[Geysers] Fountain wild phase

[TSBryan at aol.com]

Although I was in the UGB and saw Grand (G1C) but little else, because of  
sepnding quite a bit of time in the LGB. This because I was fortunate to see the 
 start of a Fountain wild phase. (I've had tremendous luck with Fountain  
this year, but this was almost too much!)
 
 The scenario went like this:
 
0845 (approx)
upon arrival after checking the in-place Silex marker -- Twig active but  Jet 
and Sizzler (I won't call it Super Frying Pan if I don't absolutely have to)  
were dry. But most notably, although Fountain and Morning were connected as a 
 single pool, Spasm was 100% empty.
 
0851
Spasm started from the empty crater, with no big bursts but rather a rather  
gradual build up to bursts not more than 4 feet high (above the water level  
still well down in the crater).
 
0855
Fountain starts. Immediately odd, though, as the main vent bursts were very  
weak (like 10 feet high at the maximum). Fountain duration less than 3 1/2  
minutes.
 
0859
Jet eruption, clearly its first in a long time. Clepsydra quit, but for  only 
about 1 minute.
 
0905
Fountain starts. As was the case at 0855, the eruption was weak and very  
much dominated by the front right (secondary or, you might say, "wild phase  
vent"). Fountain's main vent again quit after about 3 minutes, but this time the  
wild phase vent continued for another 2 minutes or so. It quit at 0910.
 
0914
Fountain wild phase starts. No additional Jet prior to my departure at  about 
0935.
------
1430
wild phase continues. At this time, Jet was playing every 8 to 13 minutes.  
Graham Meech had been there for some time and reported those intervals, along  
with the fact that at one point, with each Jet the water rose in Sizzler. A 
bit  higher each time, this finally resulted in an eruption by Sizzler. In the  
vicinity of 1430, this was happening again. But then I, and Bob and Cynthia  
Barwin departed due to an impending storm.
 
1530
wild phase continues as I headed for West Y in the rain.
 
Scott Bryan
 
P.S. Lynn left the Great Fountain prediction board blank because the  morning 
eruption had "fooled" everybody by being so early. In fact, well before  
0800, meaning a double (we hope double) interval of not more than 20 hours. The  
pool was way down in the crater and there was no boiling. Yet at 1445 I'll bet  
there were 50 people there, the parking slots full and numerous cars along 
the  road. Hope they enjoyed the wait.
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