5.9.6 - Worthington, MN

More and more drivin' in the upper-midwest. Ugh! Don't want to even spend any time writin' about it, though I'll tell y'all: I miss the NW terribly.
Lorraine tells me that last Friday marked the reopening of the Johnston Ridge Observatory and if ya take a drive up there, you'll get a spectacular view (depending on the weather, I suppose) of a huge slab ("fin") of rock that's been growin' out of the Mount St. Helens' crater since last November, steadily pushin' rock and other debris out of its way.
"The fin-shaped mass is about 300 feet tall and growing 4 feet to 5 feet a day," said Dan Dzurisin, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. The current growth of the new lava dome has been accompanied by low seismicity rates, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases and minor production of ash, the USGS adds.
"Given the way things are going now, there's no hint of any sort of catastrophic eruptions," USGS geologist Tom Pierson said. "At any time, however, things can change."
Scientists flew a helicopter into the crater late last week to adjust equipment and take photographs that will likely be used to determine just how much the new lava dome has grown the last several months.
You can sorta make out this new slab formation if you visit the volcanocam-link on sthelensupdate, where they also have some fascinating additional info:

Finding The Fin Before It Finally Falls With A Flourish
Since November 2005, a fin (or spire) of volcanic material has been growing out of the new dome. The current size is in excess of 300 feet. This is often a regular occurrence in volcanic dome-building. The fin will only grow so far before the inherent weakness in its structure, along with gravity, causes it to collapse. Since the current volcanic activity began in October, 2004, there have been several fins and spires that have grown and collapsed. However, this is the first one visible from the VolcanoCam.
This image was taken on May 5, 2006, at 10:45 am PDT. You may click on the image to view it full-size.

So again, you'll just have to take a nice spring drive up to the newly opened observatory. The Johnston Ridge Observatory, which closes down every winter, is the closest observatory to the 8,364-foot peak. It is named after David A. Johnston, a volcanologist killed in the 1980 eruption. It sits about five miles north of the mountain and offers the closest views of the volcano's horseshoe-shaped crater.
Enjoy the spring! Hope I see y'all soon when I get some runs into that pretty lil town y'all got.
-Tom