[Geysers] Very late fall report

[Michelle Eide]

Greetings and Saluations,

This is just a couple of things from the closing weekend in November.  Tara
Cross was in the park for most of my visit and her e-mails covered most
everything, but a couple of things happened after she left.  I am sending
this now via my daughter's e-mail account as I am having problems with my
own e-mail account.  But mostly this is late just due to my lazy streak.

First, on 11-2-07 there was a piece of vandalism to Topsoil spring.  At
about 1330 I walked by and noticed the water in Topsoil was muddy and there
was a big rock in the pool.   The water took about an hour to clear.  Later
I talked to Jim Holstein and he said he walked by about 1200-1230 and the
pool was clear with no rock so it happened in that time period.  When I
noted the rock no one was on the boardwalk from Grand to the Oblong bridge.
The good news is they hit the pool directly, no damage was done to the fine
lace sinter on the edge of the pool.  The rock does not obstruct the vent,
and overall it appears little damage was done.  However, the rock is large
and will be a bit of a problem to remove.  Law enforcement came out to
investigate, but whoever did it was long gone.  I will try to attach a
picture, I hope it doesn't make the e-mail too big for those (like me) using
land lines.

The second thing was, at least for me, an odd Giant hot period on 11-3-07.
I was waiting at Giant, explaining hot periods to a visitor, and trying to
point out where the Southwest Vents were when I noticed they were starting
to bubble.  Looking over, I saw Feather start at 1459, Mastiff was just
below overflow and boiling to about six inches, and Bijou was on, erupting
like usual.  Bijou continued to erupt throughout the hot period.  The hot
period lasted almost exactly four minutes with Mastiff alternating between
weak overflow and just below overflow, flat to about a foot of boil on the
pool, Feather, Feather Sat., and Southwest Vents were active, and Bijow just
kept erupting like it never caught on that a hot period was occuring.  When
Feather stopped Bijou went into steam phase for about two minutes, then went
back to its regular eruption pattern.  This was something new to me, has
anyone else noticed something like this before?

Again, sorry about sending this off so late, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I can't wait 'til opening weekend, but it looks like I'll have to, I can't
find the money (or time) for a winter visit.  I do hope to visit Mickey Hot
Springs in the next month (if the weather will let me) and I'll send a
report when I get back.

Stephen Eide
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