Yellowstone’s Old Faithful

Waiting

November 13th, 2020

Old Faithful has captivated audiences for decades. When we arrived to view it last month, several hundred people were sitting in its half-circle amphitheater (socially distanced, for the most part) awaiting its eruption, which happens reliably about 20 times per day — hence the name Old Faithful.

Lucky for us, our timing was fortuitous — we only waited about 10 minutes before it let loose its tall column of steam and water. Against the cloudy sky, it was quite a sight.

Old Faithful

Old Faithful

Old Faithful

With phones and cameras in hand, everyone captured their shots from afar of this world-renowned geyser. You can’t get too close — steam reaches up to 350° F/176° C and each eruption shoots thousands of gallons of boiling water into the air. The water is heated by earth’s magma and volcanic rock below the surface, which creates pressure, which creates the high-powered release through the constricted opening at the earth’s surface.

Old Faithful was “discovered” by the Washburn Yellowstone Expedition of 1870 (but I will add that Native Americans of the region would have likely known of its existence long before then). The Washburn party’s findings are included in a diary, now posted online, which includes this photo:

Washburn Yellowstone Expedition Diary

Here’s a short video from our recent visit. You can also view Old Faithful on the park’s webcam, although snow is passing through Wyoming tonight and it looks pretty cold right now.

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Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks… that’s a wrap! What unforgettable wildlife, hot springs, geysers and natural beauty.

Sometime within the next two weeks, I’ll have pictorial posts of Bryce Canyon (a highlight of our recent road trip) and the Grand Canyon (additional photos from my hike to bottom and back up). Tomorrow and Sunday, we’ll explore two slot canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Monday, should we take a break and fly the magic carpet somewhere exotic? Maybe Bali? Or Morocco?

Meet you at the slot canyon tomorrow. Eat light… it’s a tight squeeze!
Kelly

Post of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together. This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.