It was a once in a lifetime experience.
We were driving along a highway, and our view was nearly completely obscured. It coated the ground and filled the air to the point that day nearly felt like night. My brother and I were ecstatic. We asked to stop the car so we could get a sample and just as we opened the car door, a huge semi-truck drove by, coating us with it. My father, fretting that our car engine would be coated and might stall, ushered us back into the car so we could try to get out of it.
I still have a sample today - the super fine gray ash from the eruption of Mount St. Helens. For my more recent experience with a volcano, see When the Earth Rumbles - A Visit to a Volcano.
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