[Geysers] Fan and Mortar 8-7-08

[Ben Hoppe]

Hello all,

After spending all of Saturday and Sunday (the 2nd and 3rd) at Fan and
Mortar only to find out that it erupted in the dead hours of the night, I
managed to see the entire event cycle on Thursday morning which started only
30 minutes after my arrival.

0718 First obvious Main Vent Splash, splashing was seen nearly every minute
until 0748 that I recorded. Large blue bubblesque splashes were at 0723,
0728, 0730, 0736, 0746

0732 River Vent on
0742 River Vent Pause
0746 Bottom Vent eruption
0755 End of "1st Burst" of Bottom Vent. It attempted to have more
full-fledged eruptions, but as Lynn called over the radio, they were nothing
more than just follow up bursts that didn't produce too much runoff.

0758 River Vent on (Pause duration: 26 minutes)
0806 Angle Vent on (before Gold, and we all groaned collectively)
0806 Gold Vent on

When Gold came on, water levels remained excellent. Throughout the period
until the lock, there were several times that High held a surge to 2 feet.
But after seeing good water levels the previous Sunday, I didn't move my
pack until I knew it was in a lock.

0815 LOCK!
0821 Fan and Mortar!!! East Vent start

It was a beautiful eruption highlighted by Mortar shutting off 1-2 minutes
into the eruption for a Fan solo. When Mortar came on, it was sheer power,
and in the 8:00 hour, the sounds seemed so much more pronounced. Water was
sent a few feet over the boardwalk. Dark clouds in the west also seemed to
make Fan's water sparkle in the morning sun from behind us. A slight breeze
carried a lot of Fan's steam away.

I will be posting pictures and video from the entire trip (even a few of Fan
& Mortar) as soon as the videos get uploaded onto Youtube.

Go Fan and Mortar!
-Ben Hoppe

-- 
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in
me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20
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