Synchronicity. Some moments leave you in awe of the tapestry of life and how timing can come together seamlessly. Catching yesterday’s Steamboat Geyser eruption was one of those moments. Here’s the entry for my field journal.

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19 July 2020

Cody to Norris via Hayden Valley and back through Old Faithful
Clear skies with temperatures in the 70’s.
253 miles driven | 801 photos taken (Hayden Valley, Norris and Biscuit Basin with grizzly bears near 9-mile parking)

I woke up and, before even getting out of bed, checked to see if Steamboat Geyser erupted overnight. It hadn’t, so I decided that even though I had lots of project work on tap for the day, that would be set aside. I’ve seen Steamboat erupt up close – and from a variety of locations during an eruption. What I wanted now was to capture images from more of a distance to really see the height of that initial column.

There’s been a pattern of sorts with recent eruptions of alternating between 4 and 5 days between eruptions. While that’s lovely, knowing geysers, they can throw an odd interval between eruptions at any time. Because of this, I was hesitant to race in and just took my time to get my day going while checking to see if it had erupted yet.

I was on the road from Cody to Norris Geyser Basin at about 7:30, which would get me to Steamboat about 10:00 depending on traffic. Traffic moved well, and even at the East Gate to Yellowstone, as I pulled up behind a car visiting with the ranger there, it pulled forward. I had my yearly pass and driver’s license ready to show, but the gal working knows me and just waved me through without my car even coming to a full stop. Sweet. [Psst…don’t tell those at the north or west entrances that it’s almost always like this at the east gate].

I already decided I wouldn’t stop for bears, so when I came upon a stopped line of traffic near Lake Butte Overlook, I guessed that it was a bear jam. We didn’t move for a few minutes, so I cautiously crept out into the other lane to peek. A motorhome was stopped and watching Raspberry and her cub of the year (unfortunately nicknamed Jam – that I think is going to stick – no pun intended). I went around the motorhome and crawled through the crowd there. People don’t always watch when they see a grizzly for the first time, so caution driving through a wildlife jam is always needed.

All went smoothly after that until I hit Hayden Valley. A bison herd was on both sides of the road, and people were not moving. At all. No ranger on scene yet, so nothing to do but wait. This happens when driving in Yellowstone. It gave me an opportunity to watch for signs of the rut starting. There was a bit more grunting going on, but other than that, I did see one bull sniffing a cow and apparently reacting to it with his nose high in the air as though he couldn’t get enough of her scent. We’re on the brink of the rut. Give it another week, and that should be a common sight.

As the line backed up in both directions, I wondered how long until things got moving. A wolf captured a goose on the river for lunch, so there was that addition to this lovely scene that I did my best to enjoy…while very aware of the ticking of time with Steamboat. I decided to choose to just trust that this would all work itself out. Rather than focus on what was wrong, I spent some time thinking about how this could work out perfectly. I pictured enough time to get in position, and then it would erupt shortly after that. After about 45 minutes with the bison, those at the front of the line must have felt satisfied. The line started to move.

Once clear, traffic moved just below the speed limit – a pace I’m always happy to see in July in Yellowstone. After a quick stop at Canyon to use the bathrooms, the next hurdle would be finding a parking space. A few cars were already parked on the road, but I decided to try in the lot. Maybe they just wanted to keep their vehicles as safe as possible from the spray that can stick like a hard water deposit on the showerhead – because that’s what it is.

It took two laps around the parking lot to find a spot that ended up being in a good location. Soon I was on the boardwalk to Steamboat that apparently still hadn’t erupted. I learned that the first spot I hoped to get a photo from was already full of people, so I decided to try near Yellow Funnel Spring. I took documentation photos of the thermal features as I walked, looking for changes. Some small pools have dried up a bit – not uncommon as the summer progresses, but I’ll check that with others more familiar with Norris.

I reached Yellow Funnel Spring and found a spot to sit and wait. This time I brought my tripod and set it up. I paused to let some visitors know that there was a good possibility of Steamboat erupting that day and explained a bit about Steamboat. They thanked me and moved on. Just as I turned to grab my camera, I heard yells and simultaneously heard a call on the radio: Steamboat 1141!

And the show began. I snapped images and took videos on my phone when the people I had just spoken to came back. While there, and just as I started to take another short video, someone let out a loud WOOOOHOOO that echoed through the basin. Absolutely. Perfect. Timing.

But that wasn’t all. Ben Vander Ley, a fellow geyser gazer, had brought an inclinometer to measure the height. This would be the fourth Steamboat eruption he’s measured. He got 402 feet before adjusting for the angle of the north vent (the one on the left in the photos and videos) that was going directly away from him where he has his baseline. A rough calculation put the height at least at 430 feet! UPDATE: Ben worked on the calculation of the height of this eruption and concluded it reached 449 feet! This was the tallest eruption measured yet. Very helpful when I chose to get the photo from a distance this time.

Perfect timing. Synchronicity. This is how life should always be – if we just let it.

Be Outside • Take Notes