MoaBlog

Jeff made foil dinners for the family campout the other night. Each dinner's ingredients were as follows: one quarter-pound hamburger patty (salted and peppered to taste), chopped potatoes, onions, carrots, along with green peppers (optional). Evertything was then wrapped in two layers of aluminum foil. After the family arrived at the campsite, they made a fire and let it burn down to hot coals. The dinners were placed on the coals (middle photo) and allowed to cook approximately 15 minutes each side. Final result: a hot delicious dinner!

While in Idaho, Jeff and Penny's family visited Big Springs, from which flow 120 million gallons of pure water each day. Large rainbow trout (second photo) live near a bridge close to the spring's headwaters, which flow from the ground at a constant temperature of 52 F (11 C). Further downriver, people can put in their canoes and rafts for a gentle three- to four-hour river trip. As part of their reunion activities last Saturday, nearly 40 Heaton family members did just that, ending their excusion where the river meets the highway bridge at Mack's Inn. Further downstream, the Big Springs flow feeds into the Henry's Fork tributary, which then becomes part of the mighty Snake River that flows westward across Idaho and into Oregon and Washington for more than 1,000 miles until it feeds into the Columbia River.

Another geyser in Yellowstone is the Excelsior Geyser, which has only been active three times in recorded history. In 1888 and again in 1890, the fountain-style geyser reportedly shot a stream of hot water 300 feet into the air (twice as high as Old Faithful's average stream). Excelsior's width was estimated to be at least 150 feet, giving it the highest water output of any known geyser ever. The top photo above was taken of Excelsior during a violent 1888 eruption.

After Excelsior’s last eruption in July of 1890, many scientists believed that the geyser would never erupt again. They were wrong. After lying dormant for 95 years, Exelsior roared to life again on September 14, 1985, spewing hot water more than 80 feet in the air for 47 straight hours and turning the nearby Firehole River completely muddy white for miles. Then, just as abruptly, Excelsior fell silent once again. It hasn't erupted since.

Today, Excelsior is merely a hot spring crater that discharges 4,000 gallons of water per minute. Who knows if it will ever erupt again? Only time will tell ...