[Geysers] Fw: Saturday's Giant

[barger]

Oops!  I got home from my camping trip and realized that this didn't get sent.  Kitt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: barger 
To: Graham Meech 
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 8:28 AM
Subject: Re: [Geysers] Saturday's Giant


     Yes, Graham.  You know me.  I was watching out the window while eating and switched channels to ask Steve if the steam cloud I was watching was from Lion.  He said he couldn't confirm, since he was at Dilapidated.  I switched back and went out to the West end of the Old Faithful Lodge's porch.  Yikes, there were water spikes coming over the trees from beyond Grand and we had already had the afternoon Grand.  I radioed that I thought Giant might be erupting.  We made a hasty departure from the cafeteria, drove cautiously through the Old Faithful parking lot (wishing that the speed limit was higher), and got down to the lower parking lot.  Thomas confirmed the eruption was Giant when he reached Castle on his bike.  (I was glad, since we had just uprooted Kevin from his pasta meal that he had barely started to eat.  I was afraid that we'd find out it was Oblong.)  The eruption lasted for 101 minutes and was a Giant function eruption.  The two visitors said that the start of the eruption was only a little higher than what we were seeing, so maybe 150.  I asked the couple what it was like to watch a geyser (without any previous knowledge), erupt.  She said it was cool.  They were watching that (Southwest Vents), and the two in the middle (Feather and Feather Satelite), and then the water started spilling out the front of Giant.  She said that she figured they were going to get something when the water reached the top of the cone.  They wondered if they were going to get wet, but the breeze blew the water toward the East. 
     As for missing the start, life goes on and I'm really glad that couple got such a wonderful experience.  By the time Giant quit, we were all chilled and I was glad that the little snack area was open in the Old Faithful Lodge.  We all had large, hot chocolates.
     As for Giant, both Steve R. and I felt that something had changed on the Giant platform the day before (6/16/06).  The hot periods weren't strong, but the water levels in Giant were more voluminous.  Instead of water spritzing out the back vent of Mastiff before a hot period, it was throwing small buckets of water out.  On the 17th, Mastiff depth charged for two hours, with only a 3-4 minute break for a foot bath (small rise in Mastiff's water level).  We even saw water in Giant briefly reverse it's oblique splashing.  Steve and I commented to several people that even though Mastiff wasn't doing much during hot periods, we thought that Giant was ready to erupt in the next two days.  
     Hopefully Steve can add more.  I'm now packing for a Big Horn Mountain camping trip (no geysers there).  See you on the boardwalks.  
Kitt (the one with steamclouditis) 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Graham Meech 
  To: 'barger' 
  Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 6:36 AM
  Subject: FW: [Geysers] Saturday's Giant


  Bad Kitt..eating while Giant erupts!  Did you see the big steam cloud out the lodge window and wonder what it was?

   

  Of course I wish it had done the 11 day interval BEFORE the 6 ½ day interval so we all could have seen it...grrrrrr.  Oh well, I will just have to come back again to see it J

   

  Other than that, I hope you had another great trip..maybe getting a 3 burst Grand?

   

  Graham.

   


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  From: geysers-bounces at wwc.edu [mailto:geysers-bounces at wwc.edu] On Behalf Of TSBryan at aol.com
  Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2006 10:22 PM
  To: geysers at wwc.edu
  Subject: [Geysers] Saturday's Giant

   

  I drove tour today and will again tomorrow, so no actual report. But talking to Kitt Barger today, it seems that no gazer and only two visitors were actually at Giant for last evening's (Saturday, 6/17/06 @1920) eruption. This is because hot periods had been rather short (6 minutes or less) and weak (mostly, Mastiff flat), basically indicating nothing pending. Kitt and kids were eating in the Lodge, Steve was across the river at Dilapidated. (And I was home in West Y.)

   

  Apparently, though:

  Grotto was off but probably (?) near start.

  The visitors reported that they saw the Southwest Vents, Feather and Feather Satellite.

  When specifically queried, the visitors said there was NO action (that they saw, anyhow) in Mastiff.

  Some surging, and FOOM.

  Thus, evidently Giant Function.

   

  Scott Bryan
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