Category: 2024

Waited through two hours of indifferent Turban eruptions. When Rift started thirty minutes after West Triplet, and the next Turban eruption did not result in Grand erupting, it was time to leave.

But it appears that this eruption of Rift had little effect. Grand erupted within an hour of our leaving, and the following interval was well under seven hours.

Expecting Grand to have longer intervals, did visit to the Lower Basin, but Great Fountain was not near overflow when the rain started. Left, only to have that be the only showers for several hours.

The rain didn't restart until it was time for Grand to erupt. After some prelimiary showers, a strong rain started just as Grand was full and having waves. That rain, which included hail at the end, ended with the One Burst Grand eruption.

2024-Jun-09:16:19:41 G1C

 16:19:36	Boop	-0m05s
 16:19:41	B1	--- d=10m18s
 16:20:41	Turban	1m00s
 16:21:19	Vent Ovfl	1m38s
 16:23:28	Vent	3m47s
 16:29:59	P1	10m18s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=10m18s
	* * * * *
 14:59:53			d=04m21s 	
 15:21:23	Int: 21m30s	d=04m14s 	
 15:40:57	Int: 19m34s	d=03m49s 	
 15:58:32	Int: 17m35s	d=03m28s 	
		      Grand: 21m09s

Once again, the day started with a middle of the night call for Beehive's Indicator. Made it over there in plenty of time to contribute a light to the eruption.

After yesterday's long waits, Grand ended up having a short interval overnight. It was mid-morning before finally getting out into the basin. Took a look at Economic, which looks no different from two weeks ago. Castle had another major eruption, and the Grand had the first observed two burst eruption in several days. The interval was also short and the eruption started shortly after West Triplet started erupting. The West Triplet eruption was over by the time Grand had quit.

2024-Jun-08:11:11:03 G2C

 11:11:03	B1	--- d=08m49s
 11:11:28	Turban	0m25s
 11:12:57	Vent Ovfl	1m54s
 11:14:11	Vent	3m08s
 11:19:52	P1	8m49s d=20s
 11:20:13	B2	9m10s d=45s
 11:20:58	P2	9m55s
Vent & Turban continue

				     ΣB=09m34s	ΣD=09m55s
	* * * * *
 10:08:12			d=04m25s 	
 10:26:48	Int: 18m36s	d=04m37s 	
 10:46:55	Int: 20m07s	d=04m01s 
		      Grand: 24m07s

It being a nice morning, went on down the basin. Thought about going to Daisy, but got a call about some Main Vent Splashing at Fan & Mortar. So went there and hung around for a while. When the Fan vents started, they were much stronger than the activity I'd seen earlier this week. It was the kind of activity that looked like it could build into an eruption when Fan & Mortar are having frequent eruptions.

From there, stopped by Riverside to wait for the start of an eruption. One problem is that over the years, much of the view of Riverside has been blocked by trees.

Was starting to prepare dinner when got another call for Beehive's Indicator. This was a bit of a surprise, as we had been expected Beehive and Grand to be competing for attention. The sky turned dark as we waited and got a few droplets of rain after Beehive's eruption. So returned from Geyser Hill and picked up the food prep where we'd left off.

Because of the interruption, it was time to head back to Grand after cleanup. Waited one Turban eruption interval, the first time for that in days, for yet another short Grand eruption interval. The One Burst Grand eruptions almost quit around the 8m30s mark, and then spent much of the next two minutes in Big Sawmill Mode.

2024-Jun-08:17:48:20 G1Q

 17:48:20	B1	--- d=11m15s
 17:48:23	Vent Ovfl	0m03s
 17:48:47	Turban	0m26s
 17:51:34	Vent	3m14s
 17:59:35	P1	11m15s
 18:00:15	V&T Quit	11m54s

				     	ΣD=11m15s
	* * * * *
 17:25:58			d=04m02s 	
		      Grand: 22m22s

Since Grand erupted early, and it was well before sunset, went out to see an eruption of Fountain. That eruption lasted nearly 30 minutes, nicely lit by the low sun (except for a few clouds).

The day started with a 1d11h interval for Rift. The Grand Group had barely recovered from the previous eruption when this one started. Six hours later we finally got the One Burst Grand eruption starting explosively after several boops.

At first the Turban eruption intervals and durations got shorter as expected, but the last two eruptions had longer intervals and longer durations than earlier. The Rift eruption lasted about 2-3/4 hours, but it took three more hours before Grand finally had a long, strong fill. The Grand eruption lasted almost eleven minutes, yet Vent & Turban continued to erupt. It appears that the reactivation of Rift is finally having an effect on Grand.

During the wait, I did get to see Uncertain erupt. Others noticed that the vent was full and even overflowing while Sawmill was in eruption, so once one of the Turban eruptions ended, I walked down that way. As I passed Old Tardy, Sawmill ended. The Uncertain eruption took place within a couple of minutes.

2024-Jun-07:14:09:23 T1C

 14:09:04	Vent Ovfl	-0m19s
 14:09:14	Boop	-0m09s
 14:09:22	Turban	-0m01s
 14:09:23	B1	--- d=10m47s
 14:11:19	Vent	1m56s
 14:20:10	P1	10m47s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=10m47s
	* * * * *
 08:19:52			
 08:35:52	Int: 16m00s	d=03m38s 	
 08:56:04	Int: 20m12s	d=04m25s 	
 09:14:03	Int: 17m59s	d=04m06s 	
 09:34:15	Int: 20m12s	d=03m56s 	
 09:55:31	Int: 21m16s	d=03m57s 	
 10:13:57	Int: 18m26s	d=03m46s 	
 10:32:09	Int: 18m12s	d=03m10s 	
 10:49:58	Int: 17m49s	d=03m25s 	
 11:09:02	Int: 19m04s	d=03m26s 	
 11:27:05	Int: 18m03s	d=03m40s 	
 11:44:25	Int: 17m20s	
 12:01:23	Int: 16m58s	d=03m05s 	
 12:18:41	Int: 17m18s	d=03m38s 	
 12:36:52	Int: 18m11s	d=03m00s 	
 12:52:43	Int: 15m51s	d=02m59s 	
 13:08:39	Int: 15m56s	d=02m45s 	
 13:28:21	Int: 19m42s	d=03m28s 	
 13:46:28	Int: 18m07s	d=03m54s 	
		     Turban: 22m54s

Was going to wait for Castle after Grand erupted, based on the NPS prediction. But then several people started doing the math, and concluded that it would be several hours before Castle had a chance. That Castle was completely dead the whole time we were considering our options reinforced that conclusion. Castle ended up erupting over three hours later.

Grand is now seems to be in a mode where it is erupting three times a day, with two of the eruptions in the dark.

Went out at sunset for a Grand erupion in the dark. It was still light when we got a Turban Delay interval. Three Turban intervals later Grand had the One Burst Eruption lasting one second under ten minutes.

2024-Jun-07:22:01:23 D3/G1C

 22:01:23	B1	--- d=09m59s
 22:11:22	P1	9m59s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=09m59s
	* * * * *
 20:39:22			d=03m56s 	
 21:05:57	Int: 26m35s	d=04m19s  D0	
 21:22:58	Int: 17m01s	d=03m56s  D1	
 21:40:47	Int: 17m49s	d=03m48s  D2	
		      Grand: 20m36s

And why is it that family reunion groups staying in the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins have to be so loud and obnoxious? Do they not realize that not everyone is a part of their little clan?

Just after dawn, Fan & Mortar behaved much like I saw the other day. Went down there just in case. Turns out that Bottom Vent did not erupt, and the activity of the Fan vents was better than what I had seen.

Spent half an hour in the Bijou Cage, just to see how things were. Bijou was strong and never stopped. Right after I left, I saw Grotto Fountain starting to erupt. Grotto had one of the stronger and taller starts I've seen in a while, in part because I was upwind over in the corner of the boardwalk.

By then it was time to go to Grand. Arrived to find West Triplet in eruption. As this was almost too early for Grand to erupt, we ended up having to wait the 2-1/2 hours for the next West Triplet eruption. It appears that right now Grand is being strongly influenced by West Triplet, and it's in the mode where there is a West Triplet Window. If Grand doesn't erupt during or immediately after West Triplet, it doesn't even try to erupt for the next couple of hours.

The eruption itself was another One Burst Grand eruption. While waiting, there was an eruption of Uncertain Geyser. I watched it from the benches, and it appeared to be quite tall.

2024-Jun-06:12:55:06 G1Q

 12:55:03	Boop	-0m03s
 12:55:06	B1	--- d=11m05s
 12:55:08	Vent Ovfl	0m02s
 12:55:33	Turban	0m27s
 12:58:06	Vent	3m00s
 13:06:11	P1	11m05s
 13:06:49	V&T Quit	11m43s

				     	ΣD=11m05s
	* * * * *
 10:30:08			d=05m00s 	
 10:48:16	Int: 18m08s	d=04m13s 	
 11:08:46	Int: 20m30s	d=03m57s 	
 11:28:23	Int: 19m37s	d=03m59s 	
 11:46:09	Int: 17m46s	d=03m56s 	
 12:03:04	Int: 16m55s	d=03m35s 	
 12:20:49	Int: 17m45s	d=03m54s 	
 12:36:54	Int: 16m05s	d=03m21s 	
		      Grand: 18m12s

Beehive erupted in the afternoon, and afterwards, saw a couple of new little sputs I haven't seen before. One is probably "Borah Peak Geyser" while the other is located near the location of Dragon Springs and hasn't been seen before. The latter only erupts to about a meter at a severe angle and lasts for maybe 20 seconds. It looks like something that is erupting from a drained pool.

Grand was set up for a sunset eruption, but by then the sky was completely overcast, and was just going to turn gray and then get dark. When I arrived, I saw that some bison had passed through the formations between the boardwalk and the geysers, and left a couple large deposits of well used plant-life. These became a source of humor, especially when the One Burst Grand eruption started and began to erode them. The large one created a discolored streak that reached the boardwalk.

The eruption itself was during the West Triplet window. When West Triplet started, there was a sort Turban eruption interval. The next interval was much longer. Grand's pool slowly filled and stayed full, looking like it might be a Turban Delay interval instead. Finally there was an explosive start to the eruption. West Triplet ended during Grand's eruption.

2024-Jun-06:20:01:12 G1Q

 20:01:12	B1	--- d=10m42s
 20:01:15	Vent Ovfl	0m02s
 20:01:23	Turban	0m10s
 20:04:16	Vent	3m03s
 20:11:55	P1	10m42s
 20:13:02	V&T Quit	11m49s

				     	ΣD=10m42s
	* * * * *
 19:03:57			d=05m14s 
 19:22:07	Int: 18m09s	d=03m50s 
 19:36:11       West Triplet    d=30m57s      
 19:38:55	Int: 16m48s	d=03m55s 
		      Grand: 22m16s

Once again, was awakened by a call for Beehive's Indicator, this time before sunrise. Got over to Geyser Hill with plenty of time, but realized that I'd forgotten to bring my umbrella. Fortunately, didn't need it, as it was mostly calm and I could move fast enough to avoid the slowly migrating spray zone. We were the only two people over there.

With no report on the overnight Grand eruption, I went out at around the twelve hour mark. Turns out I was a bit early, as I overheard some NPS personnel who were downloading data say it was at 04:04. After an hour of longer Turban eruptions, there a 36 minute Turban Delay interval. From there it was a wait of five more Turban eruption intervals before the One Burst Grand eruption. This was a 9-1/2 minute long eruption where Vent & Turban continued afterwards. During the eruption, West Triplet started to erupt, but finished before the Grand eruption ended.

2024-Jun-05:11:35:58 D5/T1C

 11:34:40	Turban	-1m18s
 11:35:53	Boop	-0m05s
 11:35:58	B1	--- d=09m34s
 11:38:32	Vent	2m34s
 11:45:32	P1	9m34s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=09m34s
	* * * * *
 08:42:42			d=03m57s 	
 09:05:21	Int: 22m39s	d=04m21s 	
 09:27:04	Int: 21m43s	d=04m38s 	
 10:04:49	Int: 37m45s	d=04m47s  D0	
 10:21:38	Int: 16m49s	d=04m15s  D1	
 10:40:43	Int: 19m05s	d=03m50s  D2	
 11:00:50	Int: 20m07s	d=03m45s  D3	
 11:17:18	Int: 16m28s	d=03m40s  D4	
		     Turban: 17m22s

Decided I should try and wait for something at the northern end of the Upper Basin, and as I rode up, Grotto Fountain was boiling up nicely. It didn't erupt, but I waited the hour for the next opportunity, where Grotto Fountain and Grotto did erupt. The wind shifted just enough so that my camera was not in the best place to record the activity, but I didn't want to move and adjust it while recording.

A few hours later arrived back out to Grand to find West Triplet late in an eruption. That turned out to be important, as over the next three hours Grand made no real attempt to erupt. There was a series of ten Turban eruptions where stayed pretty constant at around 3-1/2 minutes, with two exceptions where the durations were less than three.

Finally West Triplet started to erupt again and Grand went into a Turban Delay interval. At the 29minute mark, with the sun set, Grand finally erupted with an explosive start. This gave us an over 11 minute One Burst Eruption, followed almost immediately by the start of and eruption of Rift.

2024-Jun-05:20:55:17 D0/G1Q

 20:55:16	Vent Ovfl	-0m01s
 20:55:17	B1	--- d=11m28s
 20:55:54	Turban	0m37s
 20:57:40	Vent	2m23s
 21:06:45	P1	11m28s
 21:07:26	V&T Quit	12m09s

				     	ΣD=11m28s
	* * * * *
 17:43:16			d=04m15s 	
 18:02:49	Int: 19m33s	d=04m02s 	
 18:21:25	Int: 18m36s	d=03m32s 	
 18:41:07	Int: 19m42s	d=03m29s 	
 18:57:25	Int: 16m18s	d=02m43s 	
 19:15:59	Int: 18m34s	d=03m16s 	
 19:34:17	Int: 18m18s	d=03m33s 	
 19:52:18	Int: 18m01s	d=03m31s 	
 20:09:34	Int: 17m16s	d=03m32s 	
 20:26:15	Int: 16m41s	d=02m55s 
 20:33:45				West Triplet	
		      Grand: 29m02s

Rift erupted overnight, so not surprised to find that Grand had not yet erupted at dawn. Unfortunately, was preparing to head out when it did erupt. So went back to sleep for a few hours, then went out to Geyser Hill for the morning Beehive eruption.

Lion had been last seen almost 24 hours earlier, so decided I would wait over there. But it was cold and windy, and after about an hour or so, decided I'd had enough and headed in. Got as far as the Firehole River bridge when I heard the radio call for the Indicator. During most of the time the Indicator was erupting, the wind was moving the steam toward Plume, but as usual, it shifted to the north as the time for Beehive to start got closer. I decided to risk staying in place, and turns out I didn't have to worry. Being so close means that one doesn't notice the wind-sheared eruption as much.

After that, it was time to head out to Grand again, with the expectation of a longer wait due to Rift effects. But the interval was just over seven hours.

We've noticed recently that many Grand eruptions have Vent & Turban ending, with fewer where they continue. These Quit type eruptions are the result of either multiple bursts or long One Burst eruptions, while the Continue type eruptions are those that are a short One Burst Eruption. When we've had a shorter eruption, we end up getting a second burst that results in a Quit. That was the case again with this eruption, where the first burst lasted over 9-1/2 minutes and we still got our second burst.

2024-Jun-04:12:42:46 G2Q

 12:42:46	B1	--- d=09m35s
 12:43:43	Turban	0m57s
 12:46:38	Vent	3m52s
 12:52:21	P1	9m35s d=46s
 12:53:07	B2	10m21s d=53s
 12:54:00	P2	11m14s
 12:54:42	V&T Quit	11m56s

				     ΣB=10m28s	ΣD=11m14s
	* * * * *
 12:01:09			d=03m45s 	
 12:22:35	Int: 21m26s	d=04m05s 	
		      Grand: 20m11s

Having expected to wait a while at Grand, decided to continue on down basin and see what Fan & Mortar had to offer. Went there also to test out some new features in my geyser logging application.

Arrived to find that everything was quiet. I thought I saw River and the other Fan vents start, but that activity only lasted a few minutes. Then Bottom Vent started splashing, and I saw splashes in Main Vent. The activity in Main Vent lasted for over thirty minutes, and some of the splashes were wide and as tall as the formations to the north/right. Bottom went into a full eruption that also lasted over half an hour.

The remainder of the cycle was anticlimactic, as the Fan Vents never came close to showing any good activity. The only good thing to note is that Angle Vent was quiet except during the period of time when it needed to be on after High and Gold were fully engaged in erupting.

F&M Test_2024-Jun-04_1318
---------------
2024-Jun-04
13:18      All quiet                               F&M Cycle
13:20      River start                             F&M Cycle
13:21      Gold & High start                       F&M Cycle
13:31      Vents quiet                             F&M Cycle
13:32      River quiet                             F&M Cycle
13:34      Bottom splashing                        F&M Cycle
13:35      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:39      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:42      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:45      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:49      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:50      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:51      Bottom quiet                            F&M Cycle
13:51      River start                             F&M Cycle
13:51      Bottom start                            F&M Cycle
13:53      River quiet                             F&M Cycle
13:54      Main splash                             F&M Event
13:57      Main splash                             F&M Event
14:00      Bottom start                            F&M Cycle
14:01      Main splash                             F&M Event
                    As high as back formation 
14:03      Main splash                             F&M Event
14:05      Bottom erupting                         F&M Cycle
                    Water has reached the river
14:09      Main splash                             F&M Event
14:30      River start                             F&M Cycle
14:31      Gold & High splashing                   F&M Cycle
14:36      Bottom end                              F&M Cycle
14:38      Gold & High start                       F&M Cycle
14:47      Angle st                                F&M Cycle
14:49      >>> Eruption                            Riverside
14:50      Gold & High quiet                       F&M Cycle
14:54      Vents restart                           F&M Cycle
15:02      Gold & High quiet                       F&M Cycle

Arrived out at Grand for the evening eruption just in time to see the first Turban eruption after a Turban Delay interval. From there we had to wait about two hours for the seventh in a series of similar Turban intervals and eruptions. When Grand finally erupted, Turban preceeded some booping by a few seconds, then the first burst lasted just over eight minutes. The total duration was just under ten minutes, which was short enough that Vent and Turban did not quit.

2024-Jun-04:20:44:43 T2C

 20:44:37	Turban	-0m06s
 20:44:43	B1	--- d=08m11s
 20:47:33	Vent	2m50s
 20:52:54	P1	8m11s d=54s
 20:53:48	B2	9m05s d=54s
 20:54:42	P2	9m59s
Vent & Turban continue

				     ΣB=09m05s	ΣD=09m59s
	* * * * *
 18:52:47			d=03m43s 	
 19:12:37	Int: 19m50s	d=03m45s 	
 19:31:06	Int: 18m29s	d=03m35s 	
 19:49:42	Int: 18m36s	d=03m55s 	
 20:08:16	Int: 18m34s	d=03m22s 	
 20:26:58	Int: 18m42s	d=03m06s 	
		     Turban: 17m39s

It was drizzly heading out for the morning Grand eruption, and it was getting wetter. Had to dodge a bison twice, as it was blocking the bike trail, and when I tried to use the gravel bypass, it had move to block that trail. I walked up on Turban erupting, and I took most of the Turban interval to get prepared for the increasing rain.

The pool was full when Turban had an explosive start, and stayed full. Grand finally started erupting almost 1-3/4 minutes later. The first burst lasted almost 9-1/2 minutes, which is long enough for a One Burst eruption, but as the steam cleared, water was visible in Grand's pool. A short pause, and we got a nice second burst.

2024-Jun-03:06:50:47 T2Q

 06:49:05	Turban	-1m42s
 06:50:47	B1	--- d=09m25s
 06:53:12	Vent	2m25s
 07:00:12	P1	9m25s d=54s
 07:01:06	B2	10m19s d=32s
 07:01:38	P2	10m51s
 07:02:23	V&T Quit	11m36s

				     ΣB=09m57s	ΣD=10m51s
	* * * * *
 06:32:20			d=02m52s 	
		     Turban: 16m45s

The weather forecast said that the rain might subside in an hour. What the forecast left out was that the rain wasn't that heavy, but it was windy. Decided to walk instead of riding a bike to Castle to see the next Grand eruption.

Arrived just in time for the first Turban eruption after the Turban Delay interval. For the next hour, it was wet and windy and Grand showed no sign of trying to erupt. Then the rain started to let up, and we got a longer Turban eruption interval and waves on a full pool. Unfortunately, the Big Sawmill mode at around the eight minute mark didn't result in a pause, so we got a One Burst Grand instead. At least most of the walk back we only had to contend with wind.

2024-Jun-03:14:18:01 G1Q

 14:18:01	B1	--- d=11m40s
 14:18:24	Turban	0m23s
 14:21:36	Vent	3m35s
 14:29:41	P1	11m40s
 14:30:09	V&T Quit	12m08s

				     	ΣD=11m40s
	* * * * *
 13:21:32			d=03m30s 	
 13:40:08	Int: 18m36s	d=03m23s 	
 13:56:50	Int: 16m42s	d=03m28s 	
		      Grand: 21m11s

A few hours later came a report of Beehive's Indicator. One look out the cabin window at the rain and wind and we decided that others didn't need our presence to enjoy the eruption.

Since Grand erupted during Rift's eruption last night, the expected long interval for Grand took place overnight. The first three observed Turban eruption durations were short, around three minutes long. Then we got a long Turban interval, but it wasn't long enough to qualify as a Turban Delay Interval. That Turban duration was a minute longer, as was the next eruption.

Grand finally erupted less than 16 minutes later. When the first burst ended at less than 8-1/2 minutes long, we were pretty sure of a second burst. Backlit by the sun with much of the steam cleared away, it seemed impressively high. And it lasted just over 1/2 a minute, which is short. Despite that, the pool quickly drained and there was no effort at a third burst, and a total duration of about 9m36.

2024-Jun-02:08:13:57 T2C

 08:13:50	Vent Ovfl	-0m07s
 08:13:52	Turban	-0m05s
 08:13:57	B1	--- d=08m17s
 08:16:34	Vent	2m36s
 08:22:15	P1	8m17s d=39s
 08:22:54	B2	8m56s d=32s
 08:23:26	P2	9m28s
Vent & Turban continue

				     ΣB=08m49s	ΣD=09m28s
	* * * * *
 06:43:55			d=03m10s 	
 07:01:14	Int: 17m19s	d=03m09s 	
 07:17:39	Int: 16m25s	d=03m00s 	
 07:40:49	Int: 23m10s	d=04m13s 	
 07:57:59	Int: 17m10s	d=03m50s 
		     Turban: 15m52s

Afterwards, in the Sawmill Group Uncertain was splashing. All the conditions looked good for an eruption. Waited a bit, and then suddenly Sawmill started. Despite that, Uncertain continued to splash, and a few minutes later it built into an eruption. This eruption seemed shorter than those I've seen in the past, but that may be due to erupting with Sawmill.

Later went out for the noon radio call for Beehive's Indicator.

In the early afternoon, went out to Grand a bit early, as not sure if the longer intervals due to Rift would still be in effect. Not a super long interval, but still longer than the day prior to Rift erupting. Had to sit through several small showers that were just enough to wet things down.

The first burst from Grand was long enough for a One Burst Eruption, but we were rewarded with a second burst. The pause was less than a half minute, and it looked like Grand's pool was down quite a bit when the bursting restarted. Usually I expect to see sloshing around for a while as the pool rises to near overflow. The second burst then lasted almost long enough to qualify as a Long Second burst, while the Vent & Turban restart took well over twenty minutes.

2024-Jun-02:15:52:49 G2Q

 15:52:49	B1	--- d=09m38s
 15:53:42	Turban	0m53s
 15:56:17	Vent	3m28s
 16:02:27	P1	9m38s d=28s
 16:02:55	B2	10m06s d=01m07s
 16:04:02	P2	11m13s
 16:04:43	V&T Quit	11m54s
 16:26:47	V&T Restart	33m58s

				     ΣB=10m45s	ΣD=11m13s
	* * * * *
 14:14:43			d=02m56s 	
 14:34:05	Int: 19m22s	d=04m11s 	
 14:54:32	Int: 20m27s	d=03m55s 	
 15:12:26	Int: 17m54s	d=04m00s 	
 15:32:02	Int: 19m36s	d=03m22s 	
		      Grand: 20m47s

Since it was clear, and tomorrow is supposed to be cool and wet, we went out after sunset for another Grand eruption. The wait was uneventful. The One Burst Grand eruption had a false pause after a minute or so of Big Sawmill mode, then continued on for almost three more minutes.

2024-Jun-02:23:36:44 G1Q

 23:36:44	B1	--- d=12m02s
 23:37:40	Turban	0m56s
 23:40:26	Vent	3m42s
 23:46:01	FP	9m17s
 23:48:46	P1	12m02s
 23:49:35	V&T Quit	12m51s

				     	ΣD=12m02s
	* * * * *
 22:05:05			d=03m57s 	
 22:24:12	Int: 19m07s	d=03m47s 	
 22:40:43	Int: 16m31s	d=03m41s 	
 22:59:21	Int: 18m38s	d=03m44s 	
 23:17:46	Int: 18m25s	d=04m09s 	
		      Grand: 18m58s

Was awakened by a radio call for Beehive's Indicator again. This time it was daylight and I had been thinking of getting up and moving about then. There was just enough of a breeze to push the spray to the north, giving those standing along the railing a full double rainbow for most of the eruption.

Went back to the cabin to immediately head back out to wait for Grand. Only needed to wait for one Turban eruption interval before we got another two burst eruption. It was quite steamy, and the second burst was a bit of a surprise as the first burst lasted over 9-1/2 minutes, and the pause quite short. But that burst was tall, reaching well above the ground fog.

2024-Jun-01:08:25:32 G2Q

 08:25:32	B1	--- d=09m37s
 08:26:11	Vent Ovfl	0m39s
 08:26:43	Turban	1m11s
 08:29:13	Vent	3m40s
 08:35:09	P1	9m37s d=19s
 08:35:28	B2	9m56s d=57s
 08:36:25	P2	10m53s
 08:37:12	V&T Quit	11m40s

				     ΣB=10m34s	ΣD=10m53s
	* * * * *
 08:04:42			d=03m51s 	
		      Grand: 20m50s

There wasn't much else going on, and it was a nice, sunny day, so made the decision to visit Great Fountain. Got out there and the pool was low, about 30cm to 50cm below overflow. Spent an hour and a half there with no change other than occasional rises of about 10cm or so. So returned to the Upper Basin to see the next Grand eruption.

Arrived to find that West Triplet was below overflow. Ended up waiting less than an hour for a One Burst Grand eruption. After the eruption, West Triple was in heavy overflow with heavy boiling up. It took a couple of minutes for the first bursting to start. That's the first post-Grand activity I've seen this visit, and left with the expectation of a Rift eruption to follow.

2024-Jun-01:14:57:12 T1C

 14:56:57	Turban	-0m15s
 14:57:07	Vent Ovfl	-0m05s
 14:57:12	B1	--- d=10m10s
 15:00:22	Vent	3m10s
 15:07:22	P1	10m10s
Vent & Turban continue

				     	ΣD=10m10s
	* * * * *
 14:15:35			d=04m09s 	
 14:36:39	Int: 21m04s	d=04m18s 	
		     Turban: 20m18s

Didn't wait as decided to head back out for Great Fountain. Arrived well into the overflow, and waited only twelve minutes for the eruption. It was perhaps an Adequate Fountain, as while it went into full eruption without a pause, none of the burst were very big or voluminous. I was disappointed in how small the waves across the catch basins were.

At the start of the third burst, left to go to Fountain where there had been a stall while we were on our first visit to Great Fountain. Waited less than an hour for the eruption.

Was planning to head out to Grand after sunset, but at around the 5-1/2 hour mark got a report of Rift in eruption. At the same time, Beehive's Indicator started again. So rushed out for Beehive and gave up the idea of going to Grand.

Turns out we should have gone, as despite Rift erupting, Grand had another short eruption interval.

Just after midnight we heard the radio call for water in Beehive's Indicator. Had plenty of time to get out there for a nicely illuminated eruption that started with a huge surge of water, maybe 10meters high. With no wind, the water column went straight up and then straight down.

Later went out for a half-hour of undistinguished Turban eruption intervals, followed by a nice two burst Grand eruption. The first burst lasted 8m21s, which has been known to be the duration of a One Burst Grand eruption, but not this time. Instead we got a second, 2-1/2 minute long second burst. Both bursts didn't seem to be very tall.

2024-May-31:12:03:33 G2*Q

 12:03:33	B1	--- d=08m20s
 12:04:13	Turban	0m40s
 12:05:25	Vent Ovfl	1m52s
 12:07:10	Vent	3m36s
 12:11:54	P1	8m20s d=42s
 12:12:36	B2	9m02s d=02m30s
 12:15:07	P2	11m33s
 12:15:46	V&T Quit	12m13s
 12:25:48	V&T Restart	22m15s

				     ΣB=10m51s	ΣD=11m33s
	* * * * *
 10:32:00			d=04m23s 
 10:51:05	Int: 19m05s	d=03m50s 
 11:09:16	Int: 18m11s	d=03m43s 
 11:27:18	Int: 18m01s	d=03m49s 
 11:45:44	Int: 18m25s	d=03m39s 
		      Grand: 17m49s

It was after Grand when the trail closures were lifted. Since I hadn't really had a chance to go down basin, finally got to do so early in the afternoon.

Got to Daisy in what was the latest part of the published window, only to find it completely dead. Having nothing better to do, decided to stick around see the build up to the next eruption. Turns out there was a double interval of about 1h45m for each. The duration was still 3m22s, but it does seem that the intervals over the years are getting a little shorter.

(When I arrived, there was a raven working on the remaining bits of a small animal located just behind the bench.)

During the Daisy eruption the call came over the radio for water in Beehive's Indicator. So once Daisy had finished, I rode down to the overlook, after dodging a bison grazing where the trees and the warm ground meet. Beehive started as I passed through the little grove of trees.

The wait for the evening Grand eruption was also uneventful. The lighting was nice, and the wind had finally died down. The first burst lasted just under nine minutes, but the pool looked full once the steam cleared. This time the burst heights seemed taller than earlier. In both cases, Vent and Turban restarted within ten minutes.

2024-May-31:19:34:20 G2Q

 19:34:20	B1	--- d=08m55s
 19:35:02	Turban	0m42s
 19:37:40	Vent	3m20s
 19:43:15	P1	8m55s d=44s
 19:43:59	B2	9m39s d=42s
 19:44:41	P2	10m21s
 19:45:34	V&T Quit	11m14s
 19:56:11	V&T Restart	21m51s

				     ΣB=09m37s	ΣD=10m21s
	* * * * *
 18:18:48			d=04m31s 	
 18:36:14	Int: 17m26s	d=04m21s 	
 18:55:28	Int: 19m14s	d=03m55s 	
 19:14:37	Int: 19m09s	d=03m54s 	
		      Grand: 19m43s

Afterwards there was a long Bulger eruption, but not even steam from Bulger's Hole. Spasmodic had been overflowing earlier, but was dropping. This is the first time in years, since Sawmill reactivated, that I have seen that. Would like to see Sawmill overflow before erupting, because I think that would indicate a Penta major eruption could finally happen.

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.