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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT size=3>Greetings to all and a belated Happy
New Year!</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> I was able to visit our winter
wonderland over my Christmas break. I drove to Mammoth on Dec. 26th and
was very appreciative of the dry roads during my entire trip. This year it
took me 5 1/4 hours to get to Mammoth from Worland, Wy. (Last year it took
me 12 hours to drive the same route.) I arrived at Mammoth early enough to
go to the Upper Terraces and walk around the boardwalks. The area
definitely has a shortage of snow. I enjoyed listening to the bubbling
waters as they trickled over the terraces. It had been a good day
with blue skies, but now the sun was quickly setting.
It paused long enough to tint the sky with purples, pinks, and oranges
before settling on a more somber blue-gray that deepened as night closed in
on me. Always the one to be prepared, I double checked what I had
packed for my geyser basin trip and laid my clothing out in fireman fashion
before heading off to bed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> I awoke bright and early, ready
for my geyser basin adventure. I was too excited for breakfast and settled
on a granola bar and orange juice. I left my suitcase with the other bags
headed for Old Faithful, and kept my small backpack and collapsable ski poles
with me. The lobby of the hotel bustled with people young and old as they
prepared for their day. A long line of snow coaches rumbled up to
take many of us to Old Faithful. As we drove along, I searched for the
elusive wildlife. We finally spotted two wolves on Swan Lake (and we were
told that there was another gray one that we didn't spot). Les, our
driver, was very informative and made the trip enjoyable even though we had
limited animal sightings. As we approached the Upper Geyser Basin, I
thought I recognised Daisy's steamcloud. At that moment, John Warnock
radioed Daisy 1155ie. My coach was full of people who had visited
Yellowstone before. Many of them were excited to hear that we had a
chance to see a Grand eruption in the next couple of hours. I headed over
to the path from the Snow Lodge and made my way toward Castle after watching my
first Old Faithful at 1235. Part way up to Castle I found the elusive
animals. Bison! Lots of them. The herd was standing in the
path, in the trees, and on the boardwalk at Castle. After a twenty
minute wait the herd finally headed between Castle Geyser and Crested Pool and
continued across the river with part of the group heading into the open meadow
and a smaller group heading past Scalloped Spring toward Oblong. I was
still shocked by how little snow was in the area. The bike path was
clear with occasionally an inch or two of packed snow. The boardwalks had
some packed snow and only a few areas were tricky due to heat melting
the snow from below. I visited with Bill and John Warnock as I took
in the scenery. They told me that they had been checking on Fan and
Mortar, but that they couldn't find the marker. I could still hear the big
bull bison grunting and the cows snorting. Riverside's steamcloud appeared
on the horizon at 1321 (ie) and after two more Turbans, Grand erupted at 1343
(T2Q). The first burst was very high and my camera never stood a chance to
fit the eruption in its lens. It was a sunny day with blue
skies, moderate temperatures, and friends to share the awe of such an
impressive eruption. After Grand, I made my way to Oblong hoping to
see an eruption. Daisy erupted at 1439 ie and Castle was called over the
radio at 1515 ie. It was a major. An eagle flew over Oblong as I
continued my solitary wait. John radioed, "Plume 1542, Aurum 1550 ie,
and Lion 1605." Grotto was at 1616 ns with no Grotto Fountain.
As darkness started to inch toward me, I abandoned Oblong but was rewarded
with Penta in eruption at 1655. My camera which was fully charged
still told me that it needed new batteries due to the cold. The area was
starting to fill in with low clouds and all I could see down basin was a single
big steam cloud from Grotto (or maybe Rocket?). Lion was at 1710 ie and I
enjoyed one more Old Faithful at 1710 as I looked wistfully at Geyser
Hill. My beloved Beehive had erupted that morning at 0840, so I hoped
I would get to see it tomorrow. I made my way to my room where I settled
in. I checked my backpack to remove some objects and added other
items. My clothes were arranged in fireman ready fashion with my snowpants
gathered around each of my boots. I settled down for a meal of tuna
and crackers while I enjoyed a new book. Tomorrow I planned to be out at
first light!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> December 28th, I made it to the
bike path at 0740. The area becomes light enough to see at about
0714. I radioed to let Bill and John know that Beehive had not yet
erupted, but that it was splashing nicely. I also asked if they could
bring me a pen. Bill and John were packing and would be taking a snow
coach to West Yellowstone in the early afternoon. As I argued with my pen
that refused to write due to the cold, I noted Plume at 0748 and Old
Faithful at 0808. I realized through the geyser steam that Beehive
Indicator was erupting at 0808 ns. I called Bill and John to warn them of
the impending eruption. I was impressed to see that John made it from his
Snow Lodge Cabin to Beehive before the eruption. Beehive erupted at 0824
gray on gray with brief glimpses of water, but it sounded very impressive.
John tried to get a backlit photo (not happening) and ended up getting a new
name of Crusty Geezer due to the layer of water that froze on his coat, hat,
etc. After Beehive's eruption, we both headed for Grand hoping to see
another eruption. I saw my first Turban at 0853 and Bill W. radioed a
Plume at 0955 as he made his way to Grand. Grand erupted at 1007 (T1C),
but was harder to see due to the colder weather. Bill, John, and I
still enjoyed the experience and even posed for a photo while Grand was
erupting. John headed in to finish packing and Bill and I headed toward
Giant. I glanced at Oblong as we passed, but I told Bill that I wasn't
going to spend a lot of time waiting for Oblong today. Bill told Oblong I
was sorry and as we neared Giant, Bill asked me if the bubblers were going at
Daisy. I said I couldn't tell, but I hadn't seen a steamcloud from Daisy
that morning. Daisy at 1034! We smiled as we watched the eruption
and as we looked back at Oblong, that area started to get very steamy. I
hurried past Bill as Oblong started its eruption at 1038. With help from
limited snow on the boardwalk, I was able to get to Oblong quickly and enjoyed
lots of loud thumps. I could occasionally make out spikes of water, but
these were few and far between. Still it helped even out yesterday's
wait. After the eruption I continued toward Fan and Mortar, noting that
Riverside was in overflow at noon. Main Vent started roaring at 1245 then
commenced splashing at 1254. Bill radioed, "Depression 1311 ns" and I saw
Daisy's steam cloud at 1313 (ie). Bill had tried twice to get off of
Geyser Hill by way of the southern bridge, but due to the bison herd, Bill
ended up hiking a scenic route via Castle to get to the Snow Lodge.
Meanwhile I continued to watch the event cycle at Fan and Mortar.
Riverside Geyser erupted at 1322. There had been 3 River Vent pauses, but
when Fan's Vents started they forgot they needed water. By 1410 it was
obvious that I would need a miracle for an eruption. John and Bill were
still waiting for their snow coach. The coach was missing 4 guests who
happened to be skiing up and down the hill between me and Artemisia.
Oblong was at 1458 ie and Artemisia was 1507 ie. I walked up the southern
path to Daisy (which only had an inch of snow on it) and watched Daisy erupt at
1554. At 1700, Rocket had a major with a duration of 6 minutes. I
started to head in for the day. I had noticed that visitors were coming
out into the basin much earlier and heading in as late or later than I was this
year. In years past, I didn't usually see anyone out until about 9 AM and
everyone headed in by 3 or 3:30 PM. I had spent another day mostly
standing and my body was ready to sit in a comfortable chair. I made my
way to the Geyser Grill for my usual Chili Cheese Fries and a pop. After
refueling and a rest, I made my way to my room to read some more before falling
into a deep sleep.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> December 29th, I hurried to
gather my things so that I could get an earlier start. As I stomped down
the bike path, I glanced sadly at Beehive which was barely steaming. It
had erupted before dawn. I made my way down toward Fan and Mortar.
Riverside started at 0830 as I was getting ready to pass it. Still no F
& M and I went up toward Grand. Castle was in steam phase at 1022
(ie). I found out that Grand erupted at 0313 E, so after watching a Turban
at 1030 I headed back to check on F & M and used the closest
facilities. I hurried back up and saw Daisy at 1124. Grand 1127
ns! Grotto was at 1137 ns with Grotto Fountain ie. I returned to
check on F & M and saw Daisy's steam cloud at 1359 (ie). Riverside
erupted at 1425 and finally Main Vent started splashing at 1453. There
were no pauses, but I did have some nice white stuff, but when Fan's Vents came
on at 1556 water was once again lacking. I slowly trudged back up the
paved path and Plume erupted at 1712. The long days of standing were
starting to wear on me. Tiny snowflakes started to fall as I called it a
night.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> December 30th, I made it out to
the bike path by 0700. Once again I found Beehive standing without its
cloak of steam. Aurum burst forth at 0717 and showed me that the hill was
still alive. Snow was falling making visability a challenge. I
arrived at Grand at 0735 and found it empty with no Turban or Vent. Later
I found out that it erupted at 0632 E. Oblong was refilling and Grotto was
in eruption. Riverside was in over flow at 0740 as viewed from
Beauty/Chromatic Area. Riverside erupted at 0902 with its group of 3 snow
people looking on. Daisy was in eruption at 0928. I saw a possible
splash in Main Vent at F & M but nothing much came of it. Daisy
erupted at 1155. I was talking to Carolyn on the radio when she stated
that there was a lot of steam in the Grand area. I hurried to get a better
view of the area, since I had been standing near Grotto. Grand 1348 ie and
it ended at 1358. I went back to the rock pile and watched the eagle once
again fly overhead. Carolyn radioed Castle 1500 ie (but it minored).
I watched another Daisy steamcloud at 1507 (ie). Riverside erupted at
1536. I saw one more Daisy steamcloud at 1732 (ie) as I took one last look
toward Fan & Mortar from Castle. There had been no event cycles all
day and since we had figured out that the marker had disappeared sometime
between Christmas Day when Stephen the Interpretive Ranger was down there
and the next day when Bill and John were there, I figured that I would find
icicles in the morning at F & M. It had only snowed that morning and
the afternoon had been clear, although breezy at times. Tonight I went
straight to my room. It was a tuna and crackers night with a couple of
hours of good reading before giving in to sleep. Tomorrow was New Years
Eve Day! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> December 31st arrived with snow
and total cloud cover. I moved cautiously but quickly down the paved path
which already had a light dusting of snow. I headed straight to Fan &
Mortar. Castle was in eruption at 0732. Turban was ie at 0744.
I made it to Fan and Mortar and confirmed that the marker was gone and there was
a crusty layer hidden under the new dusting of snow. The vents at Fan were
active and I figured that it erupted either late the night of the 30th or very
early on the 31st. I made my way back to Grand, stopping at Chromatic to
watch Daisy erupt at 0900. I heard Turban erupting and after Daisy was
done, I continued on to Grand. I arrived in time to see a full pool and
Grand erupted at 0914 (T1C). West Triplet erupted at 0922. I was
finally headed to Geyser Hill when I saw a steam cloud at approximately
0940. (It may have been Depression which I found slowly refilling later
that morning.) Old Faithful erupted at 1013 and Lion had a second
roar. Snowflakes pelted me as the wind moved them along. At 1017 I
watched Lion erupt. Plume erupted at 1031. I made my way down to
check on Beehive and found the bubblers going and Beehive was occasionally
splashing. I found the lower benches at Beehive covered in about a foot of
ice with snow sprinkled on top. The boardwalk was buried under about a
foot of solid blue ice with only one section of boardwalk visible behind one of
the benches. I slowly navigated the treatcherous area and found myself
over near Beehive's sign with smooth ice. So much for having Yak Trax
(which were in my backpack, since they had been unnecessary on the rest of the
boardwalks). I paused to call the Daugherty's in Tennessee before making
my way back to Lion and up to Aurum. Aurum had a very small ice bowl
which was easily navigated with the assistance of the fence. I went
up to Giantess knowing that it had erupted on Dec. 24th, but still silently
hoping that it would surprise me. Lion erupted again at 1119, Plume at
1132, and Old Faithful at 1159 ie. Brrr! The wind was driving the
snow unmercifully and I was running out of good reasons to stay on the
hill. I watched one more Lion at 1222 ie and headed in by way of the
Visitor Center. I down loaded times from my log book and then decided to
have a hot lunch at the Geyser Grill. I knew the Visitor Center had had a
Daisy report and they were predicting the next eruption for 2:50 PM.
Unfortunately the building was warm, the food was hot, and my book was
good. I took too long getting back out into the snowy basin and as I
trudged down the bike path I realized that Beehive was no longer splashing and
the bubblers weren't bubbling. Oh No! Beehive had erupted while I
was inside. I made my way down to Giant and decided that I could watch for
Daisy, Riverside, and Oblong while enjoying a bench with a
backrest. Several people asked me about Riverside and I told them that the
Visitor Center was predicting 5:15 PM +/- half hour. I did state that
hopefully this was based on a reported eruption and not a double or
triple. After watching the snow fall for a while longer the eagle flew by
and I returned to Oblong. At 1651 Oblong erupted. No water was
visible, but the thumps were great. Darkness was already sneaking into the
basin as the snow continued to fall. I walked over to Grotto hoping for a
Grotto Fountain, but it kept getting darker. We had no full moon.
The area was quiet and I finally gave up waiting for Riverside at 1740. I
knew there were 3 or 4 men waiting for Riverside and I hoped that they would be
careful returning to the Snow Lodge. I slowly moved up the bike path which
was not bare anymore. Several inches of snow covered the trail and I could
just make out the ski trail to my right. Every so often I would stop, turn
around, and listen for Riverside. I never did hear it. Just the
gentle pitter pat of falling snow on my down coat. I heard Old Faithful
start at 1754 as I headed for my room. I had been down to Riverside twice
today and I was worn out. There would be no late night geyser gazing for
me. Hopefully someone would get the first Old Faithful. I called my
family as I happily let my boots fall to the floor. I wished them a Happy
New Year and asked them about the weather report. It had been nice in
Worland (people were even washing their vehicles), so my husband was surprised
to hear that it had snowed all day and was still snowing in
Yellowstone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> Happy New Year! I was
already packed for my trip out and had a half day to enjoy the geyser
basin. Little Squirt was ie at 0812, Plume at 0834, Daisy at 0841 ie, and
Old Faithful erupted at 0910. It was a long. Aurum erupted at 0922
as I headed toward Grand. Plume was at 0936. There was a Turban at
1016 which was very weak. Riverside was early in over flow at 1105.
I headed back toward Grand. Turban was ie at 1120 and Daisy erupted at
1130. Grotto and Grotto Fountain were ie at 1203. West Triplet was
ie at 1224 and I needed to head to the Snow Lodge to catch the snow coach.
Plume erupted at 1243. I saw Riverside's steam cloud from Castle at 1308
ie (ns). I noticed a lot of steam around Beehive and some nice splashes,
but told myself that even if the Indicator started now I didn't have the time to
stay and watch. I had to be at the Snow Lodge by 1:30 PM. As I
approached the overlook, I realized that maybe the Indicator was already
erupting, then I saw Beehive start to climb. Yes! Beehive at
1315! It was a wonderful finish to an excellent trip. I watched the
full eruption and then hustled over to the Lodge. I made it with two
minutes to spare. We left the basin at 2 PM. I enjoyed the walk
around the Paint Pots and Jet actually erupted while we were there.
Fountain wasn't ready, but we did see a little more wildlife as we headed for
Mammoth. I did a quick change at Mammoth and was driving home by 6
PM. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> Happy New Year to all and
may you have good health, happiness, and prosperity in 2010. See you on
the boardwalks this summer. Kitt Barger</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></DIV>
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