Hard to imagine the force that blew apart this mountain, but it is all there for the viewing at the Mount St Helen's Visitor Center about 40-50 miles from I-5 (get gas before you leave the expressway area). Hard to put the size of the mountain in perspective, so I thought I would use some random tourists to help show the scale of the mountain. The bulge in the center of the crater is the last of the lava dome and the tiny tip on that bulge is the last of the active volcano. It is a beautiful drive up to see the mountain, with several visitor centers, each different, vying for your attention.
