<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6001.18183" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Greetings to all!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I have finally rested up
from my winter trip to Yellowstone Park. I drove to Mammoth in a blinding
snowstorm on Monday (29th) and arrived in one piece on Tuesday (30th).
During my drive, I often encountered limited to zero visibility and the roads
changed from dry to a mix of black ice and packed snow. I slowed to a
crawl and said many prayers and was glad to see the lights at
Mammoth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> During my ride to Old
Faithful, I enjoyed the fact that someone else was driving. After many
storms in the area, the sun was finally out so that we could see the mountain
peaks. I arrived at Old Faithful around noon, checked in, and finally
headed out into the basin. I stopped to enjoy my first geyser, Old
Faithful, at 1338. The prediction board at the Visitor Center was almost
empty, due to limited staff and bad weather with poor visibility. I
headed to Grand to check on it. I slowly trudged down basin in my many
layers, thankful for my trusty ski poles which helped me to identify the narrow
path I needed to stay on so that I could remain vertical. Turban was
erupting as I paused at Castle to take a breather. I carefully made
my way past the very slippery Sawmill Area. I waited for the next Turban
and to my great joy Grand joined Turban's eruption. I called out to a
group of people that were admiring Sawmill, so that they might enjoy the big
show, and then scrambled for my watch to get the time to call the Visitor
Center. It was 1428.10 (but due to my delay in checking the time Grand may
have started at the end of the last minute). The eruption was a T1Q
(Turban first, 1 burst, Turban & Vent quit), but at least it was
visible. Castle was at 1456 ns, but it minored. I walked to Geyser
Hill to check out the boardwalks and Beehive. (The bubblers and close to
cone were were bubbling, but no eruption.) At Plume, I waited for a
visitor to ski by me. He stopped to visit and Plume erupted at 1536.
I explained that it usually has 4 or 5 bursts. As we continued to visit, I
realized that we had passed the usual 4 to 5 bursts. We both stopped
talking, and continued to watch as Plume had either 7 or 8 very strong bursts
(the kind that sounded like it might destroy itself). Aurum erupted at
1541, so I chose not to walk that way. I headed off the Hill and
stopped at the Visitor Center. Partially from my lack of sleep (since I
drove all night) and partially from the extra effort it took to navigate the
basin, I headed to the Geyser Grill for an early dinner. While I was
enjoying my Chili Cheese Fries, I heard a radio call about Riverside possibly
erupting per the webcam. (Yes, it was Fan and Mortar, and no, I didn't see
it.) My only consolation is that even if I had been out in the basin, I
probably wouldn't have been at that end since darkness takes over the area by
about 1730. I slept the sleep of the dead and was ready to go by the next
morning.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> New Year's Eve Day
started off with no wind, and clear skies. I missed the ease it takes to
get to the basin in the summer. In the winter, I have to walk from
the front of the Geyser Grill, up the road to the Visitor Center path, and
out to the boardwalk or paved path which is covered in an uneven layer of
snow. Even dressing is more difficult in the winter. Thermals,
fleece pants, ski pants, wool socks, snow boots, gators, 2 wool sweaters,
fleece jacket, down coat, fleece neck tube, wool hat, hood, and finally
gloves. Many of my winter trips have involved temperatures in
the sub zero level, so I spent my first half hour removing several
unneeded outer layers and hooking them onto my little back pack (which is
half the size of my summer one). This trip I would find
temperatures well above zero, although sometimes the wind chill might have
been below zero. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I stopped to visit with
Carolyn in front of Old Faithful and we watched Grand erupt in the distance
at 0836. I had heard about the possible Fan and Mortar eruption from
Thomas, so I headed that way to check out the area. Due to a
miscommunication though, I thought Fan & Mortar had erupted at about 12:30,
while I was checking in at the Lodge. (It wasn't until today that I
realized it was while I was having my early dinner.) I walked down the
bike path with uneven steps as I made my way over snowy drifts. Daisy
erupted at 1020 (thanks to the 0809 near end time that Carolyn had given me) and
I paused on the main path to enjoy it. I continued on toward Fan and
Mortar pausing to let the Visitor Center know that Riverside was
not in overflow. The bridge was covered in snow deep enough to discourage
me from trying to get closer to the railing. The boardwalk is very high
when capped off with snow, making it tricky to climb up on for a better view of
the area. It is surprising to me how much snow can stay even though Fan
and Mortar erupt. Icicles hung from the front of the Spiteful
area of the boardwalk, and the snow was covered with a crusty shell of
ice. A small triangle shaped patch on the dirt path was dry, but
the rest of the area was covered in snow. As I headed back, I noticed that
Riverside was already in overflow at 1115 and called the Visitor Center to
report it. I went to look at Oblong and figured it was a good spot to
watch for the next Daisy, Riverside, and possibly get an Oblong eruption.
Daisy erupted at 1244 and I just made it back to Riverside when it erupted at
1256. I headed back to Oblong, with a delay on the snowpacked corner
at Grotto while I waited for a visitor to make his way up the
narrow path. Instead of passing, he stopped to ask questions, which I
answered, and then he finally headed for Riverside which was still
erupting. As I came through the trees, I saw a huge steam cloud at 1314
(which isn't unusual since almost everything makes a huge steam cloud) but
this was Oblong erupting. I hurried in all of my winter gear toward
the geyser that wouldn't wait. I heard the water crashing down, but
no thumps greeted me and the wind which had appeared late in the
morning pushed me around. The sun which had so graciously kissed the snowy
land was now hidden behind many layers of clouds. After the eruption, I
walked back to Grotto and then on to Castle. I sat down on a bench to rest
while I waited for Castle to erupt. Snack bag in hand, I was enjoying
the crunchy, salty goodness of the Chex Mix when a large puff of steam
appeared on Geyser Hill from behind the trees near Castle.
Yikes! I jumped up and hurried to where I could see Beehive's cone.
Yes! Beehive Indicator was erupting. I radioed in "Beehive
Indicator at 1427 ie" and then after explaining to people around me what I was
excited about and options for viewing the eruption, I decided to gather up
my gear and hurry down the bike path to be closer to Beehive. Several of
us were trying to navigate the tricky footing with brief pauses when the
wind gusts felt like they were going to blow us away. We made it to the
Pump House and used the sign as a buffer from the wind as we enjoyed the
beautiful eruption of Beehive at 1435. Old Faithful joined in at
1438. (Note - I read the post that Beehive's eruption was short
that day, but it was taller than in the picture and the winds that
afternoon were awful! My guess is the gusts were in the 35 to 45 mph
range or maybe even higher.) After enjoying the eruption (which I didn't
figure I would get to see that day, since Beehive was quiet and
the bubblers were off that morning), we made our way back to Castle.
Snacking forgotten, I headed over to Crested Pool to watch for the next Daisy
(which I now think must have erupted while we were walking back). I
kept glancing at Castle which was predicted for 3:30 PM. I
noticed Uncertain was ie at 1538 and Aurum popped up in my peripheral
view at 1557. At 1605, with still no Daisy, I felt I had pushed my
luck to far and headed to the benches for a safer(dryer) veiwing of the
pending Castle eruption. At 1610, Castle erupted and then I realized
that Grand had started. Grand 1615 ns (_1Q) with the wind pushing the
steam this way and that. A man next to me asked how long it would erupt
and when I answered him, he sprinted toward Grand like it was summer. I
enjoyed the roar as Castle switched to steam and then as darkness started to
work its way into the basin, I headed in for dinner. After an evening of
book reading and snacking, I called home to wish my family an early "Happy
New Year". I decided to try to catch the last Old Faithful eruption for
2008. During my trek back to the Lodge, I had noticed
that the Visitor Center had a posted the next Old Faithful for 5:44 PM, so
I multiplied longs and hurried to get all of my winter gear back on at 11:25
PM. I made my way to Old Faithful and arrived with 2 minutes to
spare. Old Faithful erupted at 2348 (a long). There was a fairly big
crowd that wished each other Happy New Year, and then most of us
headed back toward the Lodge. I climbed to the third floor and
had rid myself of most of my winter gear, when I realized that there was
only one hour left until the next eruption. I estimated how long
it would take to get ready again and arrived at Old Faithful in plenty of
time. Two people waited quietly on a bench under a cloudy sky with puffy
snowflakes flitting around. Several times I glanced back at the path
expecting more people to arrive, but none appeared. The three of us
enjoyed the 0114 eruption with the dark cloudy sky as a back drop for the
whiter Old Faithful. After the eruption the two headed for their
snowmobile and I made my way back to the Lodge (which was much quieter
now). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2> Happy New
Year! I was hurrying toward Old Faithful, when Carolyn radioed that
Beehive's Indicator was ie. I radioed back and hurried even
faster toward the Overlook path. Beehive at 0834. Carolyn and I
enjoyed the eruption and then she headed in while I went to check on
Grand. Turban erupted at 0913 and 0930. At 0946, seven swans flew
directly overhead about 100' up. They were gently calling to each
other as they headed toward Old Faithful. Turban erupted again at 0949 and
1009. At 1028, Grand erupted for a G2Q! West Triplet erupted at
1031, and a Plume was radioed at 1041. I was glad that I had seen
both Beehive and Grand, but the snow was falling heavily, visibility was
limited, so I headed in for one more Old Faithful at 1213 before calling it a
day. I took a nap and then went downstairs to enjoy the lounge chairs
by the fire. The snow and wind were starting to take their toll.
Tomorrow was Friday, Jan. 2nd, and I would be heading home. During
the night, the wind could be heard attacking the
Lodge. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2> Its
Friday! I pack up and then head out to the basin one last time. A
Lion is radioed at 0812 ie, but I have no intention of going onto Geyser
Hill. The wind from last night had continued and snow pelted the
air. I watched a 3 minute Lion at 0924 as I headed toward Grand. Old
Faithful erupted at 0936 (a short) and Little Squirt was ie at 0939.
Beehive was very quiet, so I figured I wouldn't see it. I arrived at
Castle after searching for the path that the wind had covered up.
Rift was ie at 1003. I continued on toward Grand, passing
a silent Sawmill. I found refuge from the wind and snow near
Rift's shade trees. I used my ski poles to brace my body as the wind
gusted, trying to shove me off of the snowpacked boardwalk. Daisy showed
up grey on white at 1027ns. Turban erupted at 1010ie, 1028, and
1048. At 3 minutes in I realized that Grand's pool was recovering
fast! Grand at 1051 with Rift still in eruption. It was a
T2*Q! I enjoyed the eruption and then faced into the wind and driving snow
with may hood and face mask leaving me a small slit to peer through. The
snow sounded like hail on my coat and every so often a piece would breach my
enclosed face. The tracks I had made earlier had disappeared, so my
poles once again helped me find the narrow path of hard packed snow. I
looked back from Crested Pool as I took in the basin one more time before
making my way to Old Faithful to down load. I watched the 1217 Old
Faithful after the bison herd walked in single file in front of the geyser as
they made their way toward the cabins and probably Pipeline Meadows.
The return trip to Mammoth was snowy and gray. I left Mammoth at 7 PM
headed for home. This time no blinding snow storms blocked my view and the
roads were a little better, but it was still very late when I arrived
home.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2> In the winter,
little things like swans flying overhead or happening upon an erupting geyser
make a trip. The snow forces a person to slow down. This year they
have fewer staff to run the Visitor Center, answer people's
questions, and to cover the basin. I just want to say THANK YOU to
the staff at the Visitor Center for all you help. It can be very
lonely out in the basin when there's no one else using radios and at
times I was the only person out in the basin. My winter trips make me
appreciate my summer visits all the more. Take care and Happy New
Year. Kitt
Barger <FONT> </FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>