geysers.org – Page 53 – Notes and Observations on Geysers in Yellowstone and Elsewhere

2011-Aug-13

Observations for 2011 August 12

When the big thrill is seeing a full moonbow in West Triplet's steam, you know the overnight Grand could have gone better.

Once again I came out in time to see West Triplet lead into a Rift eruption. So knew it was going to be a wait. But didn't expect one that long. At around the ten hour mark, got a Turban interval that was down to 16-1/2 minutes, which i took as a sign that an eruption would take place on the next Turban eruption or two. So was a bit surprised when at 13m52s into the next interval Turban started. It was a short, vigorous eruption, which is usually a sign that we've had a bit of a delay, and that Grand wouldn't erupt for at least two more intervals. Just after the moon would be setting, of course.

So when there wasn't any overflow by the 20 minute mark, I wasn't surprised, but curious as to why Turban still hadn't started. Then about a minute later I could hear the runoff pick up. By 27 minute mark, it was a torrent, and the steam over Grand's pool looked like an eruption was imminent. But that all died down a few minutes later, and all ended up getting was a Turban interval well over 32 minutes. Most definitely this was a real delay.

So was a bit of a relief that it was only a two-Turban delay. Could have been worse. The eruption could have been better. When Grand quit at a bit under nine minutes, I expected at least the reward of a second burst, but once a minute passed, it became obvious that one burst was going to be it.

During the wait, around 02:45, suddenly a Ranger car turned on its lights and siren near the Lower Ham's store. This was moderately unusual, as in years past there often wasn't anyone on duty that time of night, and even then rarely have I seen them use a siren at night unless was to make an actual stop. This car kept going, out to the intersection and northwards. The whole time the siren was on, and I could still hear it echoing well north of Biscuit Basin. I assume it was some sort of medical emergency at Madison, or perhaps someone had just provided some fresh meat-loaf for the Lodge.

With Rift out of the way, figured there was always the possibility of a short interval. So while the longer wait made it feel that way, it really wasn't. Grand waited for the end of the West Triplet window, well after West Triplet had quit. If it hadn't been on that Turban, I figure we'd have had to wait another couple of hours. The eruption duration 12m11s, made of for this morning's short, but it still would have been nice to have some pauses in there.

On the other hand, the timing of the eruption was great for the next one. Tonight is the full moon, and the window opens at sunset. This is one of my favorite times, with the full moon rising over the trees behind Rift and the Sawmill Group (as seen from the benches).

A radio call brought some good news: that Rift had started at shortly before the six hour mark. This was good news because I was expecting Rift anyhow, and getting it out of the way early meant that Grand would have one less excuse to have another ten hour interval.

As it was, it needed it. It was another one of those intervals where Grand never showed signs of interest until two Turbans before it finally erupted. Was nice by moonlight, but a second burst would have been even nicer.

During the wait, I finally got to see another eruption of Bulger's Hole. I noticed that Bulger had started a major eruption, and got down there in time to see the hole start to show water. The activity seemed more powerful that three weeks ago, and the vent still makes sounds as it drains. Also, I noticed that the water appeared to be clear as it rose, but turned murky only as the eruption started. Which, I believe, is to be expected.

2011-Aug-12

Naturalist Landis Ehler

Over the years, despite my growing and deserved distain for the National Park Service, I've always advocated "respect for the uniform", that gazers should defer to Naturalists whenever possible. For example, if a Naturalist makes a misstatement about some geyser or activity, keep quiet about it until you can privately correct them. But respect has to be mutual, and I hear too much that tells me that the NPS does not respect those of us who care about the geysers and the area.

Today after the mid-day Grand we had example of why it can get so frustrating out in the basin. After Grand had finished, we saw four bicycles being walked from Grotto. It's so rare to see any Naturalist actually out in the basin beyond Old Faithful. Fortunately, today there was Naturalist Landis Ehler out at Grand and so he could take care of this. So we thought. My response would have been to ask then to return back the way they came, but I've grown accustomed to people just being directed to head toward Castle. So figured that was what he told them.

I was at Sawmill when they passed through the junction, headed toward Geyser Hill. I pointed out that the bike trail was the other way, and they should be headed that way. They grudgingly changed direction. As far as I was concerned, by attempting to continue on their way, they were the ones not showing "respect for the uniform", and by insisting they follow the rules, I was.

At Castle they met up with the rest of the group, and started talking amongst themselves about how horrible it was, and how maybe they don't allow strollers either and about the "grumpy guy." . I should have kept my mouth shut, but their attitude annoyed me into a response. For example, one of the group, not part of the boardwalkers, also lied about how they'd already been Geyser Hill, so they couldn't have been headed there.

By then Naturalist Landis Ehler had also arrived, and took their side, saying that "I've already taken care of it." I pointed out that he didn't because they didn't listen to him. If he'd "taken care of it", I wouldn't have had to point out they weren't headed to the bike trail. But he wasn't i interested in any of that. I later learned form other gazers who were both at Grand and Castle, he seemed more interested in "making contacts" with these folks, talking up their visit, the evening program and other things that would be more appropriate for people who hadn't just screwed up.

So I think the real problem here is the combination of double standard in the application of the rules, coupled the feelings of being ignored, at best, by the NPS. It's tiresome to keep seeing people screwing up, and knowing that there's nothing that anyone can really do about it except in rare occasions, like this one. Only to find out that even on those nothing was done, because of a lack of will to confront. Also to know that it's more important to suck up to people who might file a complaint, than it is to someone who wants to see the rules enforced. Someone who could also file a complaint instead of just posting to a rarely read weblog, by the way… But Naturalist Landis Ehler's behavior is just another symptom of a larger problem, and maybe part of that problem is "respect for the uniform" when the uniform isn't even trying to earn that respect on its own.

2011-Aug-12

Observations for 2011 August 11

This morning I did something I haven't done in well over a decade-- see Beehive in the middle of the night.

I'd left the radio on, and so heard Carl Hoppe's call of the Indicator clearly. At first I thought of just trying to stay awake for his call of the eruption, then realized that with the 20 minute Indicators we've been having, I could easily get dressed and out there. And with the moon low on the horizon, that made my decision for me.

Unfortunately the moon set at about the 17 minute mark when I got out there. But the lights of the area, along with our couple of bright flashlights for part of the eruption was enough. And the best part is the roar of the eruption in the quiet of the night (no motorcycles in the background, for example.)

Coming back in from Beehive, there were some clouds in the sky. Going back out for Grand about two hours later it was almost completely overcast, with occasions droplets. At Grand the droplets were enough to get out the rain pants, and then it stopped. And while it stayed cloudy for most of the rest of the wait, no more rain.

It was a wait that saw West Triplet transition into Rift, and then we had to wait for the recovery from all that. Grand once again showed perfect timing. The eruption started shortly after the sun disappeared behind a thick cloud, and finished the second burst as the sun reappeared.

For the next Grand I thought that there was a chance of an early eruption with West Triplet. It was mostly clear, but quite windy the whole time. As it was, West Triplet took its time, and then Grand didn't take full advantage of the window. It did have a strong attempt, one that I thought would probably result in an eruption two Turban eruptions later, and that's what happened. There were nice rainbows in the one burst Grand, too.

Sawmill was also in eruption when I came out. That eruption continued on for over three hours, and for once I was standing right there when it finally quit. Usually it seems I walk away and notice that it stops while I'm on the other side of the river.

Castle and Beehive erupted during the wait also. Beehive was a bit of a surprise, at that was just a bit over a 12 hour interval. On the walk back from Grand, Castle was in late steam, but due to the wind, the spray made for a nice full rainbow looking out toward Geyser Hill.

Oblong was quiet today. Considering all the hours spent out at Grand, I should have seen more than just one eruption from it.

2011-Aug-11

Another reason...

I didn't think it was possible, but I've discovered another reason to consider the Visitor Education [sic] Cathedral to be an architectural monstrosity.

Several days ago in the morning I'm riding my bike past the Inn on the way to the cabins when I notice what sounds like an extremely loud bus running its engine in the West Lot behind the Inn. But as I approach the VE[sic]C, I realize that the noise is not from behind the building, but from the building itself. It's as if a loud bus were parked up under the roof of the north end beside the Inn. And the sound seemed to be directed straight out into the basin and at Old Faithful.

A recording I made doesn't do justice to how offensive this was. The bass rumblings could be felt as much as heard. If Old Faithful had erupted then, it would have overwhelmed its sounds. I'm sure folks on Geyser Hill were treated to it, too. It was a sound that a Harley fan on his way to Sturgis could envy.

I'm sure this wasn't intentional. Then again, I've been told that much of the design of that building was to "showcase" its "green" aspects. One thing that seems to not be "green" are esthetics, considering how this eyesore is now shown that it can also a noisy nuisance.

Years ago the little building across the road from the Lower Ham's Store and gas station, the "Lift Station", used to have a pressurized pump in it that would occasionally (and in the evenings, frequently) vent itself with a sound that could heard all over the southern end of basin, especially at night. It took years for it to finally be silenced. The NPS has now thoughtfully provided a new replacement for that we are going to have to endure for decades to come.

2011-Aug-11

Observations for 2011 August 10

As I'd expected, before dawn it was completely clear. Also, West Triplet still hadn't recovered from last night's Rift eruption. Had to wait about an hour for water to finally appear there. Even so, West Triplet didn't erupt until well after Grand.

The mid day Grand was forgettable. Came out on the off chance that it might have a short interval, and instead got Rift. During the wait, though, did see an eruption of Penta, which was surprising as it didn't look all that great twenty minutes before when I walked by. Shortly after we got Beehive's Indicator and then Beehive for a double interval of nearly 30 hours. At least Grand did give us a second burst.

In the evening, there were clouds (and lightening) to the north, but the moon was out and nothing coming in to obscure it. Grand cooperated with my going out early again by erupting early. Unfortunately, it was a one burst eruption that lasted over 12 minutes.

All in all, a dull day.

2011-Aug-10

Observations for 2011 August 09

So after an extremely short interval, it only follows that the next interval would feature an eruption of Rift and an interval at the other extreme of the range. I was awakened well before the alarm by thunder and the pounding of large drops on the cabin roof, but fortunately, by the time I headed out, the clouds had broken and the moon was visible.

Got out in time to catch West Triplet in eruption, shortly followed by Rift. With Sawmill pounding away beyond, that meant that any silence during the wait was out of the question, as Percolator continued long after Rift ended, and Sputnik added its own voice even after everything else finally did die down.

Other than another visit from the night coyote, who this time went behind the benches instead of through the runoff, it was a dull wait. I kept looking down to see any changes in the steam to the north, but nothing, not even a Grotto start.

The moon had long set by the time Grand did erupt, but at least it wasn't another one burst eruption. It was another one of those quick starts where, based on the runoff sounds, the pool was full early and Grand started explosively before Turban.

It appears that people were out at F&M for the night, as shortly before Grand I saw a bike leave that area headed in, and someone did get the start time. It was a bit of a relief after yesterday to hear that it had erupted in the dark.

Went out a little early for Grand, since it might take advantage of the early West Triplet window like it did yesterday. No such luck, and while West Triplet was in eruption when I got out there, it ended without Grand, and that meant we'd be waiting for the next West Triplet. Another uneventful wait, although some of the people passing by provided entertainments-- First, were a couple coming from the north walking their bikes, shortly afterwards we got a dogleg being walked out into the basin. It was at about the same time, maybe even from the doglet-walker, that the question of the day was asked, "Which is the way to Old Faithful?"

After about 8-1/2 hours we got the first true Turban delay that I've seen this year. At only 26 minutes, but Grand had waves for about 8 of them, and West Triplet was also showing water. It was as if they weren't quite in sync enough, that either Grand was ready too early for West Triplet, or that West Triplet was running late and wasn't prepared for Grand to make an attempt. In any case, shortly before the second Turban was due, West Triplet started, and Grand had another one of those quick fills that leads to an eruption. In this case, a nice, short two burst. The pool drained immediately, there wasn't even the stopped drain as Vent and Turban continued on.

All during the wait Sawmill was erupting, and the group itself was going into a Deep Drain. Shortly before Grand it finally quit. After Grand, as we were walking toward it, it began erupting again, this time from an empty crater. We weren't close enough to see those bursts well, and by the time got over next to it, Sawmill was already overflowing.

During the afternoon we had our first False Indicator. It only lasted about a minute, but came at less than eight hours since the previous Beehive eruption. Now we just need the full hour eruption at a time when Beehive is expected. On the other hand, Little Squirt is active again today, and some are hoping that it, along with some of the other Geyser Hill activity is a sign of an impending Giantess eruption.

Conditions for the evening eruption of Grand didn't look very good.There were thick clouds overhead, and the weather maps showed that they weren't going to disappear soon. But there was no rain, and by the time I went out, it looked like things might clear after dark. But it turns out it didn't matter. I saw Turban erupting as I was tying down my bike. The Sawmill Group was going through another Deep Drain, and I watched Sawmill for a while put up bursts in the 40 to 50 foot range. By the time I got to Grand, it was already in overflow for the next Turban eruption.

And it just sat there. Nicely full, all the ridges covered, but no waves and no indication that it wanted to erupt or not. I'd come out early with the expectation of there being a possible West Triplet window, but more likely that I'd be seeing Rift and get to wait for the clouds to clear and the moon to come out. So wasn't surprised that West Triplet did start a few minutes later. Also expected the delay to be just that, a delay. But finally, small waves appeared, and when Turban started, it had the "time for an eruption" sound it makes as Grand starts to overflow heavily and to boil.
So it made up some of yesterday's excessively short interval by having a short interval, but one for which I was there.

Grand evening eruption

The eruption itself could have been spectacular if the sun had been out, but even so, the one burst made a nice contrast against the gray sky.

2011-Aug-09

Observations for 2011 August 08

There were reports that conditions were right for an auroral display, but when I got out to Grand after midnight, there wasn't much to see. The moon had just set, and I could still see its glow off of some distant clouds. To the north were more clouds, and a definite glow. The glow seemed to intensify a bit during the wait, but the clouds were there the whole time, and there was never any definition or coloration.

As for Grand, it went back to its recent pattern of intervals a bit over eight hours. The eruption itself was, of course, another one burst. I did get to see a Bulger major eruption right afterward, but there was absolutely no steam in the Hole, despite the low temperatures and the best opportunity for an eruption. Strange how every other hole but it can steam all the time.

Dawn meant that Fan & Mortar had to have an event, and it did. A long one featuring River Vent off for nearly an hour, and splashed from Main Vent during most of that time. But it also featured long activity from the Bottom Vent, which resulted in one of those events in which it was obvious that no matter what happened, F&M was going to be dead for the next few hours.

Steaming at F&M

At the end, we did get some rumbling from Upper Mortar and steaming from all the various frying pans around Mortar. But it didn't mean much

Castle at Dawn

On the way back, Castle was going into steam, which presented some opportunities for photography.

At Grand Rift was active, and of course that meant we were going to have to wait out the recovery. Grand went through several cycles with intervals around 19 minutes and Turban durations between 4-1/2 and 5, when suddenly it had a early fill and waves on its pool. Since the previous interval had been a bit under 18, I thought that the cycle shortening was underway and we'd get the eruption in about an hour, once they'd dropped to under 17. Nice of it to skip that part.

As it was, it was just another 10-1/2 minute one burst, although for the first time in a while the wind direction was toward Rift and Belgian Pool, soaking the walkways down there.

Between Grand eruptions featured two more trips down basin for Fan & Mortar. Both times the events weren't quite good enough so that once Fan's vents started, it became apparent that there wasn't quite the energy to get an eruption.

As for the evening's Grand eruption, it took place more in the afternoon, at a time when I was in the cabin thinking that maybe I could head out a little early, just in case. In this case, a 6h20m interval, for which there was no way I was going to be out for. But that did, at least, put the next eruption at a time when the moon could be up.

Shortly after, Beehive's Indicator was announced, and I got my umbrella and went over to Geyser Hill for it. This was another case where Beehive's interval was less than twelve hours, and the Indicator lasted well over 20 minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if we start getting false indicators soon. The eruption itself started fairly explosively, but the wind cooperated and didn't shift around as it often does.

2011-Aug-08

Observations for 2011 August 07

Glory in Sawmill eruption

As it turned out, the monitor said that I could have gone out an only waited an hour for the middle of the night Grand eruption, but getting some sleep was more important.

Not knowing that, I did head out on the assumption that a 16-hour double interval was not unreasonable, and as it turned out, I was right. Got out just in time to see West Triplet ending a long eruption in which Rift acted like it wanted to erupt, but didn't. The wait after that was only about 90 minutes for another two burst eruption. So this trip I've seen as many multiple bursts in the first 24 hours as I did in the first week of the previous trip.

But of course that couldn't last. For the afternoon wait, it quickly became apparent that Grand was going to wait for the next West Triplet, and since the system was recovering from Rift, that meant a bit of a wait. One that started out in the sun, but turned cloudy with a few sprinkles. Then the clouds thickened and the rain became stronger, but never quite enough to be really annoying.From the radar maps, it looked like this little storm was actually building directly over us and was also headed southward rather than the usual northeasterly direction. Finally the rain stopped, and the sun tried to come out, but never did manage it.

That wait also featured a couple of Daisy eruptions, as well as the unexpected announcement that Beehive's Indicator was in eruption. As it turned out, that Indicator lasted at least 26 minutes, and coupled with the 11-1/2 hour interval for Beehive, bodes not well for false Indicators in the coming weeks.

Finally, West Triplet started and still Grand didn't seem to want to take advantage of the situation. When Grand finally did erupt, it was on one of those extremely early fills and with strong waves in a full pool at the 15 minute mark. West Triplet quit within a couple of minutes of Grand's start, too. It was my first ten hour, one burst Grand of a trip in which I still expect to see more.

Walking away, I also saw an eruption of Oblong, only 3-1/2 hours after the earlier eruption I'd seen from Grand. The first seemed to be weak, with few surges that had any height, at least from my Grand vantage point.

There's a raven that seems to have developed a fascination with the vehicles in the Lower Ham's Store lot. It's been seen casing several vehicles there, including my truck. It also seems to have learned that the front of vehicles can be an essay source of large, dead bugs.

2011-Aug-07

Observations for 2011 August 06

Nice to pull into the Lower Ham's parking lot and have Beehive's Indicator erupting. Except it being the middle of the afternoon and finding that there's a huge crowd being herded down to the overlook by a Naturalist. So I watched the eruption of Beehive from the bike trail on the way to Castle.

Then get out to Grand and have West Triplet start soon after arriving, and having to wait all of one Turban interval. The eruption itself was a short two burst, which considering how things went a few weeks ago, might be one of the few multiple burst eruptions I see.

At that point, it's time to go check in and recover from being on the road for over 10 hours. (The worst has got to be the last 90 miles. After cruising along through Wyoming, that 45mph in the parks seems like standing still. And you do 45 only if the RV far ahead of you doesn't want to do 35 instead.)

When I got on the freeway in the pre-dawn hours, the very first thing to greet me, right at the entrance, was that three of the four lanes were filled with blinking flue lights and shut down due to an accident that had just happened. Since I made it safely, I figure that was a auspiciously good.

2011-Jul-30

Night Photography

Over the years I've been annoyed and amused by all the people who try to take snapshot photos at night. I've always assumed they were wasting time, and in years past, film. But never actually seen any results. I'm finally remembering that I now do carry around a camera, and so one night recently decided to see exactly what some of those photos might look like.

Sawmill by moonlight

First is a backlit Sawmill eruption without a flash. Except for the moon and its reflection, the view is pretty much black. A similar photo taken from the other direction (as much as the boardwalk allows), was completely black.

Sawmill by flash

Here's the result of turning the flash on. Just as useless, as all I've done is illuminate all the steam and fog that is normally invisible in the dark.

Penta by flash

This is a photo of Penta's cone and vents. The hard part is aiming, as until the flash, the screen just shows a black rectangle. But local details are visible, but notice also how the background is already turning into a lighter version of the Sawmill eruption photo.

So it is possible to take close-up photos of features at night, but unless it is to document something weird or unusual, there's not much point.

2011-Jul-26

Radio Rant

Time for the annual radio rant.

The use of radios in the Upper Basin is broken. Here are some of the problems, and even some ideas for solutions.

First is that some people just need to realize that you can't always broadcast in your own speaking voice. Sometimes you've got to speak up to be heard. If you are broadcasting and can't be heard, you are wasting everybody's time and batteries, including your own. It's frustrating to have the radio adjusted so that most people's broadcasts are at a reasonable volume, then not be able to hear calls because some people insist on not speaking up.

The worst part is that even after they've been told that they can't be heard, these people do not make any effort to change their habits. It's inconsiderate on their part, unless their goal to to talk into a box and every time they do, they have people call back asking what they'd just said.

A similar problem is poor reporting. If you are going to start calling out activity at Fan & Mortar (or Giant, should it ever wake up), you've got to follow through. People are making decisions on whether or not they are headed down based on your calls. Long periods of radio silence are worse than too much information. Silence makes one wonder what is going on, or if that just means the opportunity has passed.

A few years ago I pointed out that just calling Beehive's Indicator at the start was not enough. A person could miss the first call, and end up not seeing Beehive. (I speak from experience, as that was prompted by having missed a call by being in the shower.) The simple remedy is to announce that the Indicator was "ie" at about 5 minute intervals. Most people are doing that these days, and it's nice to hear.

Also, is it really necessary to yell out geyser times at the exact moment the eruption begins? A couple of times these past few weeks I've heard people have to retract their calls when it turns out that Oblong or Depression or Aurum wasn't really starting. And misidentification is inexcusable. You can wait a few moments to be sure that the steam cloud you see is Riverside start, and not a Grand that erupted two hours ago.

Another problem is early morning radio calls. There are people who want to get up in the night, or early morning, for Beehive or Fan & Mortar (or Giant or Giantess…). They leave their radios on at night, for those possibilities. But they don't care about Riverside or Daisy or Plume or Old Faithful. Or most of all, requests to "switch to five". The rule of thumb should be that until 07:00 or so, the only announcements should be those that would cause people to change their day, or to see something erupt.

It's scary, but by that criteria, Oblong and Fountain might qualify…) But if that's what people find useful.

And now we come the the real problem: The National Park Service and its Visitor Education Center [sic] personnel.

Here's what usually happens: Someone shouts out a geyser time. A few moments later comes a call from the Cathedral asking for a repeat of what was just said. If lucky, they'd understand the first response, but far too often they'll say the response was garbled or unreadable or they'll repeat back the wrong information, thus starting the cycle again. So what started as yelling into the aether turns into an Abbott and Costello routine.

Sometimes they don't acknowledge, and then a half hour later you get a request for information about Daisy, or Riverside, or Grand. This will start an exchange as before. Or, they'll hear some body ask about a geyser, and interpret that as an eruption call, again setting off a cascade of back-and-forth.

Add into all this the reported attitude that those managing the Cathedral (the rectors?) really don't care about the geysers, and if reports are accurate, believe that they don't really need anyone other than paid staff to do a good job. Why do people want to tolerate or enable such an attitude to continue?

The solution is simple. The Cathedral should have its own channel. Any information for them would be sent on that channel. Ideally, one would ask for their attention, get it, and then give them the geyser eruption time or info.

If their book doesn't have a Daisy time, the the reason is either a) they didn't answer the attempts to give it to them b) it hasn't erupted yet, or c) no one saw it.

People could still shout into the current channel at the very start, but they'd do so knowing that they should not get any response. No longer would that have to ask what's going one after every trivial broadcast of "switch to five". It would be true that reporting information would not be as free and easy anymore, and would require a little more effort, and that's going to be the excuse for most people not doing something like this.

If the radio situation got cleaned up, I might even participate beyond announcements of F&M in the middle of the dark.

2011-Jul-24

Observations for 23 July

Down Basin at Dawn

The anticipated short Grand interval didn't materialize. Hard to tell, but appeared that Rift had erupted earlier, and Grand was going to wait until West Triplet recovered or ten hours had elapsed. It wasn't until about the nine hour mark that Grand finally had what appeared to be an attempt to erupt, or at least get into an eruptive mode. After that it was alternating short and long Turban eruptions for over an hour until it finally did erupt.

Came out of the Lower Ham's Store parking lot on the Beehive Indicator call and had to change direction due to a pair of bison right next to the road. The Beehive eruption waited, of course, for the dead calm to end and there to be just enough breeze to douse all the people waiting on the boardwalk by Plume. But not enough breeze to seriously affect the height of the column.

After a couple of false alarms, finally had a real Fan & Mortar event around noontime. The activity looked good until the Angle Vent started, and that's when it became obvious that wearing the rainwear was being overdressed.

Vent Geyser eruption

After that was another Grand wait, another one of those where every Turban interval is the same because the system is waiting for the West Triplet eruption. It appears the window extends to the first Turban eruption after West Triplet ends, as that's what happened again today. The eruption itself was a two burst. The wind direction helped emphasize the size of the early Vent eruption, keeping Grand and Turban's steam from obscuring the height of the water plume.

One feature of Grand's eruptions that I've noticed is that starting around the eight minute mark, Grand will have slowdowns as if it's about to quit, or even pause just long enough to make it look that's what's happening. The water only boils up 3 or 4 meters during that time, then when you expect the bursting to stop, we get a explosive rocketing of a slender jet. If seen several eruptions with two of these slowing, implying that the one burst Grand could have easily been a three burst Grand if only the system had a little less energy. This afternoon's eruption had the slowdown, and then actually did quit.

I'd decided to turn off the radio at 20:00 so I could get a good night's sleep, so of course the call about a Fan & Mortar event comes over at 19:45. Oh, well. Went down to see a nice double pause with lots of Main Vent splashing and then strong play from Fan. But nothing much came of it, and got back just as it was getting dark.

Paul Strasser suggested that the reason there's no longer bison meat loaf on the Lodge menu is because drivers haven't provided enough road kill.

2011-Jul-23

Observations for 22 July

After several relatively short intervals, decided that I'd better get out earlier than I might have a day or so ago. Turned out that I didn't need to, but Grand still had an interval of a little over 8 hours, which for most of this trip would be considered a short.

I arrived to find that Sawmill had finally erupted, as its formations were wet. After dumping my pack and heading back, I found Uncertain in eruption, which confirmed that the group was in a Deep Drain mode.

West Triplet started about the time Grand had what could have been a Vent type delay. Which meant that there was a good chance that it could erupt in two Turban intervals, about the time West Triplet would end. Which is what happened. By then the moon had risen, and a breeze had come up,so the start of the one-burst eruption was nicely backlit. West Triplet quit a few minutes into the eruption, too, with no Rift accompaniment.

During the wait I got to hear lots of noise coming from drunken louts over in the Gov't Area, They were so loud, along with musical noise, that they sometimes made it difficult to hear the thermal features. I could even hear them during Grand's eruption. At least they kept the stupidity out of the basin.

Came back out with the possibility of another shorter interval only to find Rift early in an eruption. So we got the one-burst eruption about four hours later than I'd liked. But during the wait got to see a couple of distant Churn eruptions, and another eruption of Bulger's Hole.

The Hole now slurps when it drains after a fill, even if it doesn't erupt. The eruptions themselves seem to be getting stronger and throwing around a lot more rocks, now that they don't have to hit up against the bridge. And the increased power and water means more gravel and debris are being washed in from along the edge. Since they are obviously related, and since there's no discharge of the milky white water from the Hole, surprised that Bulger shows no sign of any water discoloration. Perhaps it's there but we just can't see it.

There were a couple of minor Fan & Mortar events during the day, but nothing much came of them. After the second, caught Beehive on the way back from the railing above Tilt.

Went to the evening Grand early, as I didn't quite trust it to not have a short interval following the long one this morning. Was quite windy, making what should have been a warm wait distinctly chilly. Saw a series of uninspiring Turban eruptions on longer (21m) intervals until West Triplet. For two more Turbans, nothing much to get excited about. Then, right after West Triplet ended, we got an early fill that stayed up and kept building to heavy waves flooding out in all directions. But no Vent overflow as Grand started yet another one-burst eruption. Twice, around the seven and the nine minute marks, Grand slowed enough to make it seem like it might stop, but then after some "Big Tardy", it surged as if a new burst had started. At least with the low sun, and the wind pushing the steam up the hillside, was pretty. The start of Vent, for example, was not wrapped in steam as it usually is, which made it even more impressive.

Food Storage

It appears that "food storage" isn't taken seriously anymore. These people have been here most of the week and I see all this stuff strewn about every morning.

2011-Jul-22

Observations for 21 July

Heading out to Grand was interrupted twice. First, Beehive started to erupt just as I got to the front of the Inn. So took a few minutes to watch and listen to it by moonlight. Late in that eruption Castle started, which meant I got rained on between the bike rack and Crested.

Since that wasn't a minor eruption, it also looks like we are going to get at least one more synchronized eruption of the two this afternoon.

The wait for Grand was uneventful. West Triplet was high enough to erupt, but didn't. Even after Grand's one burst eruption.WIthout a breeze, got another one of those starts where the water column outraces the growing steam cloud at its base.

Also encountered the coyote in front of the Inn on my way back. Also below Crested encounter a couple of people who were headed out, to what, I don't know, as Castle and Grand had already erupted. (And there was another light over by Liberty Pool.) Only thing I can think of is that they interpreted the center time of Grand's window as the time to be out there.

So six hours later I wasn't just killing time in the parking lot at the Lower Ham's Store. There was no reason to be headed out. Except that's when the call that Grand had started erupting with an interval of 6h04m. Got out there in plenty of time to watch a 11-1/2 minute one burst eruption.

Following that, did see Bulger's Hole fill with water during a Bulger major eruption, but no eruption from the hole. The Sawmill Group was just ending a Tardy cycle, so decided that since I had nothing much better to do, I'd go back out in a bit and watch for Penta. After 1.5 hours of nothing much happening during the next cycle except heavy convection in Penta. At least on the way in I got to see an eruption of Tilt, and even recorded the whole thing.

Beehive broke the lock it was appearing to have with Castle by having a 12-1/2 hour interval. With the strong shifting winds, it was also a soggy eruption.

When I went out for the evening, it appeared that we'd still had neither an eruption of Sawmill nor Penta since I was last out. Got a major from Bulger, but no fill in the Hole. Grand had a sort of repeat of last night, where Vent came up and dropped, but this time the 11m15s eruption started only about a minute after Turban. And during the eruption, we had a Churn eruption, which signaled the end of another Sawmill cycle.

After both of today's daylight eruptions, Vent and Turban paused for about 20 minutes, which is the longer of the three modes. Interesting to see what happens tonight, since that and a two hour Rift eruption seemed to not prevent a 7h16m interval.

2011-Jul-21

Observations for 20 July

In the early morning hours there was a bright moon and enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes away. For the first time this trip the benches weren't dripping, despite all the storms of the day before.

After dumping my pack at Grand and getting the first Turban eruption, I intended to go watch Sawmill by moonlight for a while. After I passed Bulger the activity just stopped. It seems to do that a lot.

Also for once Grand took advantage of the start of an eruption of West Triplet to start erupting instead of delaying for three hours. From my vantage point, it was nicely backlit by the moon. Unfortunately, there wasn't a second burst.

The next morning it felt like September arrived early. It was cool and blustery, thanks to a cold front that had moved through since I'd last been out. As with the previous eruption, Grand took advantage West Triplet and erupted shortly after it quit. This was a two burst eruption, and with the breeze blowing to the north and backlighting by the sun, was another nice view.

Bulger's Hole morning and evening

It was still cold and blustery in the early evening when it was time for the next Grand. Came out to find Rift well into an eruption, and spent the next few hours with desultory Turban eruptions. Penta did have an eruption during that time, as well as Bulger's Hole. I didn't get over there to see it because of the unusually large crowd packing the benches. But this was the eruption that finally destroyed the bridge.

Turban finally had an eruption that signaled that Grand would be really to erupt in a Turban eruption or three. Three later, the pool looked okay, and Vent started to overflow then dropped, along with a drop in Grand. Usually this signals a two to four Turban delay, and I decided that maybe I should take advantage of that by making a gas station run. As I walked away, I noticed that Grand's pool had refilled. Scuttled back to the bench and saw a noisy, powerful Turban well into its third minute as Grand began having waves. Grand finally erupted (and Vent overflowed again) at 3m28s into Turban's activity.

Of course Vent started almost immediately, as its start time is related to Turban more than Grand. But then Grand quit at the 7m33s, which gave us a nice three burst eruption.

At the Lodge they no longer sell bison meat loaf in the cafeteria. "Meatloaf" seems like a good name for the annoying bison that hangs around the various trails.

2011-Jul-20

Observations for 19 July

From in front of the Lodge, there seemed to be quite a bit of steam in the direction of Grand. Since I'd decided to add in an extra half hour of sleep, that meant I might have missed the eruption. Things didn't look any better as I tied my bike up at Castle. But As I came up from the bridge it became obvious that all the steam was from Rift and West Triplet both erupting. That was a sort of relief.

As it turned out, West Triplet ended almost immediately, and then I was surprised by Rift quitting within 20 minutes. And unusually short eruption. but unfortunately, it didn't result in a Grand eruption interval that was any shorter than usual.

It was dead calm, so the mosquitoes were annoying, despite the early morning cold. But that also meant that Grand's steam cloud went straight up during the eruption, just like those down basin from eruptions of Daisy and Oblong. Grand took advantage of the conditions for once, and proceeded to first quit a about 7.5 minutes, then have three bursts. After all the one bursts, was a nice change.

On the trip out to Grand, I encountered a coyote which ran across in front of me as I passed by the new Cathedral. Then out at Grand, once I'd settled in, a coyote followed the same path in front of me through Grand's runoff as on the other night. Coming back people had to contend with a bison that decided that the bike rack at the Lower Ham's Store was the perfect place to bed down..

Got the call for Beehive's Indicator as was finishing up breakfast. Since it was fairly early, there wasn't the usual crush of people, so decided to watch from multiple viewpoints. along that trail. From Blue Star, we got some nice rainbows. But between Beehive and Old Faithful is not the best place to see a concerted eruption.

East Chinaman Spring

At East Chinaman I noticed something that seemed unusual. The formations around the feature are a strange grayish green color, all the way to the rim. The color looks a lot like it could be some sort of slime or bacteria, or could be mineral. But except for a couple of small patches, there wasn't any of the usual orange colors. Quite a contrast to Chinaman, which was normal looking in its coloration, with the area immediately next to the vent a sinter gray and the orange only starting once the water cooled a bit.

After that it was nap time, and I awoke several hours later. Nothing much was going on until there came a call saying that there had been splash in Fan & Mortar's Main Vent. There had been no pauses or any other unusual behavior before that, and the vents looked okay but not great. Later reports were that the activity seemed to be getting stronger, then after a few minute, got a report that things had died down. At that point I had gotten myself ready to head out, but just didn't think it was worth the effort. A slight "event" at 3.5 days seems like a long-shot.

Then came the report that the vents had gained strength, and were looking good. I decided that I would hate myself if I at least didn't start making an effort to get down there. I threaded my way through the crowd gathered for an Old Faithful eruption, and then encountered a herd of Boy Scout who were all over the trail. But despite that, I made good time getting down basin, and my bike speedometer said I got up to 22.5 mph going down.

As I passed Oblong, the reports were such that I was expecting to see the start from my bike. But as I passed Grotto, there was still no eruption. I made it by about 30 seconds to spare. The High Vent was huge, but the other vents weren't as big as I'd have expected. Then the surging in Main Vent started, and the eruption was on.

The wind was all over the place. From well north of Spiteful to the bridge, no place was safe. Since I arrived with so little time to spare, I wasn't fully prepared for the eruption. My pant legs got soaked, and I resigned myself to getting dry later. Because of the wind and the lack of preparation, I also didn't try to get any photos, but there were some nice circular rainbows.

As the eruption wound down, the sky to the south-east started getting blacker. As it was the start of the Grand window, and because I didn't want go back and forth to the cabin in a rain, I headed over to Grand. The rain started as I walked over from Castle, and I was headed upstream in a continuous line of wet people headed in. I arrived in time for an eruption of West Triplet to start, but the rain didn't last long, that time.

The eruption of West Triplet lasted over 40 minutes, and as it ended, Rift started. Estimating that the earlier eruption started at 04:30, the eruption at 15:22 meant about an eleven hour interval, which is much shorter than I'm used to. Rift was still erupting over two hours later when Grand finally erupted.

That eruption took place just as another storm was threatening to douse the basin. It came on the third Turban after a Vent-type delay. After a week of no such delays, not it seems most every interval is having one. The eruption itself was unremarkable, a 10-1/2 minute one burst with Vent and Turban continuing. I took off without waiting to see the afterplay, and got back to the cabin just as the sprinkles started.

On the way back it was noted that Dome was active. Not sure what that means.

The last few days the Firehole River has dropped about a foot from where it was when I arrived last week, and it has also gone from muddy brown to clear. The level is approaching what I would consider more normal for early July.