Today we pick up right where we left off yesterday, walking around Porcelain basin at the Norris Geyser Basin.
The NPS brochure explains that Norris has "[m]any acidic geysers, which are rare in the rest of the world," and it is very unpredictable because some features "can undergo dramatic behavioral changes simultaneously. Clear pools become muddy and boil violently, and some temporarily become geysers. Geysers cease erupting or have altered cycles. New features appear. This sudden activity is known as a 'thermal disturbance' and can last a few days or more than a week. Gradually, most features return to 'normal.' Why this happens is not fully understood. Norris has the greatest water chemistry diversity among Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas. Multiple underground hot water reservoirs exist here and as their water levels fluctuate, concentrations of chloride, sulfate, iron, and arsenic change. Although Norris is known for its acid features, it also has alkaline hot springs and geysers. As underground waters and chemistry shift, they could contribute to sudden dramatic changes in minerals and pH.
--from Norris Geyser Basin Trail Guide
We did get a bit of snow/hail while we were walking around--but I needed to get a video of the basin, so I didn't let the slightly inclement weather stop me! The hooded figure in blue walking towards the camera is my beautiful, yet Popsicle-like wife.
The Whale's Mouth certainly does look like the throat of some massive creature.
We eventually headed back up the boardwalk stairs towards the museum and bookstore.
However, while Amy waited in the bookstore I made a quick walk towards Emerald Spring and Steamboat Geyser along the Back Basin trail.
I didn't have time to explore the whole area, but I wanted to see at least some of it, including Steamboat Geyser.
Emerald Pool was brilliantly blue and well worth the short hike.
You can see it more clearly in this zoomed in shot from a slightly different angle.
I did run into some construction which slightly confused me--the guide pamphlet maps aren't reprinted very often, so sometimes boardwalk changes aren't on the maps. I suspect though that at least part of the reason for the new boardwalk was to make the stretch more friendly to wheelchairs. On the map it is marked as "Stairs, steep grade, or uneven ground" but the new section I walked down curved quite a bit to make more of a gentle wheelchair-friendly (or at least not completely anti-wheelchair) slope.
At last I found Steamboat Geyser. I didn't stick around long as I knew that Amy was waiting for me and likely worried about me. Please note that this isn't a complaint, just an observation. I love my wife and love the fact that she cares about me and is concerned when I'm gone
If you listen to the video you'll catch part of a ranger's spiel where she explains that the last time Steamboat erupted visitors got an unexpected bonus in the form of a film on their cars that wouldn't ever really wash off.
~Matt
PS All of the above pictures, and as usual a few more, are in this album:
No comments:
Post a Comment