Geyser Notes

This morning I did something I haven't done in well over a decade-- see Beehive in the middle of the night.

I'd left the radio on, and so heard Carl Hoppe's call of the Indicator clearly. At first I thought of just trying to stay awake for his call of the eruption, then realized that with the 20 minute Indicators we've been having, I could easily get dressed and out there. And with the moon low on the horizon, that made my decision for me.

Unfortunately the moon set at about the 17 minute mark when I got out there. But the lights of the area, along with our couple of bright flashlights for part of the eruption was enough. And the best part is the roar of the eruption in the quiet of the night (no motorcycles in the background, for example.)

Coming back in from Beehive, there were some clouds in the sky. Going back out for Grand about two hours later it was almost completely overcast, with occasions droplets. At Grand the droplets were enough to get out the rain pants, and then it stopped. And while it stayed cloudy for most of the rest of the wait, no more rain.

It was a wait that saw West Triplet transition into Rift, and then we had to wait for the recovery from all that. Grand once again showed perfect timing. The eruption started shortly after the sun disappeared behind a thick cloud, and finished the second burst as the sun reappeared.

For the next Grand I thought that there was a chance of an early eruption with West Triplet. It was mostly clear, but quite windy the whole time. As it was, West Triplet took its time, and then Grand didn't take full advantage of the window. It did have a strong attempt, one that I thought would probably result in an eruption two Turban eruptions later, and that's what happened. There were nice rainbows in the one burst Grand, too.

Sawmill was also in eruption when I came out. That eruption continued on for over three hours, and for once I was standing right there when it finally quit. Usually it seems I walk away and notice that it stops while I'm on the other side of the river.

Castle and Beehive erupted during the wait also. Beehive was a bit of a surprise, at that was just a bit over a 12 hour interval. On the walk back from Grand, Castle was in late steam, but due to the wind, the spray made for a nice full rainbow looking out toward Geyser Hill.

Oblong was quiet today. Considering all the hours spent out at Grand, I should have seen more than just one eruption from it.