[Geysers] Trip report 4-27-13 to 5-5-13 Biscuit, Midway, and odds and ends.

[Stephen Eide]

Salutations,

Gibbons Falls was pretty but there was not a big spring flood going over
it.

I did stop at Terrace Springs (I hope this is the correct name, it is the
springs to the East of the Madison Junction) and they are doing fine.  I
don't usually stop here but it was nice to look them over.  The main spring
reminds me of a stronger version of Ferris Fork Pool (Mr. Bubbler) on
Ferris Fork.

The only thing erupting in the Thud Group was Kidney Spring.  However per
Bill Warnock the springs here had daily visitors walking in from the
road.

Great Fountain and White Dome were occasionally seen from the road.  Also
on 4-27 a grizzly bear was seen in the area of the old Fountain Flats Hotel
and on 5-3-13 a grizzly was seen at the entrance to the Fountain Flats Loop
Road.  One day while at Fountain I saw five Turkey Vultures circling
around, I guess looking for lunch.  About every other day I saw a lone
Sandhill Crane in the Lower Basin.

In Midway Geyser Basin Turquoise is full and lightly overflowing and
clearly deserves its name.  Opal pool is clear with light overflow.  Grand
Prismatic looked great, what parts of it I could see.  At Excelsior there
was a short period of time when the strong wind blew away the steam and I
could see the deep blue of the main vent.  It looked like a bigger version
of the vent of Artimesia.  I think this is the first time I have had a
clear view of it.

Flood was active but I did not stop to get any intervals.  Till was active
also but I only have one possible ie to ie interval of 28 hours for a
triple interval.  I know Lynn; I could have done better.  Morning and
Fountain kept calling me.

In Biscuit Basin let me start with Rusty.  Three times over the week Rusty
had a somewhat stronger eruption of about 8 feet high for several seconds.
The interval after these bigger eruptions was about twice as long, maybe
two minutes until the next eruption.  But they appear to only happen every
once in a while.

Salt is active but the Pepper vent only does small doming boils over the
vent, I think because most of the overflow from Black Diamond is passing
though it.  Black Diamond is, well, relatively clear, still lightly milky
but not the darker muddy water it has after any recent eruption.  I did
notice that some mornings the steam off of Black Diamond is not much
different than the steam off of Sapphire Pool.  Sapphire Pool continues to
be a beautiful clear pool.  Jewel had intervals of about eight minutes.
Shell Spring was active.  East Mustard had intervals of twelve to thirteen
minutes.  Avoca Spring continues to be about all that is active in the
Silver Globe group, erupting about once a minute with heights of a few feet
to over eight feet.  I did not stop to record data on the springs to the
north of the boardwalk loop.

Also seen over the week were the Osprey in the Upper and Midway
basins. Some wolf tracts were seen on the trail between Morning Glory and
Baby Daisy (I saw some early in the week and then saw some later with Will
Boekel).  The Yellow Bellied Marmots are out and active.  And the Mountain
Bluebirds are already in the park although not a lot of them yet.  A Baby
Bison were first seen in the upper basin on Sunday 4-28.  There are a few
also around Madison Junction.

Sincerely yours,

Stephen Eide
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