<html> <head> <style></style></head> <body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'> Now, for Fountain.  My overnight drive to the park got me to Fountain on July 4 in time for the 0652 eruption of Fountain, duration 36 minutes.  Morning’s Thief boiled up at 0658 but did not erupt, and there was no Twig.  I returned that afternoon for another eruption at 1537, duration 33 minutes, interval 8h45m.  Again Morning’s Thief boiled up at 1547 but did not erupt, and again there was no Twig.   Due to the 33 minute duration and what by evening was extreme fatigue, I decided to skip the overnight Fountain.  Phil Winkler reported that it occurred at 2332, duration 35 minutes, interval 7h55m.   On July 5, Fountain erupted at 0733, duration 36 minutes, interval 8h01m.  I did not see anything from Morning’s Thief or Twig.  The next Fountain interval got just past the 9-hour mark with some pretty good boiling in Morning prior to Fountain’s eruption at 1635, duration 35 minutes.  Morning’s Thief did not do anything, but Twig did erupt at 1700.   We could see the clouds beginning to build up in the west, and the rain came around 1730 and persisted for a couple of hours.  However, when I saw that it was clearing up, I decided to go out for Fountain.  Fortunately I was running a little early, as Fountain erupted at 2323 a few minutes after my arrival, duration 34 minutes, interval only 6h48m.  Nothing from Morning’s Thief or Twig.  After 10 years of trusty service at many Beehives, F&Ms, and Giants, my Maglite has given up the ghost, so I enjoyed the eruption by starlight.  The sky was just gorgeous.  Apparently there was aurora later that night, but I headed straight in afterward.   Fountain followed on July 6 with a more normal 8h06m interval.  The eruption was at 0729, lasting just long enough to call the duration 37 minutes.  Morning’s Thief had a weak eruption at 0741, and Twig started at 0756.  Morning had a strong boil at the start of Fountain but was quickly drowned by runoff from Fountain.   The borderline duration and Morning boiling gave some hope that maybe Morning was getting ready, and when the afternoon did not bring high winds, some of us were hopeful that maybe it could find a way to erupt.  As the 9-hour mark neared, the boiling on the north side of Morning’s pool increased, until there was a lot of convection and periodic strong boiling.  We began to refer to the size of the bubbles in terms of fruits.  First key limes, then some good grapefruits, and maybe even some cantaloupes.  Michael Lang commented that he wanted to see a watermelon and we all agreed.  But then the wind picked up, and Fountain started a few minutes later, without much of an attempt from Morning.  I don’t know if the wind was really a factor or not, though.  Fountain 1636, duration 36 minutes, interval 9h07m.  Nothing from Morning’s Thief or Twig.   Once again we could see a storm brewing, and after returning to the Upper Geyser Basin high winds and rain drove most gazers inside.  It looked like it was going to stay for a while, but again just before dark it appeared to be clearing.  I prepared to head out to Fountain.  It was still overcast and sprinkling a little bit when I got to Fountain, but this time I waited out another longish interval of 8h53m.  Fountain 0129 (July 7).  Without a good light it was impossible to know what Morning was doing.  I decided to just enjoy Fountain, again by starlight, and not look at my watch…until Super Frying Pan started at 0207.  Geyser gazer that I am, I finally checked the time.  And Fountain quit, duration 38 minutes.  No Morning’s Thief, no Twig.   On the morning of July 7, I arrived at Fountain shortly before 0800.  The Dauberts had already been there for about 2 hours before me and reported that Jet had been active when they arrived, but that it stopped erupting around the time of a Super Frying Pan eruption around 0700.  Super Frying Pan erupted again at 0841ns and 1001, and during Fountain at 1137ie.  When I arrived, “Peanot,” the new pool at the base of the hill near Twig, was several inches below overflow, somewhat murky, and bubbling vigorously.  As the morning progressed it gradually filled to near full.   The entire morning it was very calm with only a slight wind.  When I first arrived it was too steamy to see into Fountain.  When I checked around 0830, I could barely see water.  I didn’t check again, as it was being monitored by other gazers after that.  Because of the lack of wind it was also hard to see Morning’s pool with any detail, but it looked like it was convecting and bubbling based on the steam.   By 1000 the entire overlook was completely full of gazers, in addition to those waiting the boardwalk below.  We also attracted some interested visitors.  Based on activity in the past month, everyone was waiting for the 9-hour mark since the previous Fountain.  So when Steve Eide called the Fountain rise at 1006, just 8h37m after Fountain, our hearts sank momentarily.  But I’d been thinking in the back of my mind that it was so calm that maybe Morning would go early, so I kept my eyes glued on Morning’s pool.  Just after Fountain started, Morning was having heavy convection and the water level rose.  The water from Fountain still hadn’t made it across the channel, and Morning had a heavy boil—and then a huge dome, and the eruption was on.  Others reported to me that just after Fountain started, there was water in Morning’s Thief, but that wasn’t enough to stop Morning this time.   At first it looked like the best viewing might be from down by Clepsydra, so I saw several very impressive bursts from Morning from that location before moving over to the Twig side about 5 minutes into the eruption to see the amazing blue of Morning’s pool.  Most bursts started with doming boils and massive waves, but there were some good bubbles, too.  I estimated the height of the best bursts at around 150 feet.  Fountain was very powerful as well, with many strong bursts throughout its entire duration of 109 minutes.  Morning lasted 33 minutes.   As the eruption progressed, Clepsydra’s steam vent got louder and louder and more powerful until it was shooting at an angle to 30-40 feet.  I was not able to stay in the area to see how long this lasted after Fountain quit but it was quite impressive.   The whole show was quite a spectacle to behold and it was really fun to see it with so many good friends.  Go Morning Go! --Tara Crossfanandmortar@hotmail.com  </div></body> </html>