Great Fountain Geyser

 

 

Now the kids are back in school and the crowds have thinned out in the Park, we are going back in to see some of the sights we skipped or that were still closed in the spring.
Like the Firehole Canyon Drive with the Firehole Falls.  

 

 

The Firehole Falls

 

This is one of my favorite vistas in the park, the view towards the Midway Geyser Basin.

  

There are always a few bison present to spice up your photo shot!

These 'Bison in the mist', seem to enjoy the hot steam now the mornings are getting cooler.

                         

 

 

A little farther down the road we took the Firehole Lake Drive. 

 

 

This one was really hot!

The Great Geyser Fountain erupts every 9 to 15 hours. It's maximum height ranges from about 75 feet (23 m) to over 220 feet (67 m). Its duration is usually about one hour but durations of over two hours have been seen.
We were lucky enough to catch an eruption.

First there is a lot more steam:

 

 

And than the geysers 'blows' in intervals of  about 6 or 7 short burst after which it pauses for a few minutes before doing it again.
This can go on for 1 or 2 hours.

 

The waves of water spread out and then tumble over the concentric terraces that have formed around the geyser's crater.

 

 

 

While this was happening, behind our backs, the nearby White Dome Geyser erupted too!

It's easily seen from where we were watching the Great Fountain but we drove over a little later to see it up close.

 

Its 12-foot-high geyserite cone is one of the largest in the park. Its eruptions are unpredictable, but generally occur with intervals ranging from 15 to 30 minutes.

 

 

                                         


Among the cars parked in the parking lot we spotted this one from Florida with very appropriate custom plates:

Funny! 

 

We also made another trip to the Norris Geyser Basin to walk the Back Basin this time, instead of the Porcelain Basin, that we walked earlier this Spring.

It is in a forest setting (at least it was before the 1988 fires, now its more of a regenerating forest setting).

 

 

 

Norris Geyser Basin is home to the largest active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat can reach 380 feet and its steam phase can be heard miles away. Unfortunately, Steamboat is rare.

Had we been a little earlier though we could have been lucky since there was an eruption only 3 weeks ago after a dry spell of almost 10 years! It's still moderately active at the moment and there might be another one soon!

 

The algae of a lot of the springs are really beautiful:

 

   
 

On the way home we spotted this beautiful Elk pair in the meadows along the Madison River:

 

 

Although there was a thunderstorm threatening we did some more golfing at Island Park:





Fortunately, it missed us!

                   

                                                                     







I did lousy except for this fabulous shot. Nothing too skillful I have to say, I just gave it a whack with a fairwood rescue club and there it went. What are the odds? I can never repeat that one!





We had some well deserved fish tacos at the 'Munching Moose' in the parking lot.

James is still working in the bathrooms. Another building this time, where he had to install some shower pans, before the tiler comes in to do the floor.


 


Merlin added something new to his 'crazy' repertoire. I mean, I know it's not easy to be a white cat but does he have to use the fireplace as a litter box ?


   

 

 

We had some good thunderstorms coming through this week, especially in the evenings. The sunlight peaking from behind the dark clouds creates some great photo opportunities .....

 

 

 

 

.... and rainbows, even double ones!

 

 

 

.... and spectacular sunsets!