June 2017: All By Myself: Geysers in Yellowstone

Great Fountain Geyser:  Post Eruption as the sun went down

2017 was a busy travel year for us.  The Hot Chick and I started in January with a trip by Snowcoach in to Canyon.  Then in the spring, we had an epic roadtrip to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks for our anniversary and spring break.  In July we took part of the family to Badlands National Park and surrounding points of interest for another epic roadtrip to celebrate the return from missionary service of my second son.  In the first part of August we took the rest of the family on another epic roadtrip to Fossil Butte and Dinosaur National Monuments.  In August The Hot Chick's brother and his family and her sister and her family came to southern Idaho because we were ground zero for the solar eclipse.  While they were here, we did Yellowstone and Grand Teton as well as Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana.  There were various and sundry Yellowstone trips in there as well.  Busy year for travel.

Geyser App

Geyser App.  Due to COVID-19, Yellowstone is currently closed
so the app is not being supported.  That is why there is no prediction
for Old Faithful on this screenshot from my phone.  I imagine it will
begin to be supported as soon as travel restrictions are ended and the
park reopens  Though it may not be supported in summer of 2020. 
We will have to see.

I have a Yellowstone Geyser app on my phone.  This particular app predicts the six major predictable geysers in the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins in Yellowstone.  The geysers it predicts are:  Old Faithful, Grand, Castle, Great Fountain, Daisy and Riverside.  All of these with the exception of Great Fountain are in the Upper Geyser Basin.

The app is pretty cool.  It not only tells you when the next eruption is predicted, but also interesting facts about each geyser.  It documents the duration of a typical eruption, the average height of eruptions, the usual interval between eruptions and other interesting facts.  On each page of the app, it also has photos of eruptions and sometimes video.  I think the app is free.  If it isn't, it's cheap.  There are volunteers for some of the geysers and park employees for other geysers who keep track and update the app.

Well I woke up this morning...

On June 3rd, 2017 I woke up and looked at my phone.  I had had a busy week and so had The Hot Chick.  On a lark, I checked the geyser app.  Literally, every major geyser on the app was scheduled to go off one right after another, starting at about noon.  I had never seen some of the major geysers on the app before.  I told The Hot Chick about it and asked if she wanted to go.  She said no.  She didn't feel like it.  I asked her if it would hurt her feelings if I went by myself.  She said, "Go for it."

Done!

I got up and got ready, picked up a few things for a picnic and headed up.  I live about an hour and a half south of Yellowstone.  On the way up to Yellowstone, I listened to Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in it's entirety.  One of my favorite albums, and the first record album I ever purchased for myself with my own money.

When I got there, I made a few decisions.  There were some eruptions that were very close together.  Riverside and Daisy were supposed to go off at roughly the same time.  I had recently seen Riverside and had never seen Daisy, so that choice was an easy one.  I have seen Old Faithful erupt ten hundred million billion times.  I don't mind Old Faithful, but I don't need to see it every time.  If I waited for Old Faithful to erupt I might miss Great Fountain, and I had never seen Great Fountain erupt.  Choices made.

*Disclaimer:  I will include pictures of Riverside Geyser and Old Faithful in this blog post but those eruptions were not from this particular day.  I am including them because I am talking about the app and they are featured on it.

Daisy

From the App

Duration:  3-5 minutes

Height:  75 feet

Eruption Window:  +/- 30 minutes

Average Interval:  2 hours 50 minutes

Geyser Type:  Cone

Daisy erupts at an angle.  It is usually very predictable unless nearby Splendid Geyser goes off, then it is more erratic.  Splendid hasn't been very active in the 21st century.

I arrived at Daisy very close to it's predicted time.  I think I waited between 15 and 30 minutes for it to erupt.  The Hot Chick and I had waited for a predicted eruption of Daisy about a year previous and it didn't erupt when it was supposed to.  We waited and waited and finally left to go see Riverside.  That eruption is the one I will post pictures of later in this blog post.

On this day, though, Daisy was true to form.  It put on a magnificent show.  It was a slow starter, but once it got going, it erupted with quite a bit of power.

Daisy played around like this for quite a while before it finally got serious about erupting

It built up more power and erupted like this for awhile

Then Daisy got serious and began erupting high and with power

Some really strong bursts

This went on for several minutes

Last few gasps, losing steam

Grand Geyser
From the App
Duration:  8-12 minutes
Height:  160 feet
Eruption Window: +/- 90 minutes
Average Interval:  6 hours 45 minutes
Geyser Type:  Fountain

Grand Geyser is the tallest predictable geyser in the world.  It often erupts between 8 and 9 minutes and then goes quiet for a few minutes.  Then Grand will erupt again.  Grand shares plumbing with several other thermal features in the vicinity.  I won't go into it here, but the activity of some of the other features are used to predict Grand's eruptions.

After Daisy finished, I looked at the App and saw that Riverside was supposed to go.  I looked down the path and saw that it was already in full eruption.  I could tell because I could see the steam billowing above the trees.  I figured even if I ran (which I had no intention of doing) I would get there at the tail end of the eruption.  I headed over toward Grand Geyser because it's eruption was imminent.  As I walked the quarter mile or so toward Grand Geyser, it began to erupt.  I stopped and snapped a photo or two and then I hurried to get closer.  Every now and again I stopped for a photo.  I might have run just a little bit.  I had only seen Grand a few times in my many travels to Yellowstone and usually it was from a distance.  I got to Grand Geyser just as the first phase was winding down.  I stuck around for a few minutes and phase 2 started.  It may have been more powerful than phase 1.  Sometimes when I see things like this, I feel small.  Not small in a feel sorry for myself kind of way, I just feel small in the cosmos.

Almost missed it.  Stopped along the way to snap some pictures

It's a large geyser

Kept going off while I attempted to get right up to it

Nice big burst, but losing steam on the first phase

First phase winding down

Another burst

Steam phase

More steam, looks like an elephant in the steam cloud.  I don't think Grand Geyser has chosen a political party.  Not all
Elephants are Republicans

Steam phase

More steam.  Notice the dead trees around.  That's because Grand Geyser is slowly moving toward the hill behind

Phase 2 begins

Big bursts

And back to the steam phase

Castle Geyser
From the App
Duration:  15-20 minutes
Height:  75 feet
Eruption Window:  +/- 60 minutes
Average Interval:  13 hours 30 minutes
Geyser Type:  Cone

Castle Geyser has a fairly long eruption that can begin with little or no warning.  The eruption can last for 20 minutes and then a noisy steam phase follows that can last as long as 40 minutes.  Castle is so named because of the great mound of geyserite that forms it's cone.  It looks like a medieval castle if you use your imagination.  Like all other cone geysers, Castle is slowly sealing itself in.  When that day finally comes, Castle will either become extinct or have a major blowout which will change it irrevocably.

Castle Geyser is one of my favorite geysers in the park.  It is never boring and it puts on an amazing show.  This is a geyser that visitors can be very close to when it erupts.  The paved path and the boardwalk pass in close proximity to it.  There are several benches around Castle and they are almost always full for and eruption.

When I got to Castle, I didn't have to wait long for it to begin erupting.  It was a great eruption and the crowd said, "Oooooh" and "Aaaaaah" in unison.  Often, when I see an eruption of Castle, the crowd applauds when it is done.  This day was no exception.

Castle Geyser's cone

The eruption begins.  I usually try to photograph these geysers with no people in them.  Just know there were about 200 people sharing this experience with me.  Maybe 300

Sometimes Castle erupts in a continuous stream

like this

and this

Sometimes it has bursts

Castle does not disappoint.  None of the big six did that day

This is about 11 minutes into the eruption

More water

Seems to be losing steam

Last blast

Before the steam phase

*Disclaimer Time
I'm going to talk about Riverside and Old Faithful now, even though they weren't viewed on this trip.  Riverside is cool, and Old Faithful is famous, but neither one of them has the majesty of Great Fountain Geyser, which is really the final punctuation mark of this blog post.  If I blogged about the trip first and then put Old Faithful and Riverside in, it would seem like an addendum.

Riverside Geyser
From the App
Duration:  20 minutes
Height:  75 feet
Eruption Window:  +/- 30 minutes
Average Interval:  5 hours 50 minutes
Geyser Type:  Cone

To get to Riverside Geyser, from Daisy Geyser, get on the main asphalt trail and head north.  You can view it from the asphalt trail but it's better to walk along the spur trail to the river.  You can continue on just a little further and see Morning Glory Pool which used to be one of the most beautiful pools in Yellowstone if not the world.  Sadly, stupid people thought it would be fun to throw crap into it and they blocked the vent and changed it's temperature, so now it's just another pool.  There are prettier pools in the Fountain Paint Pots trail now.  Sad.

Here are some pictures from a previous trip to Yellowstone with The Hot Chick, taken in September of 2016.

We got to Riverside Geyser in mid eruption.  Luckily for us, it is a twenty minuter.
So we got to enjoy it for a long duration.

See where the water falls to the river

It was a chilly fall day so the steam obscures alot of the water

But every now and then we got to see it.  There is a double vent on Riverside

Another pic

Really large burst

Winding down

Steam phase begins.  Note the huge cone.  This geyser has been in this location for a very long time

Old Faithful
From the App
Duration:  1.5-5 minutes
Height:  106-184 feet
Eruption Window:  +/- 10 minutes
Average Interval:  94 Minutes
Geyser Type:  Cone

Old Faithful isn't the coolest geyser in Yellowstone, but it's pretty cool.  It isn't the tallest geyser in Yellowstone, but it's pretty tall.  It isn't the most regular geyser in Yellowstone, but it's pretty regular.  It isn't the most frequent geyser in Yellowstone, but it's pretty frequent.  It isn't the most spectacular geyser in Yellowstone but it's pretty spectacular.  All of that being said, Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone and the most famous geyser in the world.  It does everything well, even though it isn't the 'best' at anything.

Because it's so recognizable, I decided to show images of Old Faithful from several different trips and several different vantage points.  In no apparent order...

From the observation point trail up the mountain to the east of Old Faithful.  This is from a trip we did in 2012.  I blogged
about it then.  Here is a link to that trip.  

At the far right of this photograph is Old Faithful in full eruption.  This photo was taken in 2015 from the Madison Plateau
on a Mystic Falls hike.  I blogged about it and the link to that post may be found here.

Same trip as above, but a more closeup picture

May of 2015.  Taken from the porch balcony at the Old Faithful Inn.
Picture was taken on our anniversary trip.  I blogged about it here.

This picture was taken from inside our room on our anniversary trip in 2014.  We
Stayed in the Old Faithful Inn and could watch the geyser erupt from our winsow.
I blogged about that trip here.

Old Faithful on an overcast day in January of 2018.  I have not yet blogged this trip.

Old Faithful on a more clear day with snow all around January of 2020.  I have not yet blogged this trip

This is what a missed eruption of Old Faithful looks like

Old Faithful at dusk in 2014

And a bonus on that trip, Beehive Geyser simultaneously erupting with Old Faithful.
This is a very rare occurrence and I have witnessed it twice

Great Fountain Geyser
From the App
Duration:  45-60 minutes
Height:  75-200 feet
Eruption Window: +/- 2 Hours
Average Interval:  11 hours 30 minutes
Geyser Type:  Fountain

Great Fountain Geyser is a fountain type of geyser, which means that you may witness all the stages of an eruption.  First, there is a crater in the ground and an hour or two before the eruption begins, you will see the crater fill with water.  The water will begin overflowing the crater rim about 45 minutes before the eruption.  Great Fountain is beautiful because of the terraced pools that surround the crater.  When the eruption is imminent, bubbles will begin to rise in the center of the crater.  Those bubbles will become larger and more violent the closer to showtime.  The boiling may reach upwards of three feet when suddenly there will be a huge explosion of water that can erupt up to 200 feet.  The water will jet out like this for a few minutes and then it will stop.  Great Fountain will lie peacefully for a few minutes and then it will erupt again.  It will have as many as seven large bursts like this over the course of an hour or longer.  When Great Fountain is through, the water in the crater will calm until it is as smooth as glass, then a whirlpool will form in the middle and it will evacuate downward into the crater.  And then Great Fountain is done for 11 hours.

Great Fountain is located in the Lower Geyser Basin on the Firehole Lake Drive.  There is another geyser that erupts frequently named White Dome Geyser.  White Dome will often erupt several times during an eruptive cycle of Great Fountain.  White Dome is visible from the viewing platform of Great Fountain.  I was treated to several eruptions of White Dome while I waited for and viewed Great Fountain.

My favorite geyser in Yellowstone in my youth was a geyser called Echinnus.  Echinnus was a fountain type of geyser but much smaller.  When it erupted it would send whirlpool jets of water all around the crater, sometimes hitting the crowd.  Cheers all around.  In around 2000, Echinnus stopped erupting regularly.  It has only erupted a handful of times in the last 20 years.  That makes me sad.  It was a wonderful geyser.  It may have had a violent eruption that altered the plumbing, or one of the many earthquakes the area has may have interrupted it's cycle.  Who knows?  I don't.  But it no longer can be relied upon to give a show.

And then I found Great Fountain.  The images I'm about to show come from the trip I was talking about earlier and they are from my first ever viewing of Great Fountain.  It is like Echinnus on steroids!  If you can catch Great Fountain at dusk or sunset, even better!  My new favorite geyser.  I had to wait at Great Fountain for almost two hours for the eruption.  When it was done, I determined I would have waited another two hours for that show.  I am not sure The Hot Chick could do that.  This is one of the most magnificent geysers in the world.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it.

Great Fountain filling with water

Terraces

And so it begins

Getting more violent

Starting up for real now

I don't think this eruption was anywhere near 200 feet high.  It is possible for it to go that high but doesn't always.

Magnificent

It keeps this up for an hour

White Dome decided to get some attention

Dusk, all finished

As I was driving out after the eruption of Great Fountain, White Dome decided to play.  I'm not going to give the facts about White Dome, as it is not one of the geysers on the App. I will show pictures as a conclusion to a very good day.

White Dome Geyser getting ready to blow

Eruption

More

The brilliant conclusion to a great day.