[Geysers] Yellowstone July 7 (Stephens)

[Lynn Stephens]

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THE PERSONAL READING USE OF THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THIS 

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OR PUBLISHED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, INCLUDING PUBLICATION IN THE SPUT.

 

When I left for the Lower Geyser Basin this morning, Giantess was still ie.

 

I did not stay for the duration of last night's Great Fountain eruption (2111, of = 91, p =0), so wanted to arrive before the window opened.  I shouldn't have worried about it.  Great Fountain apparently had another strong eruption because it didn't erupt until 10:35 (of=79, p=0) this morning.  While I was waiting for Great Fountain, Stephen Eide called Fountain at 07:48.  

 

Stephen also reported that Pink Cone erupted at 23:45 on 7/6.  He was on his way to Madison.  As he drove past Pink Cone it gave a solid splash and he was hooked, waiting over an hour for the actual eruption.

 

I left this morning's Great Fountain eruption after the first burst, which was fairly strong, and really pretty with the sun on it and blue sky in the background.  Maureen Edgerton reported the remainder of the eruption didn't exhibit much energy at all.

 

I abandoned the eruption because I had punctured my leg with a large splinter from the wooden bench at Great Fountain and decided I'd better go to the clinic before thoughts of insurance deductibles and partial payments since I'm out of the normal service area overrode my fear of possible infection.  As I came around the Myriad Group, Beehive's Indicator was ie, so I took a detour to the Inn Parking Lot so I could watch Beehive erupt at 11:15.  

 

On my way to the Beehive overlook, I saw a golden mantle ground squirrel eating what looked to be an acorn.  Normally I would think of acorns as natural squirrel food, but somehow I don't remember having the right kind of trees around here that would drop acorns.

 

After Beehive erupted, I went to the Clinic.  (The splinter was more than 1-1/4 inches long, went deep into my leg, not just parallel to the surface.  After injecting a shot of Lydocane into me, the PA tried to get it out with a needle and tweezers but was unsuccessful so had to make an incision to get it out.)

 

I watched Geyser Hill for about 90 minutes.  One interval on Little Cub was about 43 minutes.  One interval on Plume was 55 minutes.  (Plume just had a 51 minute interval.)  Giantess was having 10-12 minute eruptions of water, separated by 40 minutes of quite.  The height of some of the jets was very impressive; much larger than Beehive's column.  I also saw an eruption of Vaulat at 1351.

 

There was a report that Grand erupted at 0404 this morning.  This afternoon's eruption of Grand was at 1424.

 

Kitt started relaying Stephen Eide's reports of an event cycle at Fan & Mortar about 14:14 when River Vent paused and Main Vent was continuing to splash.  Stephen said F&M were in garbage mode when he left at 13:17 to go to Daisy.  He returned at 13:55 and everything was off but Main Vent had started splashing.  RV turned on at 14:05 and off at 14:14.  Bottom Vent started erupting at 14:22 and Main Vent stopped splashing at 14:26.  Bottom Vent continued with very brief pauses, finally ending at 14:54.  (Main Vent had a small splash at 14:47 as Bottom Vent tried to pause/stop.)  The crowd of gazers and a few others at Grand had time to make it down to F&M in time to see RV turn on at 14:50.  Gold came on at 14:51 and Angle at 14:57.  Water levels never got impressive although at one point they tried to "rejuvenate."  

 

While I was hoping water levels would get interesting, Jim S. tried to tell me a visitor story about Beehive.  After I lost interest in Fan & Mortar, Dan Hatfield, told me the story, which he had heard while he was at Lion.  A visitor said Beehive had erupted 3 times today.  She also said Beehive had not erupted yesterday.  She told her companion that meant an earthquake was imminent, so it was time for them to get out of here.

 

This morning while I was making a loop of Firehole Lake Drive, the two sandhill cranes flew by low to the ground, landing near Ranger Pool.  Last night at Great Fountain three different groups of visitors had asked me what the two large birds with long legs and long necks were.  I didn't see the birds myself, but assume they were the sandhill cranes.

 

I've seen more ducks, mostly mallards, other than the merganser family, in the Upper Basin this year than I've seen geese.  I asked some other gazers, and they indicated they hadn't seen many geese either.  Scott reports there are plenty of geese in the Hayden Valley.

 

Tricia Miller reported that a sandpiper with 3 fledglings has been keeping them amused while they are watching Aurum splash around.

 

Lynn Stephens

 

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