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Observations for 2021 May 24


A trip to Norris after missing a day seemed in order. It wasn't until we passed the Gibbon Picnic area that the road became slushy. At Norris there were several inches of snow, and several trees across the boardwalk just beyond Emerald. Spent an hour and a half there, but while some were seeing some flashes of life, we saw more of the same.

Rest of the day was pretty ordinary when it wasn't wet. Saw a couple of One Burst Grand eruptions, walked down after one of them to check Fan & Mortar and confirm that they have not erupted. Going out for the second Grand, we got the call for Beehive's Indicator just as we were leaving. Beehive itself had a full double rainbow as seen from the north.

The area of bubbling ground along the boardwalk is now completely dead. It's just a series of discolored patches of gravel, although the strongest one has a silted basin.

The NPS entertainment of the day was a long power failure. Must've started just before we left for Norris, and power came back about four hours later. Shortly after, there was a fire alarm at the Visitor Center. Seems that the noisy generator was overheating, and there wasn't a real fire. Oh, well, better luck next time.