Journal and Courier from Lafayette, Indiana • 37

ta4 Journal and Courier Sunday June 22 1997 Life Today lD3 Travel: mount St Helens: 17 Years Later i5 View the volcano without the ireworks Here are the main attractions on the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway Mount St Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lane five miles east of Castle Rock Open 9 am to 6 pm daily through Sept 30 9 am to 5 pm Oct 1 to April 27 Call: (360) 274 2100 Exhibits offer an introduction to the events of the eruption and there is a nature trail Three day pass required Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center and helicopter tours 27 miles east of Castle Rock Open 9 am to 9 pm daily Call: (800) 752 8439 A large open wood lodge with exhibits a gift shop and restaurant Helicopter tours are $69 weekdays and $79 week ends ree admission orest Learning Center 33 miles east of Castle Rock Open 10 am to 6 pm daily through late October Call: 1 (360) 414 3439 Exhibits a one half mile biodiversity trail ree Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center 43 miles east of Castle Rock Open 10 am 6 pm daily through late Sept 30 9 am to 5 pm Oct 1 to April 27 Call: (360) 274 2131 Panoramic views of the mountain and Toutle River Val ley exhibits 'i mile Winds of Change Interpretive Trail and live interpretive programs Three day pass required Coldwater Lake Recre ation Area two miles east of Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center Picnic tables rest rooms boat launch and '4 mile Birth of a Lake Interpretive Trail Three day pass required Hummocks Trail and Trailhead 46 miles east of Cas tle Rock Two miles ree Loowit Viewpoint 50 miles east of Castle Rock Views of the eroded canyon and debris filled valley in front of the vol cano Three day pass required Johnston Ridge Obser vatory 5 miles east of Castle Rock Open 9 am to 6 pm dai ly through Sept 30 Call: 1 (360) 274 2140 Views of Mount St He lens crater and Spirit Lake in terpretive displays a 16 minute film on the eruption and displays on the art and science of moni toring a volcano and predicting eruptions The mile Eruption Trail next to the center opens this summer Three day pass re quired When: Regular hours are 9 am to 6 pm daily through Oc tober Where: Johnston Ridge is in the Mount St Helens Natural Vol canic Monument 51 miles east of Interstate 5 at exit 49 On the Spir it Lake Memorial Highway Cost: ree admission to all Mount St Helens National Vol canic Monument sites including Johnston Ridge Observatory on Saturdays and Sundays Regu lar fees are $8 for Golden Age Golden Access Passport holders Annual passes are $24 for ages 16 and older $12 for passport holders To climb Mount St He lens above 4800 feet the fee is $15 Passes are available at vis itor centers Call: (360) 274 2140 Rising from the ash Observatory gives visitors a safe view of an unquiet volcano By Ron Cowan Gannett News Service MOUNT ST HELENS Wash They saved the best for last The final 7a miles of the Spirit Lane Memorial Highway here winds through a sprawling debris field intersected by South Coldwa ter Creek then winds precariously around a ridge finally landing you undramatically in a broad parking iul iicxl lu Lne nnai nump oi nut But when you walk through a gap in the ridge the view will bowl you over Mount St Helens still raw and primal looking yawns danger ously just five miles away you are walking around and there it says Norman Banks of Vancouver Canada a volcanolo gist who still can be impressed by nature The Johnston Ridge Observatory the last of five interpretive centers to be constructed on the highway opened in May the 17th an niversary of the cataclysmic May 18 1980 eruption and it seems to know its place amid the powerful forces of nature The one story observatory sits off to the right a gray humble looking concrete bunker wedged unobtru sively into the hillside is fantastic to me to come up here and get a totally different says Jeff Davis presi dent of Portland based Eco Tours of Oregon which brings hikers to the Mount St Helens National Vol canic Monument The view dominates everything here from the broad circular plaza to the windows spanning the build ing and even the theater re creating the eruption The observatory sits at the 4400 foot elevation just below the crater floor across the valley at 6500 feet This is the only head on view available to the public of shattered north side with its bulging volcanic dome and the broad debris plain Log choked Spir it Lake is off to the far left the pumice plain is to the front and the debris avalanche stretches through the valley to the west Coldwater Ridge Interpretive Center also has good views of the volcano and the surrounding dev astation but hot this good difference here is this is ob viously the close premier view and we wanted to tell the story of the said Peter renzen a monument scientist with the US orest Service The site is just '4 mile east of where volcanologist David Johnston was thought to be when he blurted excitedly into his radio Vancouver this is A climbing rope and some blast ed bits of metal from trailer were the only physical evi dence left behind Later this summer an interpre tive sign will mark the site where New visitor center The new Johnston Ridge Observatory Detail opened in May 17 years after the CZX I devastating eruption of Mount St Helens Exit 49 Castle Rock Ort A Hoffstadt BluffsVisitor MzCenter Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center rty 1 Mount St Helens Center Ji i Kelso Observatory Gannett News Service Johnston died The moments of the explosion are re created in the 16 minute film Message from the Mountain which uses computer an imation to convey the power of the eruption As the film ends the screen and a red curtain rise on a wide window framing a close up view of the slum bering but not trustworthy volcano The mountain has had volcanic activity for 40000 years It had been inactive for 123 years when it erupt ed in 1980 devastating 150000 acres of forest and killing 57 people The nature and scope of the erup tion is the focus of the $105 mil lion observatory which uses tech nology personal stories and the sur rounding site to tell its story in 16000 square feet of space Standing in the central lobby is a waist level model of the area which uses 65000 multicolored optical fiber lights 130 miles of wiring to delineate the sequence of eruptive events Some real items a blasted old growth tree trunk and a clump of lava are here as well as an en grossing series of panels telling the stories of more than a dozen sur vivors Other exhibits include readings from seisometers on the volcano a video trip into the crater with ge ologists and murals of the moun tain and forest In spite of its assets the new cen ter knowingly is designed as a hum ble accent to the mountain not standing out as an ar chitectural Banks says Perhaps as much as anyone Banks recognizes the power of this place the hillside stripped bare of life and blasted trees and chunks of volcanic rock strewn about He was here four days before the blast monitoring St swelling activity and flew Over the site hours after the eruption standing just about where the blast overtook the debris he said standing on the observatory plaza Banks given the rotation of sci entists could have gotten an un comfortably close view of the erup tion have to say I was frightened at the time truly he says was a dangerous By Gannett News Service A SAE DISTANCE: A view of Mount St Helens from the Loowit observation point near the Johnston Ridge Ob servatory shows the slow road back from the devastation of the furious eruption I Av ''jjf ZidgLaf V'vxA Single parents traveling abroad with their children must bring paperwork Many nations now require proof that kids have not been abducted By Christopher Reynolds Los Angeles Times A single parent who plans to take children on a foreign trip probably expects to face a challenge or two But one that many parents may not have considered: paperwork With an estimated 9 million sin gle parent households in the Unit ed States likely that thousands of lone parents are heading off on trips with their kids every month not to mention legal guardians or other adults traveling with children for various other reasons But many of these travelers realize that if a child is under 18 is traveling without one or both par ents and have identifica tion and papers to help explain why there could be trouble waiting at the first international border The aim of such requirements is to block runaways and abductions particularly actions taken by defiant parents in child custody disputes Officials say such cases seem to be on the rise and border officials around the world have responded by more closely scrutinizing one parent families? In Canada: Customs and immi gration officials recommend that if a child younger than 16 is not ac companied by both parents the accompanying adult should be able to present not only proof of citizenship for everyone traveling but written authorization from the absent parent or parents or a sup porting court custody finding As in other countries the process leaves much judgment in the hands of customs officials and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who may wave through a group after a few quick questions or act with much more deliberation if something rais es their suspicions In those cases missing paperwork can lead to prolonged questioning phone calls to missing parents and sometimes substantial delays In extreme cases of missing in formation travelers may be denied entry into the country And occa sionally legal measures go even fur ther Since 1985 Canadian author ities say their customs and immi gration officers have helped recov er more than 450 runaways and ab ducted children In Mexico: Consulate officials say that in addition to proof of citizen ship all children under 18 who are traveling alone with one parent or in someone custody should have notarized letters of consent from the absent parent or parents The only exceptions are cases in which a lone parent can produce le gal proof (typically a notarized sole custody ruling or a death certifi cate) that the other parent is dead or not entitled to custody can be a huge if trav elers neglect that paperwork says Alaska Airlines spokesman Jack Evans Evans estimates that the carrier turns away about three Mex ico bound travelers per month for lack of proper papers In cases of minors traveling alone airlines require the name address and phone number of the person meeting the minor on ar rival in Mexico The runaway and abductions is sue has arisen and more of in recent years says Robin Neville a spokeswoman for Cana dian Customs Border Services Her office offers a set of guidelines para phrased here that single parents and others should consider no mat ter which country planning to visit Always carry identification for yourself and the children If you are a single parent have copies of relevant legal documents such as custody rights If you are not the legal guardian of a child carry a letter authorizing you to have custody If a parent and legal guardian but taking a child across international borders without the other parent or custody papers you too should carry a letter of per mission from the other par ent or legal guardian Whenever possible those per mission letters should contain specifics of travel (dates and flight numbers for instance) as well as telephone numbers for the legal guardian or parent If traveling in a group of vehicles be sure that you are in the same vehicle as your child or chil dren when you arrive at the border Have your child or children memorize your telephone number In a March survey of foreign coun entry requirements the State Department has reported that Aus tralia and Colombia also ask for doc uments to cover the travel of minors who accompanied by both par ents (Other policies gen erally are less demanding but were not detailed in the survey) The State 20 page En try survey can be or dered for 50 cents from the govern Consumer Information Cen ter Pueblo CO 81009 oreign entry requirements also are available through recordings on the State Citizens Emergency Center line ((202) 647 5225) The State Web page also al lows access to a list of foreign gov ernment contact numbers However travelers should bear in mind that policies are always evolving To be safe parents guardians and chaperons always should seek up to date require ments from foreign embassies or tourist offices before traveling with a child Native American festivals offer fun legend and lore rom the shores of Gitche Gurnee to the shining City of Brotherly Love (in Mississippi) you can learn more about American Indian culture: SONG HIAWATHA PAGEANT Pipestone Minn July 18 20 25 27 and Aug 1 3: orty families have made a tradition of portraying the Indian lore and leg end of the Longfellow poem in the beautiful outdoor setting of a nat ural stage 300 yards long next to PipestoneNational Monument Call (507)825 4126 CHOCTAW INDIAN AIR Philadelphia Miss July 16 to 19: Before 1945 the fair was called a corn Today a celebration of the Choctaw Nation with lore handicrafts the Stickball World Series Choctaw and Plains Indian dancing and the selection of a princess Call (601) 650 1685 Gannett News Service Compare at SSM MasterCard I i Village Square KinzieNorth St Bradley IL 815 933 9945 Market Square 2200 Elmwood Lafayette IN 765 447 2314 Kids (Crayon Crowd) Tee Shirts SolidsStripes Denim Shorts $099 Compare at t2400 Junior Plus Sizes $1299 Mens Denim Work Jeans $499 TO $Q99 AnyOne I Pants Denim Jeans I I Shorts Skirts I MUST PRESENT THIS COUPONl I THRU 6197 LIMIT ONE PER ADULT CUSTOMER Golf Holiday Square 1 421 Bowman Ave Danville IL 217 431 6010 Swim Suits Mens $899 $999 Delta Burke Denim Wrap Skirt $Q99 Compare at 48 JrMissy Knit SS Tops $E99 Compare at $1 I I WIIO urr i I I i A I vA i Av AfJ UoAtuon Golf Knit Shirts S4" S1 1 99 Compare at $099 54 4 99 Golf Shorts 1 1 Compare at 54 995C99 Golf Hats 1 Compare at Slacks Golf Vest 3" Compare at.