Category: Activity Report

It was probably a mistake to go out for one last Grand eruption, but it was still fun in its way.

The precipitation started shortly after we came in from the previous eruption. By the time to leave for the next eruption, there were several inches of snow on the ground. The snow kept coming down the whole time we were out in the basin. Grand took its time before erupting, so most of our tracks were gone for the walk back. Settled in and bundled up, though, it was quite warm despite the the buildup of snow on blankets and coats and hats.

So I got the full wintertime experience, in the dark. It was actually pretty light out, with the glow from the few lights from a few buildings around Old Faithful brightening up the area. How much became apparent when the power went off and the area became truly dark. Even then, there was enough light to make out shapes. The lights came back on, and again it was brighter.

The Grand eruption was another variation. It surprised us because the Turban interval preceding it was only 15m30s. The wind was strong enough that the steam was blown north up and onto the slope behind Grand, making the bursts visible in Suzanne's powerful light. At the same time, the wind knocked down a lot of the bursting so that it did look like a large Sawmill.

The first burst was so short that we knew we had to get a second burst. And the surges from the burst overcame any wind knockdown and was impressively high in the snow. But unlike last night, the burst also kept on going, so that the total eruption lasted almost twelve minutes.

After that, it was go in, dry out, get a bit more sleep, then hope the snow would stop so I could pack and get out.

Which it didn't, and it was from 10 to 12 inches deep, but I left anyhow. The road to Madison had seen a single plow whose blade had reduced the height of the snow by about 6 inches, along with leaving a pair of tracks. By following those tracks, I was able to make fairly good time. The road from there to the west entrance was in a bit better shape, and in all it took only an hour to get out of the park. Which is usually how long it takes to get out during the summer, when what makes for slow going is other driver's stupidity. I think I prefer snow.

So it was a crazy, stupid weekend, but it was lots of fun, and I look forward to similar opportunities in the future.

Since I went out for one nighttime Grand, might as well go out for another. It was still partly overcast, with an occasional breeze, and much like a typical summer nighttime wait. This time ended up waiting a few Turban intervals for another one burst eruption, but this time it was initiated by Grand.

The day started out overcast and breezy, and slowly changed to sunny and breezy.

Of course, the next interval had to make up for the previous short intervals. First, at the six hour mark there was a Turban interval of around 35 minutes. During that time, West Triplet started, and a half hour later Rift joined in. That West Triplet eruption lasted for an hour, as did Rift, Then Grand took its time. After several long intervals and unimpressive fills and Turban eruptions, we finally got a short Turban interval of about 3m30s. With that, I expected Grand in another couple of Turban intervals.

As it turned out, it was four Turban intervals, and each Turban eruption was just as short. This is something I've not seen much. Each fill of Grand's pool started early, around 11 minutes, and by 14 it would look really good. Then drop. Finally the pool held, and through the steamy breeze we could see the waves on the pool.

The eruption, at least, compensated for the wait. We not only got two bursts, but the wind died down as the second burst started, so we did get to see the full height. This was unlike the Beehive eruption that took place about an hour earlier, where the wind picked up and carried the truncated water column north toward Lion.

I also wasted some time down at Fan & Mortar after Grand.

The long Grand interval wasn't totally disappointing, as it did have the side effect of pushing the Fountain and Grand windows apart. So I went out to Fountain on the off chance that Morning could erupt. As it turned out, we got Fountain, and a short eruption lasting 34 minutes. While there, the weather started to deteriorate. The Fountain Group always seems windy, but this was more than usual. But the sky was still pretty clear, and the sunset was a bit colorful.

An hour or so later, when it was finally time for Grand, the weather had gotten worse. It was still windy, and there were occasional chunks of frozen precipitation. But at the same time, the half the sky could be clear, with even the Milky Way visible. It was also warm enough that the boardwalk downwind of Sawmill was not icy on the walk back. The night was the opposite of the previous night in just about every way.

The Grand eruption itself was a disappointment,too. The first burst only lasted 7m20. That short meant we should get a second burst, and we did. And that's all we got, even though the total eruption duration was 9m35s. Can't tell at night, but it sure seemed that Grand didn't even try for a third. In years past, having a first burst that should would bring out the hope of four or more bursts. Now it just means that you should get a second.

The last time I was in the Park late in the season was 1995. That year I spent a week here around 20 October or so. It was also a year that the road between Madison and Fountain Paint Pots was getting a major reconstruction, so I had to go around via Lake and Craig Pass. The last time I've been here in November was in 1983, which was a week after the Borah Peak Earthquake. Was here hoping to see earthquake effects in the thermal features, but it seems either we missed them, or that all occurred later during the winter.

As I approached Pocatello shortly after sunrise, I could see the fog bank to the north. From there until north of Rexburg it wasn't so much fog as a very low cloud cover. Visibility along the highway was fine, but I couldn't see the tops of tall cell phone and antenna towers. North of Rexburg, as the altitude increased, the fog thickened too, just enough so that by St.Anthony, all I could see was just the roadway.

That was when I first noticed the snow. By the time I reached the bottom of the Ashton Grade, all the trees were white. By the top of the grade, it was winter. A low gray sky with occasional fog all the way to Targhee Pass.But the road was dry and I never had to slow down except for the seven 45mph zones through Island Park. Then I crossed the Divide at the pass, and suddenly it was puffy clouds in blue sky. I've noticed that having the weather suddenly change when crossing the Divide there happens a lot.

The road from West Yellowstone to Madison was mostly dry pavement, except in those sections where it was shaded by unburnt trees. The road south from Madison, though, was mostly white, especially in the northbound lane. Fortunately I was in the southbound, where it was wet, sloppy pavement except where shaded. But I still decided that I should get some use out of my 4-wheel drive, and slowed down quite a bit for a number of what could have been icy curves.

The afternoon in the Upper Basin started out mostly overcast and a bit windy. But as the day progressed, it got sunnier, and the wind did seem to not be as much of a factor. By the end of the day my face felt warm from the windburn.

Being in the Basin and in the developed Old Faithful area this time of year is a bit strange. Especially this year. Because the NPS shutdown for the first half of October, all the concessions and accommodations were closed. With the recent storm, and no services, this meant almost no one was in the Park. I would have to guess that I knew over half the people I saw out in the basin, and most of them were either West Yellowstone residents, or people like me who were here for the closing weekend. It was a lot like being out at night, except you could see and it was a lot windier than it usually is at night.

Grand cooperated, and I arrived at the start of the predicted window. It waited long enough for a crowd of almost a dozen geyser gazers to be there for the one-burst eruption. Shortly before Grand, Castle and Oblong had eruptions, too.

Afterward, waited around for an eruption of Penta, as the Sawmill Group looked promising, but nothing came of that cycle. Farther down basin spent some time at Giant and at Fan & Mortar, then finally caught an eruption of Riverside.

With a Fountain time from the morning, a few of us went out there to catch the next eruption, and to hope that we'd get lucky and see Morning instead. (A multiple eruption with Fountain would have been a steamy mess.) Fountain started erupting just as we got to the steps, almost perfect timing. The eruption itself was less than 35 minutes long, so it seemed like there would be no reason to go out for the next one.

When I decided to visit this weekend, I decided that I would forego nighttime Grand eruptions unless the conditions were good. Tonight was good enough, with overcast helping to keep the temperatures from going too low. Also, Suzanne wanted to try out her new spotlight, and with the new moon conditions and no one around to see us playing the light around, I was out there.

As it turned out, the spotlight is amazing,and something I hope doesn't catch on. Fortunately, for now, at least, it costs several hundred dollars, so definitely not an impulse purchase. But Suzanne was able to illuminate a Daisy eruption from Grand. But even then, so much of the foreground is illuminated that you can be blinded by things nearby (like railings and benches.) What this light is good for is illuminating unusual activity, like they did with one for Morning. Or in the future, activity, Giant. It would also be useful to see exactly what is going on with Fan & Mortar or a Giant hot period, if used judiciously.

As for the Grand eruption, we only ended up waiting for a Turban interval. Grand had a definite false pause at the 8m20s mark, and then the eruption only lasted for 9-1/2 minutes. I'd really like to understand why some one burst eruptions are so short, and others last for almost half again as long.

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.)

Going out for the nighttime Grand shows some more obvious differences between September and July. Seeing Orion rising was one. Hearing an elk bugle was another. While waiting for Grand the crescent mood first was visible through the trees behind Grand, then cast a strange pearly glow above the trees until it finally made its appearance.I'm used to the moon rising much farther to the south, from behind Rift or Spasmodic.

I arrived with West Triplet in eruption. It was a while before Rift joined in,so I must have just missed Triplet's start. That was not encouraging, as it was so early in the interval, and Grand could take several hours and still erupt well within the window.

The thin crescent was surprisingly bright, easily casting shadows. It's position behind Grand also meant that it was almost impossible to tell what was going on there. Usually I can use the contrast in the thicker portions of the steam over Turban and Grand to gauge what is going on, but the moon was illuminating the whole steamy area. So it was a pleasant surprise when a nondescript overflow was suddenly interrupted by a sizable burst from Grand. There wasn't any preliminary boop that I could hear.

The moon also provided a new and different view of the eruption. Or at least one I haven't seen in years. Grand was nicely backlit, and with there being no wind, it was possible to get into a position to actually use that lighting to enjoy the eruption.

It was cool whenI went out for the next eruption, but quickly warmed up. There was also a distinct layer of smokey haze throughout the area. This time Grand cooperated again, with an interval well under seven hours. The pool filled and began having waves at about the twenty minute mark, then fluctuated between looking great, and looking like it was dropping. We just missed having a delay by about 15 seconds.

The eruption itself was nice, without any preliminary hoops, but with Grand staring with a nice large explosion. At around the ten minute mark Grand had one of the longer false pauses I've seen. For about ten seconds there was nothing more than a big boil over the vent-- not stopping, but not rocketing either. Then one of the bursts broke free, and Grand continued on for several more minutes.

After Grand stopped, West Triplet started up. The Vent & Turban pause was notable because on several occasions it looked like the restart was about to happen, then the steam from those two vents stopped. But Grand continued to steam heavily all through those times. Finally, once the restart happened, Grand within a minute started having some nice sized afterplay.

It turned out waiting for the end of the West Triplet eruption was a good idea, as instead got to see the start of another Rift. An interval of less than eight hours.

Heard a radio call about Penta erupting. Got out there in time for the last minute or so of a 33 minute eruption. That was about the only noteworthy geyser activity (at least for me) until it was time again to go to Grand.

I didn't have high hopes for the next interval. With the second Rift eruption, I expect Grand to try to have a long interval, especially because it had had so many shorts lately. The first Turban interval I saw was 30 seconds of being a delay, and the next few intervals showed no sign of Grand wanting to have a short interval.

Then Turban tossed in one of its short duration eruptions, and Grand's pool did look like it could be having low pool waves. So now I was hoping for a long-short series, and for Grand to attempt to erupt on the second Turban following. Which is what it did. Grand looked good, with a high pool, but no waves, at the start of Turban. But over the course of the next 50 seconds, the pool rose and waves got bigger. FInally there was a series of at least 4 boils and hoops (one at least 2 meters high) before Grand finally did begin the first burst.

Of course during this time the sun managed to disappear behind a single small cloud. It did reappear for a while during the eruption, but was again hidden when the first burst ended at nine minutes. Or I should say the eruption ended, as despite the sort duration, Grand made no attempt to refill and give us a second burst.

Here are the bear footprints I mentioned yesterday. The bear passed by Economic, headed north toward the Purple Pools, it appears.

Have really gotten used to coming here in July and early August. Was a bit surprised when I came out for the early Grand and it was still dark, without a hint of dawn to the east. A month ago I probably wouldn't have needed a light to take notes. The crescent moon had a slight reddish color, and the stars seemed to be not a prominent as a few hours earlier, too.

As it was, Grand was fairly cooperative this time. While it did wait a bit, by the time it did erupt, it was light enough to see the eruption. Unfortunately, that eruption as a short, single burst.

Since I had no excuse, I went out to Fountain on the off chance that Morning might try to do something. An hour's wait, and Morning didn't erupt, so it was time to come back in and have something to eat.

Middle of the day brought another Grand eruption. Like last night, the difference between now and July was noticeable. A month ago the clear sky would have been unbearably hot. This time it was just bright, and the breeze made it comfortable. In the lead up, Turban had a series of intervals where each of the durations were about 30 seconds shorter than the previous, going from about six minutes to just under four. The intervals also decreased from about 22 minutes to 18. Then Grand made what looked like a feeble attempt to erupt, finally going two Turban eruptions later.

The eruption itself was another one burst, at least it was a full ten minutes this time.

Went out for the next Grand eruption at sunset, which was earlier than necessary, but I had nothing better to do. Turned out to be useful, as it was almost 25 minutes from the time I arrived until Turban finally erupted. The duration of the Turban eruption itself was almost 7 minutes. Since this delay was so early in Grand's interval, I figured that it would not have a great effect on Grand, and even if it did, Grand still could erupt well before the middle of the prediction window.

I also learned, too late to take photos, that there were a nice series of fresh grizzly bear footprints between Economic and the boardwalk. Not the kind of news that I wanted to hear, as previous reports of bear sightings this summer had been well away from the Grand complex.Will try to take pictures in daylight tomorrow. (This is not the first time I've seen grizzly bear prints at that particular spot. Years ago in mid-May I saw a nice fresh print on the boardwalk during a snowfall.)

As it turned out, the delay was only for three Turban intervals. It was again one of those cases where Turban started, and suddenly one could hear the intensity of the eruption pick up. At the same time, the grayish glow of the steam in the dark seemed to pick up, and within 90 seconds Grand started.

The first burst was short enough, well under ten minutes, that there seemed a good chance for another burst. The pause itself was so short, and the burst duration also short, that I hoped for a third, but no such luck.

Arrived at sunset, at about eight hours after the previous Grand eruption. Only took 20 minutes to get checked in and get ready to head out. So right as I leave the cabin and I ride my bike in front of the Lodge, I see in the semi-darkness a steam cloud down basin, to the right of Old Faithful. I think to myself that this is perfect timing. Then again, it didn't look like it was beyond the trees, so maybe it was Lion. But as I continued on, I realized I could hear the eruption, and that meant it had to be Beehive. So I was only in the Upper Basin and for a few minutes, and already saw more eruptions of Beehive than in the two weeks of the previous trip. Things might be starting out pretty good.

Out at Grand, things were more normal. After a series of undistinguished Turban intervals, Grand finally had a one burst eruption with an interval well over 9-1/2 hours.

Grand did cooperate. The next two intervals were short, but they were both one burst eruptions. I could have left immediately after the dawn eruption, but decided to give Morning a chance. Seeing how it had erupted with Fountain less than an hour after the previous Grand eruption, I wasn't getting my hopes up. An hour wait, and a start of Fountain without Morning meant I could head home.

During this trip I managed to see all the eruptions of Grand, 47 in all. Of these, 29 were one burst eruptions, or just under 62% of the eruptions. At one point during my visit, that was up to 70%. I don't expect the number to go down any time soon.

Besides a couple of Morning eruptions, for which I didn't try very hard, I also got several Penta eruptions, Uncertain and Churn, and a couple of North Goggles minors. Then there was the middle of the night Fan & Mortar as seen from Grand, and the Beehive seen from the cabin area between the trees. Not particularly exciting visit.

After the sub-six hour Grand interval, was hoping this indicated the shift was on. It wasn't. Rift and West Triplet were erupting as I came out, and Rift ended about an hour later. Ended up with an interval around 9 hours, with the last few Turban intervals with alternating eruption durations, short followed by long followed by short.

The next Grand eruption was similar, except for Rift itself not being active. Grand took an hour and a half after West Triplet ended to finally erupt after a series of alternating Turban intervals. West Triplet then started erupting after the end of the one burst eruption. The only notable thing to happen was getting a single Churn eruption from the Sawmill Group on a cycle where Penta looked good until Spasmodic dropped.

That evening there was another relatively short interval for Grand, but with a two burst eruption. The interval was short enough that it looked like I could easily get in a couple of Grand eruption before I had to leave the next day.

Came out after midnight for another three hour wait. At least this time there was a second burst, which made the wait not seem so bad.

One thing the long interval did do was separate the Fountain/Morning window from the Grand window. There was little chance of overlap, and with the first being at dawn, all it would cost me would be a few hours sleep. For some reason I decided to go out and try my luck. I got a Fountain eruption, and headed back before the roads became the usual mess I try to avoid. It also confirmed my suspicions that Morning's next interval was going to be back in the 5 to 7 day range.

When Grand has had long intervals, there appears to be little reason for it. The mid day wait didn't even have Rift to provide an excuse.

Despite the longer intervals , have been going out early for Grand, as it seems like it could have shorter intervals. This time it worked.

The pool looked good when I got there, and kept rising. Then stayed at heavy overflow for about ten minutes before receding. There were never any waves, and with the low lighting, they would have been easy to see. I did not see the previous Turban, but the elapsed time implied an interval close to thirty minutes when Turban finally did erupt. And then Grand started to refill. There was heavy convection visible around the vent and then waves started. About a minute after Turban started, Vent began to overflow, and Grand had small boils over the vent before finally erupting.