In News From National Parks
This Really Shouldn’t Have To Said, But… Don’t Pee In Old Faithful

09/24/2018 Man Who Peed Into Old Faithful Update: (Hard to believe it could get any worse but…): Gabriel Villalva was arrested for wandering dangerously close (and peeing into) to Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park on Friday faces additional charges after a police chase in Wyoming’s capital city. Villalva, 27, led officers on a 15-minute chase through the city, driving through the Cheyenne Country Club golf course, striking a police car and swerving toward an officer who was attempting to lay stop sticks, Malatesta said. No bystanders were injured in the chase, Malatesta said. Villalva ran over the spikes and eventually came to rest at a fence, then Villalva continued to spin his flat tires, causing a shower of sparks to engulf his car in flames.

Malatesta said Villalva initially refused to get out of the burning car, and when he did, he was uncooperative with officers and would not step away from the flames. Police sent a sample of Villalva’s blood to a lab to test for substances, and the case remains under investigation, Malatesta said.

A spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park said rangers arrested Villalva on Sept. 14 after he walked on the cone of Old Faithful. Warthin said Villalva was charged with multiple violations, including being off-trail in a thermal area, but was released on bail. Warthin said the national park takes cases like Villalva’s seriously because geysers and hot springs are “incredibly” dangerous, and many people have been killed or injured because they underestimated that danger.

09/21/2018 Man Who Peed Into Old Faithful Update: The man accused of peeing into Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park now faces additional charges after a police chase. Police said Thursday that they arrested 27-year-old Gabriel Villalva of Greeley, Colorado, using spike strips. Police say they stopped Villalva after a 15-minute chase Wednesday. They say he spun his wheels and his SUV caught fire. Throughout Wednesday afternoon, police received numerous calls regarding a gold SUV driving recklessly throughout town, CBS Cheyenne affiliate KGWN reports.

Yellowstone National Park rangers cited Villalva for walking off boardwalks and peeing into the geyser. Villalva was jailed Thursday and couldn’t be reached for comment.

At least we know both man and geyser expel themselves every 35 minutes to 2 hours.

If Do The Piss, You End Up Like This.

Yellowstone Retaliates? Long-dormant hot spring erupts near Old Faithful. A hot spring in Yellowstone National Park has erupted, spewing steam and water between 20 and 30 feet high.

The eruption in Ear Spring, named for its resemblance to a human ear, is the fourth in the last 60 years. The 30 feet phenomenon until now had not been recorded since 1957 and following the eruption, the hot spring has continued to blow up at a height of approximately two feet. The hot spring near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park is among Yellowstone’s top attractions and last erupted in 2004.

Boardwalk Closed (But Will That Stop The Peeing Man?) A boardwalk has been closed due to the activity in an attempt to prevent people from being injured by boiling water splashing on the trail.

In National Park (And Volcano) News: Man crosses Yellowstone safety barrier (the observation benches are over 300 feet from the geyser) to urinate in Old Faithful.

Stunned visitors to Yellowstone National Park witnesses a man walk to the edge of Old Faithful, peer down and then, reportedly, urinate into the supervolcano geyser. Upon successfully completing his discharge, he then lies down next to the geyser (probably wondering if he should attempt a second (#2) session into his newly christened ‘honey bucket.’

The tourists were ‘‘relieved’ to find out he was OK.

Here is the news video clip (the clip isn’t great, but you get the idea) – don’t try this at home.

NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

Old Faithful Is Just Like Us – It Is Slowing Down – So Why Did The Man Urinate Into Old Faithful? Maybe he thought the liquid reservoir needed a little replenishing for its’ next eruption. Old Faithful’s intervals range from 35 minutes to 2 hours. Visitors expecting hourly eruptions are often surprised when they have to wait up to two hours.

Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said: “We take these cases very seriously. The law requires people to stay on boardwalks or marked trails in thermal areas. Anyone who ignores this law risks their life and possibly the lives of emergency personnel.”

The Yellowstone website states: “Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. ”

The same man was also reportedly filmed a second time at another geyser.

You can see more Yellowstone National Park webcams here.

How Old Faithful looks

Predicting Old Faithful

How A Geyser Works

For those of you who need a song about what not to do…

In case you think that the man who peed in Old Faithful didn’t train, hard, for the event, here is visual proof of his regimen.

And, finally, where the Old Faithful offender learned how to pee.