Friday, February 5, 2010

Friday photo

Castle Geyser, Yellowstone National Park. January 2004.

Here's an image I've always liked, from the instant I spotted it across the Upper Geyser Basin. The low winter sun backlights the spray from Castle Geyser, which is falling downwind in a moderate breeze, and creates an impression of a feathery curtain.

Castle is easily the most photogenic geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin. The cone is a bit over 12 feet high, which must represent several thousand years of eruptions, and bears enough resemblance to an old castle turret to have gained its name from the 1870 Washburn Expedition. Major eruptions occur a couple times a day, shooting water 30 or more feet into the air, with a generous steam phase following, and the nearby boardwalk allows the viewer to enjoy the show from the very front row. I'm sure I have more photographs of Castle than any other geyser.

4 comments:

Cranberry Necklace said...

Beautiful. Otherworldly. Thanks for the photo.

Heather Thams said...

I think I might miss YNP winters even more than summers. Thanks for posting.

James Hanley said...

One of the rare ones you've posted that I haven't previously seen. And a real pleasure to see it for the first time.

James Hanley said...

One of the rare ones you've posted that I haven't previously seen. And a real pleasure to see it for the first time.