<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3199" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="MARGIN: 4px 4px 1px; FONT: 12pt Tahoma; COLOR: #000000"> <DIV>Gary, thanks for the details and congratulations on your Giant-after-20-years!!!  What an experience!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Patsy Nies, Special Project Assistant Enrollment Services University of North Dakota,  Box 8135 Grand Forks, ND  58202 (70l)777-3791 FAX (70l)777-4960 <A href="mailto:patsynies@mail.und.nodak.edu">patsynies@mail.und.nodak.edu</A> >>> GARY EINSTEIN <greinstein@prodigy.net> 10/10/07 9:48 PM >>> </DIV> <DIV style="COLOR: #000000">whops, forgot to add text. With advance apologies to all those who know more than I do, I will try to summarize today’s Giant eruption. I arrived in the park yesterday afternoon and found Grotto in a mini-marathon.  Grotto was apparently I. E. at 6:30 a.m. and was quiet when passing by at about 4:30 p. m.  There was no action at all at Giant yesterday (10-9) afternoon. I arrived at the upper basin about 8:30 this morning and biked down to Fan & Mortar to see what was going on.  (Yesterday p.m., there was alternating action between F & M)  On the way, Grotto was I. E., and there was water on the trail, and steam, from Grotto’s Fountain.  Bijou was i.e., and I watched Riverside at 9:18. >From there, over to Giant, with Grotto still i.e..  To my surprise,  I was the only one there, with only the passing tourist. I have sat through at least a dozen Giant hot periods, but am far from an expert.  Something did not look right.  From my arrival on, there was some splashing from the rear of Mastiff onto the platform.  There was bubbling from two areas on the platform.  Giant was splashing occasionally.  Catfish would send water a foot or so into the air.  This may be normal, but I don’t remember seeing this kind of activity without a hot period. At 10:15 I looked back and saw no steam from Grotto, and assume in was no longer erupting. At 10:22, Bijou turned off, followed with the bathtub filling and slight surges from Mastiff. Feather and its companion went off–but gently.  Only slight churning from Giant.  Mastiff only bubbling a foot or two. At about 8 min. in, Bijou restarted, followed by a slowing down by the Feather.  Mastiff was quiet, but the bathtub did not empty. At 91/2 min., the platform vents picked up aggressively.  (No Turtle that I saw).  Only slifgt surging from Mastiff. 10 min in, Giant started churning onto the platform. By this time I remembered what happens to stuff left on the cage when Giant erupts, so I grabbed my backpack and slowly backed of the cage (forgot my book and gloves–anybody want a Giant water washed book?) By the 11 minute mark, Giant was surging over its vent.  Still no Mastiff. At about 11 1/4 min int the hot period, of course with my urging, Giant erupted. Never saw Mastiff erupt. Through this entire time, I was the only person there. Solo dinner at Eino’s? Attached is a foto from today.  I also videoed from start of hot period to eruption and checked my notes/times with the movie. Gary Einstein at last, after 20+ years, seen a Giant eruption</DIV></BODY></HTML>