[Geysers] Geyser Report 10/29 and 10/30 (Stephens)

[lynn stephens]

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17:18 MST 10/30

I got hung up in the Lower Basin last night, so didn't get a report filed yesterday.

In the Lower Basin, the third time I tried Great Fountain on Friday was finally successful.  Great Fountain erupted at 1927 (p=8) on 10/28.  Leaving Great Fountain the steam was blowing across the road, so I had the driver's side door open to keep an eye on the bumper log to make certain I didn't drive off the road.  Saturday morning (10/29) conditions were a little better.  I arrived at 05:55 to find Great Fountain already in overflow.  It erupted at 06:48 (p = 7).  By the time I got out there yesterday evening, Great Fountain had already finished its eruption at 18:49.  I didn't try this morning.  This afternoon I again arrived to find it in overflow.  It erupted at 15:55 (p = 0).  So, it's averaging about 11 1/2 hours for the past four eruptions.  (P.S.--Vicky tell Madison I'm sorry that I didn't get to see her.)

I got hung up in the Lower Basin last night because Pink Cone's road bubblers were going strong after I checked Great Fountain.  Pink Cone finally erupted at 20:48.  This afternoon it was in early in the eruption at 15:32, for an interval of about 19 1/2 hours.

Fountain was ie at 18:54 yesterday (10/29) and ie at 15:49 today (10/30).  These are the only reports of Fountain.

Geyser Hill:

Aurum has been erupting at about 4 to 5 hour intervals.  Today's interval was 5 hours 13 minutes.

Depression--Looking through the logbook for the past 8 days:
     10/22  14:47ie
     10/23  16:08ie    25h21m from sighting to sighting
     10/24  no report
     10/25  10:55 ie
     10/26  11:20 ie   24h25 m from sighting to sighting
     10/27  9:04ie     21h44m from sighting to sighting
     10/28  12:25      27h21m from sighting to sighting
     10/29  no report
     10/30  no report
        I'll let someone else guess as to whether these are closed intervals or double intervals.

Beehive--Erupted at 11:32 yesterday (lead time by Indicator was 15 minutes), for an interval of 23h43minutes, and today at 12:18 (lead time by Indicator of 14 minutes) for an interval of 25h46m.

Lion was roaring at 6:55 this morning.  The initial eruptions was at 1402, followed by another eruption at 15:27.

Little Cub was taking a nap this morning.  It did not erupt between 08:50 and 11:05.  I didn't have it under observation from 11:05 to 11:40.  It finally erupted at 12:38ns.  It had not erupted again by 13:40 when I stopped watching the hill.

The last Little Squirt reported was on 10/25.

Plume's intervals today were 56minutes, 57 minutes, 50 minutes, 66 minutes, and 55 minutes.

I observed one eruption of Plate this morning at 09:00.  Looking through the logbook, Plate has been reported every day during the past week.

As I was walking past it this morning, I had noted in my logbook that the snow on the path and the boardwalk was not disturbed, so either the wind took the water from Castle toward Geyser Hill or it had a minor during the night.  Just as I was finishing the note, Castle erupted, confirming my suspicions.

Churn and Penta were both overflowing this afternoon as I left Grand (and Oval was full to the brim), but I wanted to get to the Lower Geyser Basin, so I didn't stay around to see if either of them erupted.

Grand's eruptions 10/29  02:48e, 09:41 (2Q), and 18:13 (T1C, d=9:22).  The 8 hour 32 minute interval is probably due to Rift erupting at 17:09 for 53 minutes.  Grand erupted on the first Turban after Rift quit.  10/30 (no download for the overnight Grand) 08:09 T1Q d=10:11, 14:54 T2Q d=11:22.  Rift started at 14:50 and Grand erupted on the first Turban after Rift started.

The energy is still in Beauty, and Beauty is having overflow out the north channel.  Yesterday afternoon I heard a visitor say to his companion, "I don't understand why they named this pool Beauty, it isn't even pretty."  The margins are still an ugly brown even though it is overflowing the north as well as the south, and west.

"Solstice" has generally been active whenever I've had it in view.  It was quiet this afternoon though while I was waiting for Grand.

Giant has not erupted.  I haven't seen any hot periods, so can't give any durations.

No intervals for Daisy yesterday or today.

Riverside--No eruptions were observed yesterday.  I saw Riverside this morning at 7:46, which gives an average of about 6h37m for 6 intervals.  It erupted this afternoon at 14:29 for an interval of 6 hours 33 minutes.

Fan & Mortar--the marker is still in place.

I did see Artemisia ie this morning at 07:29 per steam cloud.  There are no other reports of Artemisia in the book for the past week, so I have no idea on intervals.

Weather--There have been snow showers each day since I returned.  The only one that caused me any problems was last night.  It had just started snowing when I left Pink Cone at 20:50.  By the time I reached the main road, the snow was falling fast and furiously.  By the time I got to Midway there was snow on the road.  By the time I got to Mallard Lake trailhead there was about 3" of snow on the road.  It was a dry light snow, so the amount of snow wasn't a problem.  But the snow flakes were so thick that with high beams the light bounced back so I couldn't see very far.  With low beams I could barely see the reflectors on the snow stakes on the side of the road, which I was using to tell where the side of the road was.  I crept along about 20 miles an hour, arrived in the government area and parked the pickup next to the trailer.  This morning there was almost no snow on the windshield, so the snow must have stopped shortly after I got home.  Craig Pass was closed last night
 , reopened some time this morning, but the South Entrance stayed closed.

Animals--The ravens are really obnoxious everywhere--Grand, Castle, Great Fountain, Pink Cone, Giant, Lower Ham's parking lot--everywhere I've been.  Maybe it's because there are almost no visitors here so the ravens have to be really aggressive.  My pack has been unzipped several times in the past 2 1/2 days even though I've been trying to pradtice aversion therapy on them.

Visitors--There were almost no visitors here this weekend.  Lack of lodging at Old Faithful plus the weather forecasts that include snow showers have resulted in situations such as 5 people at Grand yesterday at 18:13 and 5 people at Grand today at 14:54.  I called the Indicator on the radio both yesterday and today and the VC told people to go out for Beehive.  Yesterday there was one person on the Hill for Beehive and about 10 of us at the overlook.  Today two people walked up on the Hill (but they didn't know how to read the wind direction, got soaked and chased off the hill by the spray) and again about 10 of us at the overlook.  If I had carried my camera with me, I could have gotten a picture of Beehive with a brilliant rainbow and a faint double rainbow with no people in the picture.

Lynn Stephens      
 
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