On Jan. 3, 2011, freelance writer Seth Walker emailed editors at The Oregonian. "Over the holidays," he wrote, " I came across a wonderful, private collection of aerial photos taken from a small plane on May 18, 1980. ... One of the photos is the best I've seen of the explosion."

As the volcano blew on May 18, 1980, 11-year-old Tara Bowen and her father flew a small plane close to the eruption. For the first time, she tells the story of the white-knuckle flight and reveals the photos that have been tucked away for 34 years.

Were we interested? You bet. But for whatever reason, the story didn't work out and was filed away for the next spring and the spring after that. This year, the timing worked for the Bowen family and for Walker. The result is the story "An unrivaled view of Mount St. Helens," which you can read here.

The photographs taken by Richard Bowen are, indeed, spectacular.