[Geysers] Yellowstone Report 6/18 (Stephens)

[Lynn Stephens]

THIS POST IS FOR THE PERSONAL USE OF THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THIS LISTSERV AND IS NOT TO BE

REPRODUCED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE.

 

Yesterday evening (6/17) I went over to Black Sand Basin to watch Cliff erupt.  The one interval (full pool to full pool) that I recorded was 51 minutes.  While I was there the Black Sand raven was perched on a number of different vehicles.  At one point a visitor who had been taking a photo of the raven asked the owner of the vehicle on which the raven was sitting, "He's not you all's pet is he?"  Several visitors stopped in the middle of the parking lot to take pictures of the raven, creating quite a traffic jam.

 

On my way back to the government area, I noticed three ravens scavenging on some road kill, which hadn't been in the north bound lane when I drove out to Black Sand.  Unfortunately, one of the snow shoe hares had tried to cross the road and didn't make it.

 

This morning (6/18) it was raining when I started out.  As I was driving to the lower basin, first Scott passed me on his way in and we waved at each other.  Then Barbara Lasseter passed me and told me she had seen a black bear at the Chief Joseph sign.  As I rounded the corner past the entrance to Firehole Lake Drive Fountain was ie (0636ie) so I kept going to the Chief Joseph sign.  But the bear had already moved on by the time I got there.  On my way back I decided to park in a pullout to watch for the end of Fountain.  While I was waiting, Jere B. passed by and said hello on the radio.

 

I moved up to the Flood pullout so I could time both Flood and get the start of Till's major.  Flood is starting to show more variability.  I had a minor (d ~30 seconds), followed by a major (I=14m10s, 5m50s), then another major (I=56m40s, d=4m50s), then a minor (I=41m05s, d=1m10s), then a major ((=21m00s, d=6m05s).

 

Till had a major this morning (6/18) at 0849 and another one this afternoon at 18:11 (I=9h22m).

 

While I was waiting for Great Fountain (13:27, of-75, p=7) to go into overflow, I saw a steam cloud that I thought was Pink, but I drove over to the Pink Cone group to make certain (Pink, 1123ns).  As I left the Pink Cone group, I saw the pair of adult sandhill cranes in the meadows south of the road.  I stopped for awhile to watch them with my little binoculars.  I didn't see any little fuzzball moving around in the grass with the adults.  I was struck by how large the adults' dark feet are compared to the pencil-thin slenderness of their legs.

 

Most of the day was cloudy with showers, but the sun did break through during part of Great Fountain's eruption.  The glistening waterfalls and bright bursts of water stood out against the leaden gray sky.

 

I was going to spend some time in the office, but while I was up there about 1510, Barbara Lasseter announced on the radio that she had seen a 60 second Atomizer at 12:28.  Tara helped relay my question and her answer so I knew Atomizer had not yet had the major yet.  Forget the typing--that can be done anytime.  On my way from the office to park at Biscuit Basin, I missed the final minor (1517 90 sec).  She gave me the series--0951 (30 sec), 1120 (40 sec), 1228 (60 sec).  She is reasonably certain there was splashing after the 1228 minor, but was bundled up trying to avoid the stinging rain drops after that minor, so didn't actually see it.  Atomizer started its major at 1619 (double interval 31h29m).  The missed major was probably also not a quick comeback major.

 

Barbara had been at Artemisia/Atomizer most of the day so she left after Atomizer.  I stayed until 1700 and Artemisia still had not erupted.  Since Barbara was headed back to DNBSPL to get her vehicle, she might have been able to add this afternoon's Beehive (1702) to her Atomizer series.

 

On my way back to Biscuit Basin, I was tromping along, not paying much attention to where I was placing my feet because I was keeping my head up scouting around for any bull bison that might be near the trail.  Suddenly a slithering, slender snake caught my eye as it scooted quickly off the trail to my left.  I've gone entire summers without seeing a snake here in Yellowstone, and now I've seen two in one week.

 

As I was walking on down the trail, a couple passed me.  They had seen me sitting in my chair at Artemisia, so they asked if it had erupted (at least I assumed they were asking about Artemisia rather than Atomizer).  When I replied that it had not, but I had actually been up there for Atomizer, they replied, "We didn't know if you were up there to wait for it or to enjoy it."  Hmm, admittedly after several hours of a failed wait, waiting may not have been productive, but usually waits and enjoyment are not mutually exclusive.

 

As Tara was headed north for Fountain this afternoon, she gave me Beehive's start time (1702) over the radio.  Tara said since she won't be near a computer for awhile, I could tell her story about a pink umbrella while they were waiting for this early afternoon Fountain (1242), but I said I'd just alert you she has a story and she can relate it the next time she makes a post.

 

Lynn Stephens

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