Geyser Notes

It was clear when I went out for the nighttime Grand. Quiet too, as I believe this was the first time this visit that neither Percolator or any other of the noise makers were active. The distinguishing, and amusing feature of this eruption was that someone happened to make just the right turning the Inn parking lot to briefly illuminate the rising water column from the second burst.

So it was a bit of a surprise when I woke up a few hours later, and from behind the curtains I could tell that it wasn't bright and sunny. Instead it was a thick, gray overcast. So unlike previous mornings, I had to head out to Grand wearing some jackets and be prepared to get out the rain gear.

Had an almost classic sequence of Turban intervals. The first eruption I saw went long, after Grand had been sitting for quite a while with a full pool. The next eruption went short. (Not sure of the exact length, as was interrupted by an eruption of Uncertain.) That was followed by a short interval with poor runoff from Grand. Finally the pool filled and stayed up and we could easily see the full sequence of events for a long Turban start, from Vent overflow to Grand booping before finally starting.

The eruption itself was, as David Schwarz put it, was "an experience you normally get at night". Because of the coolness and the dampness, and the lack of any breeze, the water column was quickly shrouded in steam, a huge cloud that almost immediately started to precipitate on all the benches. To see anything required moving around.

Another feature of the wait was another short duration eruption of Rift which ended during Grand's eruption. I was standing down by it for the ending portions of Grand (due to the aforementioned rain.)