I’ve written about my personal experience with the Mt. St. Helens eruption while living in Vancouver, WA a couple times briefly but whenever the anniversary of the event comes around another memory surfaces of that fateful day 26 years ago.

The dark gray clouds of ash from the eruption were eerily similar to the stuff coming out the World Trade Centers during 911. The mountain’s fury could be felt several thousand feet high and states away. Jimmy Carter was President, which I vaguely remember him or politics. I was too busy riding my bike.

Today I’m reminded of making jumps out of the ash and jumping over other bikes, objects — and even people — with my Huffy red bike. In 1980 I guess there was still some daredevil in me, but I don’t even own a bike today. Other more scary jumps with my bike come to mind too like this one massive dirt jump in the woods that I took. I didn’t have a very good bike, not like the other kids. I remember the Mongoose bikes were cool but I lived with my divorced mom at the time with my sister and we didn’t have much money. Eventually I did get one of those cooler bikes, but it was stolen. This was shortly before moving to Wisconsin to live with my dad.

My grandfather took me up to Spirit Lake several times. This was beautiful country. I can still recall winding our way through the trail hiking into the lake with the wind blowing that evergreen tree smell. You don’t forget majestic places.

Today the Spirit Lake I remember is gone, although it is coming back slowly. Mother nature can heal itself. The ash was gone within weeks from the streets where I used to jump with my bike. My mom is gone (1996), my grandfather is gone (2002). Someday I’ll be gone and you’ll be gone too, unless they find the secret to eternal life.

I’m glad to have these memories of what the landscape was like before St. Helens blew and what it was like when it blew. They keep saying Mt. Rainier is going to blow which sits quietly in the distance, waiting for its big day. Our home and our business in town will be reduced to mudflow within an hour as we are in the mudflow path. Some might say: why live so close to active volcanoes, especially since I’ve been through one of these before? Let’s not forget they also are saying we’re going to get a significant earthquake in these parts.

Maybe there’s still some daredevil in me after all.

• 106 miles from Mount St Helens eruption
• Mount St. Helens blows off more steam
• First morning of fitness program
• This year’s fake tree comes with lights
• Gearing up for our first bike ride together ever
• Families more fragmented these days?