I had a job down in Enumclaw today (NY Readers: think Buffalo => Salamanca), and on the way back, I spotted a sign that said “Flame Geyser State Park.”
Anything that has “Flame” and “Geyser” in the same sentence simply HAS to be worth stopping for. The bridge leading to the park is one of the better ones I’ve seen in the area, built in 1991.
The “Geyser” is not much to write home about. It used to be 6 – 8 feet tall, but has faded over the years. Quite simply, it’s methane escaping from coal seams several hundred feet below. It’s been going on for decades. There’s a little write-up at the site explaining everything.
Of more interest (to me) is the “Bubble Geyser,” which is Methane escaping into a stream. Notice that the bottom of the stream has some kind of grey mold, or fungus, or some kind of schmutz clinging to the bottom. My uneducated guess is that it is something that likes to live on hydrocarbons.
No matter about the disappointment at the lack of a hundred foot geyser of fire I was hoping for, it was a gorgeous day for wandering around nature.
