[Geysers] Opening weekend geyser musings

[Paul Strasser]

Whoever replaced the road over Teton Pass with that ice rink Friday night
should get a severe reprimand.  Three miles - 90 minutes.  Sheesh.  

 

Grizzly Bear city.  We saw a big one saunter down the hill at Grand and head
north.  A few hours later there was a movable bear jam - actually a very
well behaved bear jam - from Biscuit Basin all the way to Whiskey flat.  We
saw the same griz near Circle Pool.  People were a bit too close.  I thought
them insane.  On the way out of the park (not in the park) we saw a Griz sow
and three cubs. Very cool.  

 

Chromatic is in overflow.  This isn't exactly earth-shattering, but the
overflow is probably the most voluminous I've ever seen from Chromatic.  You
could even see the upwelling of water in the reflection.  Beauty is, as one
would assume, down to the point that the newly forming sinter rim is out of
the water.

 

Giant/Grotto are not behaving like last year.  Not to say they're dormant or
anything - far from it. But two 11-12 hour marathons, followed by an
eruption of estimated D of about 4 hours isn't as much fun as 2006 activity.
The Saturday marathon ended around 1600, and the recovery hot period was
1909.  You can't have 10-hour delays from Marathon Q to hot period when the
Marathon's only 11 hours long. Interestingly, the hot period at 1909 was
actually pretty good - over 9 minutes, decent surging 1-3 feet for nearly
the whole of the hot period. No, I never got to excited, but it wasn't a
pitiful little 2 minute one.

 

FM markers in place.  Oblong strong.  We saw a Penta steam eruption on
Saturday, no big deal.  

 

In fact, most of the geysers were no big deal.  There's nothing wrong with
that, of course.  But as of now there isn't that "thing" that makes one
believe 2007 might be awesome or intriguing, what with Giant uncertain,
Beehive dormant, Grand having lotsa 1 burst eruptions. fortunately, others
among us will figure all this stuff out before we return Memorial Day.  

 

If it matters, the weather was much better than the forecasts suggested.
About 3" of snow on the ground Saturday morning (it all fell after 3 am)
that completely melted away by afternoon, a few snow squalls, but definitely
as much sun as clouds.  A little cloudier Sunday, but again not bad.  Just
that sheet of ice over Teton Pass made it less than stellar.  

 

Paul Strasser

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