Old Faithful Lodge
Touching Yellowstone with mp3 instrumental music
Composed by Wayne Simister
Love for the outdoors and regular visits to Yellowstone have inspired this music
The Yamaha SY22 and TG55 were used in all album creations
NOTE: This music is copyright free. You are welcome to use it in your productions.
Yellowstone (mp3 piece: YELLOWSTONE 4:31) and the surrounding towering mountains, deep woods (mp3 piece: YELLOWSTONE TRAIL), and lush valleys stretch out to nearby states which provide a rich open canvas for musical expression. Inspired by the early history, the geologic wonders, and poetic beauty of this land led me to express these feelings in music. Touching each area, using instrumental expression, indeed, made for a new and colorful way to enjoy and recall this amazing beauty.
In this series of pieces, "Touching Yellowstone," the wonders of this geologic thermal wonderland are reflected. It's a wonderland that, one day, may be destined to be blown away by the massive volcanic plume which lies seemingly quiet beneath not just Yellowstone, but surrounding states as well. Classified as one of the largest "super volcanos," when the blast comes, it will not destroy just a mountain .... but a whole mountain range! It will be a repeat of history past.
When or if this explosion will happen no one knows for sure. But many geologists generally agree that it will again happen. Recent seismic imaging reveals a massive magma plume lying beneath Yellowstone. This plume, irregular in shape extends 600 miles down into the earth. As our land moves over this hot spot, it has affected not just Yellowstone, but the landscape of surrounding areas for hundreds of miles. "Many Yellowstones" have been left in the "wake" of this hot spot as it seemingly moved across Nevada and Idaho. In actuality, the land moves over the hot spot. In turn, the hot spot melts the overlying rock forming rholite type magma --- a very stiff magma that is 1,000 times more viscous than the liquid basalt type magma beneath it. The rhyolite magma forms a cap. Finally, as pressure builds over time, it suddenly and violently releases this pressure with an explosion the likes of which no man has ever witnessed. The new caldera then collapses. The void is filled in with basaltic lava. Water oozing down into cracks gets heated by the hot molten and semi-molten magma. It returns to the surface as hot gas, steam, mud, and boiling water.... and another Yellowstone is formed. Many "Yellowstones" have dotted the path over millions of years.
Today, we enjoy Yellowstone as a wonder. It has the most thermal features of anywhere on earth. Clouds skim almost within reach because Yellowstone is doming up from the surrounding land because the massive hot spot is pushing up from beneath. Many small earthquakes shake the landscape endlessly as the magma shifts below. The moist air rising up and over this rise in the earth creates many surprise rain storms. (mp3 piece: Clouds 4:55) (mp3 piece: RAIN ON THE TRAIL 3:27)
The water from rain and snow cascade down the ancient cooled walls of rock. (mp3 piece: GIBBON RIVER 3:47) Lakes and streams form as these waters seek a path downward. (mp3 piece: TOWER FALLS 4:00) In turn, animal life fills in to enrich the streams and pools with life. (mp3 piece: FROG POND 2:09) Whether day or night, the sounds continue. A night walk, while spooky, yields strange and mysterious sounds as steam sizzles through water, mud bubble, pools erupt and owls give eerie hoots. (mp3 piece: NIGHT WALK 4:13).
Hiking to the top of Mt. Washburn is a stressful ordeal for most, but well worth the effort. (mp3 piece: MT. WASHBURN 4:48) One has a vista for many miles, getting a chance to look over and examine the huge Yellowstone caldera formed by the last volcanic eruptions which last took place about 600,000 years ago. Before you stretch forests of Lodgepole pine. (mp3 piece: FOREST SOLITUDE 5:19) The vast Yellowstone Lake (mp3 piece: YELLOWSTONE LAKE 1:14) can best be appreciated from this high mountain peak. Echos of the past are recalled. Early campers reported many earthquakes and sounds coming from the lake when camping by it. Then, there is Hayden Valley with it's bears, wolves, birds, coyotes, deer, elk, eagles and more. (mp3 piece: HAYDEN VALLEY 4:00)
Old Faithful geyser is the center piece in Yellowstone. (mp3 piece: WELCOME TO OLD FAITHFUL 4:00) It's not the most regular geyser, but it is predictable. Short eruptions give less delay between eruptions. Long eruptions give longer delays. One of our favorites is Grand Geyser. (mp3 piece: GRAND GEYSER 2:49) If you're lucky you experience the "grandest" of eruptions wherein more than one powerful burst pushes skyward. (mp3 piece: SHOSHONE LAKE AND GEYSER BASIN 2:20)
From Grand Geyser, you'll want to walk to Grotto --- probably one of the most elaborate cones of all geysers. (mp3 piece: A WALK TO GROTTO GEYSER 2:57)
Next stop is the Pocket Basin. A massive steam explosion hollowed out this thermal area which contains beautiful pools and some mud pots. The Firestone River cuts through this exciting area. From here enjoy a walk through the woods and visit not only other thermal areas, but waterfalls.
A mountain with fumaroles is Roaring Mountain. (mp3 piece: FUMAROLE 2:09) This forbidding looking mountnain got it's name from the roaring sound of fumaroles. The mountain, however, no longer roars.
No Yellowstone visit is complete until you've spent a cloudless, moonless night out in the upper geyser basin on a nighttime walk. (mp3 piece: A WALK IN THE UPPER GEYSER BASIN 1:30) Even on a full moonlit night one will catch a very different view ... perhaps even a rainbow in the steam clouds. (mp3 piece: NIGHT WALK 4:17)
All good things have to come to an end as .... we leave Yellowstone. (mp3 piece: LEAVING YELLOWSTONE 3:21)
Other compositions:
Morning Mist (2:34)
Deep Woods (3:39)
Winter in Yellowstone (2:08)
Sapphire Pool (2:03)
Yellowstone Meadow (2:39)
Night in Upper Geyser Basic (1:31)
Pipeline Meadows Mud Pots (3:47)
Mammoth Hot Springs (3:15)
A Hike to Mt. Washburn (4:47)
Contact me: [email protected]
Page Modified: January 16, 2011
Other Pages To Check Out:
Make some home made silly putty
Put your Bucky Balls back into a cube
Utah, Mormon Information Page - www.utahinformation.mysite.com
Wayne and Dianne's Information Page - www.waynesimister.mysite.com
Electronics Page - members.tripod.com/wsimister
Short Grandpa Stories for young children - www.simister.net/~wayne/grandpa/grandpa
Electronics and One Button Home Project - www.simister.net/~wayne/onebutton
Utah Human Radiation Exposure, Mormon and Family Page - waynesimister.mysite.com
Utah's Abominable Property Taxation
