It looks like scientists' concerns about Mount St. Helens were correct: it spewed steam and ash 10,000 feet into the air this morning.

I visited Mount St. Helens a few years ago when I was in Seattle. What an astounding place.

After the eruption in 1980, a great deal of the surrounding land was reclaimed by the federal government. People no longe live or work within a large radius of the mountain. The lack of people, plus the destruction following the eruption left the land pristine. A beautiful moonscape, even 20 years later.