into the blast zone.

Watch the video below for a very good idea of what a Roadtrip to Mt. St. Helens is like...

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Roadtripping in Texas to New Braunfels & the Schllitterbahn

Who wants to go Roadtripping with me to the Hill Country of Texas, to New Braunfels, where wildflowers are coloring up the hills?

In New Braunfels you can get off the road on into what many believe to be the World's #1 Waterpark. That being Schlitterbahn.

Schlitterbahn means Slippery Road in German. New Braunfels is one of several towns founded by Germans. I believe New Braunfels was founded by a German prince who hoped to start a German town, but his girlfriend, Sophie, balked at coming to America. The prince went back to Germany, married Sophie, and never returned to the town he founded.

I have only been to a couple Waterparks. One being at Cultus Lake in British Columbia. That's in Canada. The other being in Reno. Or was it Sparks by Reno? Both Reno and Sparks are in Nevada.

The Cultus Lake and Reno Waterparks are puny compared to New Braunfels' Schlitterbahn.

The Master Blaster looks fun. As does the Dragon Wave and the Boogie Wave. I may have the names slightly wrong.

You can see Master Blaster, Dragon Wave and Boogie Wave in the below YouTube video...