Glory Bee! There are rainbows to be found in Yellowstone
It was a glorious fall day in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin in 2007. A recent rainy day washed the smoke from the air, so the sky was that clear, Western blue. Halfway through October, this could be the last truly beautiful day before more storms rolled in. I had spent the day in the geyser basins, documenting the thermal features through my repeat photograph project and my heart was full.
On the way back to where I had parked, I noticed Beehive’s Indicator in eruption. Due to grizzly bear activity, Geyser Hill had been closed earlier in the day. The overlook on the opposite side of the Firehole River was still open. I headed there, thinking the light might be right to give us a rainbow.
As the eruption progressed, the rainbows started to show. At first, during the water phase, they were small. But as the geyser shifted to its steam phase, the wind carried the curtain of water out farther, extending the rainbow. With no people on the boardwalk close to Beehive, it gave me a spectacular opportunity to capture this beautiful, graceful geyser on its own. In 2007, the railing hadn’t been built, making “Glory Bee” a “historic” photo. This is now one of my absolute favorite photos of Beehive Geyser.
The Best Time to Find Rainbows in Yellowstone
The October sun hangs lower in the sky this far north, near the 45th Parallel. The afternoon light is low enough to create the perfect angle for rainbows. In fact, October has consistently been the best month for me to capture photos of geysers in eruption where the spray is just right to give a rainbow.
Lauren Eiseley, an American anthropologist, said, “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” I fully agree, but I would add that it is contained in water and light. Combine the two correctly, and you get rainbows.
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Article by Janet Jones
Owner of Cody Journal and SnowMoon Photography
Janet has a rich history in Cody with her grandparents moving here in the late 1930s. Her grandfather started Wyoming Well Service. Janet is a writer, photographer, graphic designer and webmaster. Cody Journal and Cody Calendar blends her skills and talents with her love of the area.