That was a Sunday and I was doing my Navy Reserve duty in downtown Seattle when Mt. St. Helens blew. The very next day I had to go down to Oregon to see my customers and that happened to be the day the wind shifted. The trip down I-5 was something terrible and crossing the Toutle River Bridge was exciting. I still don't know how that bridge remained standing with the mud flowing bank-full at 30 mph. Coming up the coast two days later (I-5 was closed) was terrifying with every log truck kicking up so much volcanic ash that you couldn't see the road.
The place I go to camp, fish, and hunt in Central Washington still hasn't recovered from the ash fall which killed almost all the small herbivores and the antelope. I still hope for the day the jackrabbits return. (somehow the desert doesn't seem quite right without jackrabbits).