[Geysers] Paul Strasser

[Lynn Stephens]

Suzanne,
    As I was driving over to Yellowstone Friday, I was thinking that this was the 25th anniversary of the 1988 fires.  I think we all have memories of Paul and Fan & Mortar, Giant, Grand, Daisy/Splendid duals, Great Fountain superbursts, trips to the Kaleidoscope Group courtesy of Rick Hutchinson, etc., but one fairly unique memory I can share was the "Fire Walk" six of us took on Friday, September 9, 1988.  
   The fire storm that came through Old Faithful on Wednesday, September 7 got the most publicity because it threatened the Old Faithful Inn as it went through the Old Faithful end of the basin.  As I remember you and Sharon Roe were up at Artemisia.  Paul and Grover Schrayer had gone over to Black Sand Basin.  I was sitting at Fan & Mortar, along with Grover's pack.  (I subsequently rescued the pack, which contained part of a bottle of red wine and a can of creamed corn--go figure--and turned it into the ranger station.  The next year when I saw Grover and asked whether he had ever gotten the pack back, he said I should have kept the wine.)  MaryAnn Moss, Jens Day, and Dave Leeking were also in the Park, as was Phil Landis, Rick's assistant.   John Railey was still in the Inn and Phil told stories of watching people load John and his belongings into the bus that evacuated some of the people at Old Faithful to Mammoth.  That was John's final exit from Old Faithful because he wasn't able to come back that fall and he died in January 1989.  
     Earlier that week we had been moved from the cabins to the Inn.  We checked out Wednesday morning along with all the other guests, but, contrary to some of the rumors, the basin had not been closed, so the gazers stayed to watch geysers.  At 2:30 that afternoon I noted there was a busload of German tourists waiting for an eruption of Riverside while I was watching Fan & Mortar cycles.  Tomas Vachuda had gone to Bozeman on Wednesday.  From Artemisia, you and Sharon saw the firestorm top the ridge behind the government housing area, got on the CB radios we were using then, warned us the firestorm was imminent, and we all headed out of the basin toward our vehicles at Old Faithful.  You and Paul and Grover went out with one convo.  Sharon Roe found a ride out for Dave Leeking.  Jens and I went out near the end of the last convoy to West Yellowstone.  MaryAnn Moss eluded the rangers who were trying to make her evacuate and got Rick's permission to stay.  Jens slowed down as we approached the entrance to Great Fountain, thinking we might turn in there, but the rangers had apparently already anticipated some people might attempt to leave the convoy, and the gate was locked.
   The next morning I drove back into the Park.  At the entrance booth at West Yellowstone I said I wanted to go retrieve my bike.  I was told the gate was locked at Madison.  At Madison I showed my volunteer papers to the guard, and he let me drive on into Old Faithful.  When I arrived, I found Rick, who said he would have his wife Jennifer Whipple pick up Nomex for me at the Madison fire camp.  MaryAnn had already gotten her Nomex prior to the firestorm, and several newspapermen and photographers were offering her money if she would let them have her bright lemon yellow shirt.  After I got my Nomex, MaryAnn and I went out into the basin, with Rick's permission, to check on various thermal features.
    As I remember, on Friday six of us--Phil, MaryAnn, Tomas, you and Paul, and I, all of us dressed in Nomex, were out to Grand.  After Grand erupted, Phil was cleaning out East Triplet.  As the second firestorm was approaching, Rick sent one of the Naturalists out with the message, "Rick says to come in NOW."  So we did, although Tomas was upset he had missed the firestorm on Wednesday and indicated he might like to get closer to the roaring fire that was ripping through the Artemisia area.  Friday's firestorm went through the north end of the basin, setting fire to trees on the hill behind Grand, behind Oblong, near Grotto, and several areas leading up to and around Artemisia.  I have a picture of Phil and Tomas hosing down the roof of the Visitor Center, but don't know whether I have any pictures of the six of us at Grand.  I'll look for pictures when I get home next month.
     Early that evening, after the firestorm had passed, we decided to take a walk through the basin.  I remember Paul comforting you when you expressed concerns that the hill behind Grand would never be the same.  Paul was lugging the huge VCR that he had at that time, filming the smoldering trees.  I remember Phil putting his camera on the bridge at Oblong, setting it for a long exposure, and taking pictures of the red Firehole River--not red from a sunset, but red from the flames still burning in various spots.  Even without the video that Paul took, and the special issue of The Sput that he wrote up about the fires, I'll never forget the scenes from that "Fire Walk."
   Now I just have to figure out which Geyser Gazer Hat Paul is wearing, but whatever it is, I know he's using it to send you   and Linda and Kevin his love and support.
Lynn
   
 
 
    
    
From: sjstrasser at comcast.net
To: geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 17:44:26 -0600
Subject: Re: [Geysers] Paul Strasser






For 
all of you that knew him, I would greatly appreciate it if you could post or 
send to me a favorite memory of Paul.  If you have any photos I would 
love to see them as well.  I am going to collect all the remembrances for a 
memory book.
 
Since 
Friday the outpouring of love and support has been amazing, and I thank you 
all.
 
Suzanne
 
(sjstrasser at comcast.net)



From: geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu 
[mailto:geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne 
Strasser
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 5:18 PM
To: 
Geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
Subject: [Geysers] Paul 
Strasser




Dear 
friends,
 
I am so sorry to 
have to tell you that Paul passed away yesterday, after a 3-year long battle 
with ALS.  It is much consolation to the family that he passed peacefully 
and was spared dealing with the end stages of the disease.  On the other 
hand, it was still a shock to us.  He had been fairly stable until Monday, 
and then suddenly went downhill fast.
 
He and I 
appreciated the friendships we formed with 
you in the geyser basins, and I will always treasure the 
memories.
 
We have a vacation in Yellowstone planned for July 
20-28, and I am hoping we can have a memorial get together in remembrance of 
Paul for friends that are there.  Something upbeat to remember all the 
good times we had.  And I do also hope to be there for Labor Day weekend to 
raise a glass for Paul at the wine and cheese party.
 
I hope he is looking down on us all to witness many 
eruptions of Morning, Giant, Fan and Mortar, Splendid, Steamboat, Grand... 
and many, many more.
 
With much 
love,
Suzanne

_______________________________________________
Geysers mailing list
Geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: </geyser-list/attachments/20130519/e0d77b1c/attachment.html>