Where were you when it happened?
...if you lived in the Pacific Northwest, it was a day to remember!

Some occasions are remembered forever...I'll bet just about everyone who was alive back then can tell you where they were and what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated, or when Neil Armstrong took one giant step for mankind on the Moon, or when the Beatles first performed on the Ed Sullivan show...and, sadly, when John Lennon was assassinated...some things we just never forget. And, if you lived in the Pacific Northwest, back in 1980, you remember the date of May 18th, 1980 really, really well...



It was on that date that Mt. St. Helens, in southwestern Washington State, blew her top, and discharged her contents all over the Pacific Northwest. I was in North Idaho, selling advertising at the time, and I remember how much having ash all over the streets wrecked the sales promotions I was working on. People were instead cleaning up the mess. And what a mess it was; folks tried washing the stuff off the sidewalks, but when mixed with water, the ash turned into a substance resembling concrete! And this was at a point over 500 miles away from the volcano. The ash resembled snow that wouldn't melt; it just wouldn't go away!

I've been to Crater Lake in Oregon; that lake was created much the same way; basically, a volcano going "KA-BOOOM!!!" and all of a sudden, the top of the mountain was no more, and standing on the rim of Crater Lake gave me an idea of the force with which Mt. St. Helens erupted. Because a lot of THAT mountain...is GONE.
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Every tire soon meets the end of its road...and a big name in tires here in the Pacific Northwest has met the end of his road...Mr. Les Schwab, a name that everyone in the Northwest is immediately familiar with, passed away this week at the age of 89. I knew something was up as far as a couple of years back, when I noticed Mr. Schwab hadn't been appearing in TV commercials for his tire business for a while. And the way every Les Schwab store operates is a testament to a businessman with high ideals. Free tire checks, free rotation of tires bought at Les Schwab, prompt service, with the customer coming first, and a great tire guarantee; I can only think of good things to say about Les Schwab Tires, and I've done business at several of its locations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho over the years. If all the businesses all over the world operated like Les Schwab tires, this world would be a far better place. A job well done, Mr. Schwab.



So how fitting, that I found this graphic of the familiar Les Schwab sign against a backdrop of cumulus clouds...and ol' Les is up there now, still supervising the operations of his many, many stores back here on Planet Earth. I know that Les Schwab Tires got me back on the road after flat tires, and especially after one scary case where the "cap" had come off a "recap" tire one dreary November when I was driving home from the University of Idaho for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I thot I'd thrown a rod! The cap beating against the inside of my fender just about made me panic. Anyway, according to a news report I've just heard, Les Schwab started his business in 1952, with the home office in Prineville Oregon, where the tire chain's headquarters is still at to this day. I was always amazed at the stamina of Les Schwab employees...working at breakneck speed, running full-steam from one customer to another...I'd pass out if I had to work like they do!
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And, after writring this post, totally on impulse, I'm realizing that it's 3:40 in the morning, and I'd better get to bed. Why? Because I'm..."tired".