[Geysers] Fan & Mortar, October 14

[Polly Panos]

Hello!
   I watched Fan & Mortar off and on from my arrival at Old Faithful (about 7:30 a.m.) until a little after 9:00.  I saw Angle playing during the times that I checked it during that period.  Then:
   0912 Angle was on when I arrived.
   0917 River Vent came on and I saw 4 good splashes from Angle.
   0921 River & Angle were off.  Gold had not played during this time.
   0924 Main Vent began roaring.
   0931 First small splash in Main Vent
        For the next several minutes, I saw a variety of splashes from Main Vent.  Bottom Vent and Lower Mortar began alternating every couple of minutes.
   0948 River Vent came on, and Main Vent continued to have small splashes.
   1001 River Vent Pause - During the pause there were a few splashes in Main Vent, with at least one strong one.
   1014 River Vent on
   1025 Gold, with good water levels
   1028 Angle
   1038 Lock
   1042 Main Vent took off and started the eruption.  Bottom Vent flooded, and Lower Mortar began erupting to a few feet right away.  I'm not sure when Upper Mortar started, as it was one of those strong eruptions where it was difficult to stand in the middle without getting totally soaked!  I moved over to Fan's side to take a few pictures.  When I did go over to see Mortar, there was a vibrant rainbow in the spray.  By the end of the eruption, there was a good-sized puddle in front of Norris Pool, and the bridge was wet about 2/3 of the way across.  The duration was 40 minutes.

Go Fan & Mortar!
Polly Panos