[Geysers] Final Weekend

[Maureen Edgerton]

The final weekend of the park proved to be a spectacular time.  Day after day of fun geysers with good friends and good (for this time of year) weather.  

All specific times are posted on Geyser Times.

Great Fountain, since it has come out of wild phase, has been overflowing for 2-3 hours before the eruption occurs.  The pool can have great boils , and then the pool is like glass.  It has been fun to watch, and it seemed to be gaining strength again, with 3 of the last 4 eruptions I saw creaming the road surface, and often, people's cars.  My car got quite the shower on Saturday along with a few others.  We were too absorbed in the amazing bursts to even notice!!  I so wish the park was not closing so I could keep tabs still on the happenings at Great Fountain.  I feel very lucky, and am very thankful, that after its early closing of Oct. 20 last season, we were able to access Firehole Lake Drive to this very last day.  

This morning, for my last Great Fountain, the sun was peaking over the hills making the terraces shimmer in the early morning light.  The snow still lingering on Mt. Holmes was bright as well, an idyllic spot in time for sure.  

Fountain continued to be blue and amazing, though shorter in duration (at least the daytime eruptions), and I want to thank Mr. Bill Warnock for his time and diligence at Fountain these past weeks.  He was rewarded by his Morning/Fountain dual, and many other spectacular Fountains, though often he would turn things over to me, and I was rewarded with Fountain, found much easier by his waiting for Morning's Thief to begin.  Endless thanks Bill, and we had some awesome Fountains to ourselves these past weeks.

Our final geyser of the season was Fountain at 1557 today.  The sun came out at the end of the eruption and when Twig started, it was bathed in light, it was just AWESOME.  We lingered for many moments on the platform where Bill's chair had been set up, not wanting to leave.  Clepsydra and Jet playing as the sun set…we had to comment on how lucky we were, to be there.

Grand played a nice part in my closing days as well.  A few 2 bursts, a few one bursts, and today we had "waves on Grand" twice, like breaker waves, that did not result in eruptions.  Thankfully, only one created a delay, and we were finally honored with a HUGE Turban start Grand at 1104, with our 3rd set of "breaker waves."  Amazing, tall, blue.  The sky was overcast, so Turban and Grand had a blue presence today.  Only one burst, yet many tall spikes.

So nice to see the Gushwas, Will B, Andy and Diane from CA (and locally, Rigby, ID), Steve Eide, Jim from YTG, the Keller family, my geyser buddy Louise and many more folk that made their way to Yellowstone for these final days.  We maybe talked too much on our radios, calling Turbans and Old Faithfuls, yet we had lots of fun.

Spasmodic and Sawmill were also in splendid form.  

The energy moment of my week had to be standing juxtaposed between Old Faithful and Beehive, on the pavement walkway to the across the river from Beehive overlook, and feeling the energy from both of those amazing geysers when they were at their zenith at the same time.  SO FUN.  

I am sorry for folks that put so much time in at F & M, and I hope it is not in winter slumber, as folks will come this winter, and it would be fun if it were erupting.  

My time in the park is done until April, when I will be interested to see what is the "new normal" out at Fountain.  Yet 5 hour Grands, 9 series Great Fountains, too many amazing Fountains of 50 minutes to count…it has been a good year.

See you in 2013.

Maureen Edgerton