The Many Textures of Yellowstone's Geothermal Features

To  truly get a feel for Yellowstone’s geothermal features, one must get up close and personal to each one. This might seem obvious, but I was guilty of appreciating many of them from afar at first, somehow believing I was having a full experience. It can be deceiving. On an overcast day, when the air is cool, all around you the ground appears to be smoldering, and that alone is a phenomenal experience. But rain or shine, you have to get out and hike into each one and see the incredible differences each one holds. There are no two alike. When the sun is out, the pools are brilliantly colored. On cloudy days, the colors are less intense, but the steam that rises above them is more intense. For six days, these wonders had me both entranced and inspired. Sometimes I felt like I was in someone’s psychedelic dream, other times I felt I was viewing a war-torn landscape, but every time, I was inspired to make art.