Month: May 2024

Beehive had a long interval, and the Indicator wasn't reported until it was in full eruption. But made it out there in plenty of time to see the eruption.

It was a cold, windy day. Made sure I got out to Grand early as I expected to have wait behind the Rift barrier, but it was decided to move it back to where it was yesterday and make the benches available. Turns out the carcass was not a bison but a cow elk, and it was getting attention from all the smaller scavengers.

That was good, as we needed them. Grand never had a Turban Delay interval, but never showed much in looking good or like it was trying to erupt. Then the Turban intervals got shorter, and Grand still didn't try. Finally, at just under ten hours we got the One Burst Grand eruption. (after quite a bit of booping). Went back in to get warmed up.

2024-May-30:13:36:59 G1Q

 13:36:51	Boop		-0m07s
 13:36:59	B1		--- 	d=10m57s
 13:37:31	Vent Ovfl	0m32s
 13:37:38	Turban		0m39s
 13:39:53	Vent		2m54s
 13:47:56	P1		10m57s
 13:48:46	V&T Quit	11m47s

				     	ΣD=10m57s
	* * * * *
 09:44:30			
 10:04:06	Int: 19m36s	d=04m05s 	
 10:22:24	Int: 18m18s	d=03m35s 	
 10:40:22	Int: 17m58s	d=03m38s 	
 10:56:55	Int: 16m33s	d=03m13s 	
 11:14:23	Int: 17m28s	d=03m12s 	
 11:30:29	Int: 16m06s	d=03m03s 	No ovfl
 11:48:16	Int: 17m47s	d=03m47s 	
 12:12:25	Int: 24m09s	d=04m09s 	
 12:29:26	Int: 17m01s	d=03m21s 	
 12:45:44	Int: 16m18s	d=03m22s 	
 13:03:20	Int: 17m36s	d=03m10s 	
 13:18:56	Int: 15m36s	d=03m14s 
		      Grand: 18m02s

Went out to Grand before a cloudy sunset. At least the wind had decreased to a more tolerable level. The second Turban eruption we saw resulted in a couple of boops from Grand and a Turban Delay interval. The fourth Turban eruption after that was strong, and it sounded like Grand could start at any moment, but it didn't. Instead we had to wait two more Turban eruption intervals before we finally got our eruption. And as a reward, there was a second burst.

2024-May-30:22:05:35 D6/G2Q

 22:05:35	B1	--- d=09m20s
 22:05:56	Turban	0m21s
 22:08:48	Vent	3m12s
 22:14:56	P1	9m20s d=40s
 22:15:36	B2	10m00s d=57s
 22:16:33	P2	10m58s
 22:17:22	V&T Quit	11m46s

				     ΣB=10m17s	ΣD=10m58s
	* * * * *
 19:53:45			d=04m33s 	
 20:20:05	Int: 26m20s	d=04m37s  D0 Boop: 20:16:11	
 20:37:28	Int: 17m23s	d=03m58s  D1	
 20:55:29	Int: 18m01s	d=03m59s  D2	
 21:13:39	Int: 18m09s	d=03m39s  D3
 21:30:46	Int: 17m07s	d=03m07s  D4
 21:46:54	Int: 16m08s	d=03m31s  D5
		      Grand: 18m40s

Got out as far as Castle where, at 05:00, I was able to see Vent in eruption. Turns out the eruption time got reported about then, and I was a half hour late.

A few hours later, Rift was reported in eruption. I saw it still in eruption when I went past at 09:00. What got me out and about was a report of a wolf feeding on a bison carcass. The carcass was located just upstream from the Oblong bridge on the west side, almost in the river. It was reported to be still fresh and bloody, and stripped down. One wolf was seen near it and it's leaving is the only reason anyone would know about it.

As usual, the NPS reacted by closing trails, then overreacting later by extending the closure to include Grand and the Sawmill Group.

At first, they put up barriers at Castle on the bike trail, at Grand just after the northernmost benches, at the "Daisy" trailhead and at Biscuit Basin trailhead toward Artemisia. (Note they never mentioned the fifth entrance to the basin…)

While that was going on, I saw eruptions of Tilt and Bulger's Hole from Castle. I was considering going back in when there came a radio call for the water in Beehive's Indicator. So I walked over that way in plenty of time to get well upwind of the eruption.

Coming back I saw that Rift was no longer erupting. Both Belgian Pool and Crystal Spring were way down. Belgian no longer filled the western lobe, while Crystal was several centimeters below the overflow rim. Slurp was noisy and steamy, while earlier in the week is was using being flooded out by Crystal.

The wait at Grand was wet as a couple of bands of showers passed through, but the rains stopped by the time we got to see the One Burst Grand eruption. Other than being over eleven minutes long, there wasn't much to distinguish it.

2024-May-29:13:30:23 T1Q

 13:29:51	Turban	-0m32s
 13:30:23	B1	--- d=11m23s
 13:33:22	Vent	2m59s
 13:41:46	P1	11m23s
 13:42:07	V&T Quit	11m44s

				     	ΣD=11m23s
	* * * * *
 11:00:13			
 11:15:06	Int: 14m53s	d=03m31s 	
 11:36:00	Int: 20m54s	d=03m34s 	
 11:56:39	Int: 20m39s	d=03m04s 	
 12:15:54	Int: 19m15s	d=03m30s 	
 12:33:18	Int: 17m24s	d=02m43s 	
 12:52:44	Int: 19m26s	d=03m09s 	
 13:11:50	Int: 19m06s	d=03m21s 	
		     Turban: 18m01s

Later in the afternoon, the NPS moved the barrier from Grand to "Sawmill". I assumed that meant the junction and the loop was closed.

It was cool, cloudy and a bit windy, and I considered not going out for Grand. But then decided I should investigate what sort of view was available. Turns out the closure was at the junction of the loop by Rift, so it was possible to see Turban eruptions start, just not see Grand's pool or get accurate durations.

The Sawmill Group was in a Deep Drain, with water as low as I've seen it in various features like Belgian, Crystal and Oval. Bulger was almost constantly making noise with an occasional splash.

Waited for a few Turban eruptions, but was getting dark and rain was headed our way and decided to leave. (That location was also directly downwind from Grand.) Saw an eruption of Tilt, then decided that since it wasn't quite a windy there, might as well stick around for the next Turban start. So watched a 9-1/2 minute One Burst Grand eruption from there.

2024-May-29:21:16:49 T1C

 21:16:33	Turban	-0m16s
 21:16:49	B1	--- d=09m36s
 21:26:25	P1	9m36s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=09m36s
	* * * * *
 20:03:50			
 20:21:41	Int: 17m51s	d=03m17s 	
 20:40:51	Int: 19m10s	d=03m40s 	
 20:58:24	Int: 17m33s	
		     Turban: 18m09s
Seconds are approximate for durations and Grand.

On the walk back to the Lower Ham's parking lot, heard a frog to the left. It's been years since I've heard one. Back in the 1980s the swampy area to the right of the trail was quite noisy with frogs.

Didn't have to wait for a steamy two burst Grand eruption. The first burst lasted 9m15s, which has been known to be long enough for a single burst.

2024-May-28:06:02:32 G2Q

 06:02:32	B1	--- d=09m08s
 06:02:52	Vent Ovfl	0m20s
 06:03:06	Turban	0m34s
 06:05:53	Vent	3m21s
 06:11:40	P1	9m08s d=48s
 06:12:28	B2	9m56s d=54s
 06:13:22	P2	10m50s
 06:13:57	V&T Quit	11m25s
 06:34:08	V&T Restart	31m36s

				     ΣB=10m02s	ΣD=10m50s

As I was leaving Grand, I saw a rabbit appear from beneath the boardwalk beside Sawmill. It kept ducking under the boardwalk and finally ended up beside Belgian Pool. A minor eruption of Bulger distracted me, and I did not see the rabbit again.

Over at Crested Pool I saw an eruption of Tilt start. I noticed that not only was there no water going into it from Crested, but there was no runoff on that entire west side. It appears that Crested has dropped just enough so that the water only flows out one channel on the east side.

Crested also appeared to be a bit quiet. As the boiling along the west edge picked up, in the low light from sunrise I could see pulses of water pushing into the formation, raising the level just slightly. When the boiling quieted down about a minute later, the pulsations stopped as did the water level. Didn't stay long enough, but a project might be to see if this behavior can be quantified.

Later went out for the mid-day One Burst Grand eruption. Was a dull wait for an interval just under eight hours. The only item of note was that the durations of the Turban eruptions and the intervals between them slowly decreased. The last couple of minutes of the eruption consisted of Big Sawmill mode.

2024-May-28:13:56:46 T1Q

 13:55:32	Turban	-1m14s
 13:56:46	B1	--- d=11m02s
 13:59:31	Vent	2m45s
 14:07:48	P1	11m02s
 14:08:49	V&T Quit	12m03s

				     	ΣD=11m02s
	* * * * *
 11:48:50			
 12:05:36	Int: 16m46s	d=04m24s 	
 12:26:53	Int: 21m17s	d=04m34s 	
 12:45:11	Int: 18m18s	d=04m11s 	
 13:03:24	Int: 18m13s	d=04m12s 	
 13:21:22	Int: 17m58s	d=04m00s 	
 13:38:11	Int: 16m49s	d=03m33s 	
		     Turban: 17m21s

There was only six minutes between the Beehive's Indicator radio call and the eruption, so I saw the start from Sulphide Spring. It was a bit windy, so I got a good view of the curtain of water extending across Geyser Hill.

After, went out to Grand, but over the next hour storms started to develop to the west. With the radar view and the start of raindrops and it getting dark, decided that the odds of anything but a One Burst Grand meant it was time to leave.

Spent the day at Norris, which will be the last time that happens this year.

Traveling north at 06:00, we'd just passed Fountain Paint Pots and were about to start across Fountain Flats when I noticed a truck-camper stopped in the road at the Thud Group. Next I noticed there was a bison standing right next to the road. I thought it odd that someone would be stopping for a lone bison at that time of day, considering that they'd probably seen many bison the day before.

As we approached, it continued on its way. Next to the bison, maybe 20 feet away, was another shape that I initially thought was a calf. But it was the wrong color, and the wrong shape. It was a wolf, intently staring at the bison. I too stopped for a minute, then we continued on our way. In the passenger side mirror I saw a calf next to the bison, and realized what was going on. The wolf was looking for an opportunity to get today's meal, and the bison wasn't going to let that happen. (Or the wolf was waiting for a distraction)

Arrived at Norris at 07:10, and twelve minutes later New Crater/Steamboat had a small minor eruption better than anything we saw yesterday. It had the look and feel that it could be the start of an eruption, but then it started to die down. There was little to no activity after than for quite a while.

Over the next few hours, there were a few smaller such minor eruptions, but each were isolated, and not part of a series that looked like something could be building. For the last few hours of our stay, things were about as quiet as yesterday. After a stay of six hours, we left.

Back at the Upper Geyser Basin, went out to Grand at the six hour mark. Saw a Turban eruption, and unlike yesterday, were all the Turban eruptions were well under four minutes long, this one lasted over four.

The follow up did not look good, at the twenty minute mark the steamy Grand Pool looked full, but it also started to look like we were going to have a Turban Delay interval. But fortunately Grand had an explosive start at 23m16s.

This burst ended just as abruptly a bit over 7-1/2 minutes later. We were either going to get more bursts, or witness perhaps the shorted eruption recorded. It was a quick, twenty second pause, and then Grand restarted. This burst lasted just over the 1m15s that qualifies as a Long burst. For the last 30 seconds or so, Grand was in Big Sawmill mode. This was a bit disappointing, as now the eruption was long enough that it could be over. Instead, the forty second pause resulted in a third burst. This one too qualified as a Long, lasting 2m22s. By the time it ended, the duration for Grand's eruption was well over 12 minutes. As expected, there was no attempt at a fourth, and Vent and Turban quickly shut down.

2024-May-26:16:02:15 G3*#Q

 16:02:15	B1	--- d=07m37s
 16:02:52	Turban	0m37s
 16:05:52	Vent	3m37s
 16:09:52	P1	7m37s d=20s
 16:10:13	B2	7m57s d=01m17s
 16:11:30	P2	9m14s d=40s
 16:12:10	B3	9m55s d=02m22s
 16:14:32	P3	12m17s
 16:14:57	V&T Quit	12m42s

				     ΣB=11m16s	ΣD=12m17s
	* * * * *
 15:38:59			d=04m05s 
		      Grand: 23m16s

Around sunset, went out to Geyser Hill to check on Beehive. The interval was well over 17 hours, so it might erupt any time, including a No Indicator start, which seem more common on longer intervals (I'll leave it to someone else to confirm or refute this observation.) But an hour later it still hadn't erupted, so I headed back in.

Went to Norris just because it's been over 50 days since that last New Crater/Steamboat eruption, and there have been some reports of it having minor activity that looked encouraging. Arrived at 07:30 to clear skies, and by the time we left four hours later, it was cloudy, windy and starting to rain.

The overflow down from the South Vent is continuous, with frequent surges much of the time. At the bottom the bridge is just above the debris, and the runoff is stained chartreause by the plant life growing in it. But we never saw any good, strong, and sustained activity while waiting.

BWe made it back to the Old Faithful area with only one small delay due to a solitary bison standing on the road's shoulder just north of the Mallard Lake Trailhead. There we found that the window for Grand was open, so we headed out.

Only to find Rift in eruption. And Grand having the first of several Turban Delay intervals. As the summary shows, we ended up waiting five hours with little indication of an eruption. Rift stopped erupting about an hour after arrival, and that coincided with one of the Turban Delay intervals. There was another an hour later.

During this time Bulger was active, with several short but powerful eruptions from Bulger's Hole. During one of those eruptions, about 2-1/2 hours after Rift ended, it suddenly started putting our steam under considerable pressure. It looked like it might be trying to restart. An hour later there was a second such period of activity, but not as strong.

The rains started with the first Turban Delay that we saw, and became pretty much continuous by the time Grand erupted. That eruption was preceeded by a strange Turban eruption. It lasted less than 2-1/2 minutes, but emptied Grand's pool such that it looked like there had been a longer, Delay-type eruption.

Fortunately, Grand finally released the five poeple who were still waiting for it on the next eruption of Turban. The wind was such that we could at least see the start, but the eruption abruptly ended at 9m15s. The hope for a second burst was ended when the wind finally blew away enough steam that the empty crater was visible.

2024-May-25:18:27:21 D3/D11/T1C

18:26:58	Turban	-0m23s
18:27:09	Vent Ovfl	-0m12s
18:27:21	B1	--- d=09m15s
18:29:04	Vent	1m43s
18:36:36	P1	9m15s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=09m15s
	* * * * *
13:09:20			d=04m29s 	
13:27:07	Int: 17m47s	d=04m06s 	
14:01:16	Int: 34m09s	d=04m35s  D0	
14:18:45	Int: 17m29s	d=03m32s  D1	
14:36:09	Int: 17m24s	d=03m17s  D2	
15:06:58	Int: 30m49s	d=04m13s  D3/D0	
15:24:16	Int: 17m18s	d=03m20s  D3/D1	
15:41:28	Int: 17m12s	d=03m34s  D3/D2	
15:58:55	Int: 17m27s	d=03m33s  D3/D3	
16:17:32	Int: 18m37s	d=03m08s  D3/D4	
16:36:24	Int: 18m52s	d=03m10s  D3/D5	
16:54:10	Int: 17m46s	d=03m26s  D3/D6	
17:13:06	Int: 18m56s	d=03m23s  D3/D7	
17:30:06	Int: 17m00s	d=03m49s  D3/D8	
17:48:35	Int: 18m29s	d=03m37s  D3/D9	
18:06:40	Int: 18m05s	d=02m26s  D3/D10	
		     Turban: 20m18s

Waited less than a Turban eruption interval for the first One Burst Grand eruption of this visit. The wind was pushing the steam uphill, so at least it was pretty.

2024-May-24:18:10:28 T1C

 18:10:13	Turban		-0m15s
 18:10:20	Vent Ovfl	-0m08s
 18:10:28	B1		--- d=09m40s
 18:13:28	Vent		2m59s
 18:20:09	P1		9m40s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=09m40s

Did a quick visit down to Economic. It was full and convecting, and obvious that there had been some activity. East Economic was also full, and looked like there wasn't much slime over the vent area. The rest of the features of the area, from Key and Shoe to Crack looked unchanged from previous years.

With eruptions of Daisy and Riverside during our short time out there, and will Beehive and Castle having erupted during our drive, there wasn't much reason to stay out.