Fly Geyser

Private property but tours are sometimes available - see comments. there's nothing quite like Fly Geyser (well, nothing on this planet, anyways). A lot of that likely has to do with the fact that it's the result of a freak accident, combined with just the right conditions. Back in 1964, the land was being drilled in search of geothermal energy sources. However, once the drilling was over, the well wasn't capped correctly (or capped at all, for that matter). It wasn't long before dissolved minerals began to bubble their way to the top of the well, accumulating all over and around it, creating the strange formations we see today. They're still growing-- each year, several inches are added to the surreal-looking pillars. Around the geyser are several terraces and pools which collect the water that's constantly spraying out the top-- the gusts of water can reach more than 5 feet in the air. The bright colors on the geyser are due to thermophilic algae, and it's made of several different kinds of minerals. The geyser and its terraces cover more than 70 acres of land. Fly Geyser isn't the only like fountain in the area-- several others were formed from other drilling projetcs done in the area, including one from the early 1900's that dried up when Fly Geyser started spouting. -Roadtrippers If you're interested in visiting, you're in luck. Some Burners purchased the property, and you can contact them to tour it. Here's what they have to say: We all have different views of what Fly Ranch could become: a healing center, a desert art center, an energy park, an organic farm, a botanical garden, a site for interactive teaching and learning, a Burning Man laboratory, a makerspace, a space for transformative gatherings, a sustainable model for communal living, and more. Our 3,800 acres holds diverse ecosystems and varied resources, so the future could involve some blend of these and other visions. The Fly Ranch team spent 2017 building momentum and capacity. We held community conversations in Black Rock City, at the Global Leadership Conference in Oakland, and Burning Man Project’s European Leadership Summit in Stockholm, Sweden. We were able to welcome 400+ community members, collaborators, artist, regional contacts, and local citizens to explore the property with us. We began a Land Fellowship program and a year-long environmental assessment, including an inventory of flora and fauna of the property. We’ve integrated our administrative operations with Burning Man Project and created an operationally effective working group and management team. We’ve started laying the groundwork for our technical operations. We re-launched our website with over 40 pages of content. 2018 will be a year of putting capacity into action. We will be deploying open-source technology tools for sharing information about the property and for anyone to participate in proposing, discussing, and collaborating on projects for the site. In April, the gates of Fly Ranch opened to the public as we began hosting open days for locals, leave no trace trainings, field trips for schools, and a Nature Walk program in collaboration with Friends of Black Rock-High Rock, a local conservation group. During the Summer, we will start to experiment with small group trips and overnight visits. We will clean the property and undertake key infrastructure projects like a small solar grid, composting systems, and walking pathways through a series of experiential community workshops. To get from our current place to the loftier possibilities, we’re planning on the community testing small versions of different visions to see what works. We will face real problems and learn from them. Some of these experiments have already begun: you can join a nature walk, become a Walk Guide, or volunteer as a Fly Ranch Guardian. This document is an overview of our current work and where we hope to go in the next 12 months. This plan, like the project, is a work in progress and the only guarantee is that some things will inevitably change. We have tried to make it clear where there are still questions remaining and where concrete plans differ from hopeful ambitions.