In the heart of America's most unique and fascinating national parks, Yellowstone, lies the world's second largest hot spring, Grand Prismatic. Many people walk the boardwalk adjacent to the hot spring, but never get to fully appreciate the true beauty of it. Why is that? Most days, the steam coming off of the water is so thick, the water can be hardly seen. We experienced that the day after I had taken this photo. To see the magnificence of this, we chose to hike a lightly walked trail leading to Fairy Falls that crossed behind the back side of Grand Prismatic. While on this hike, it too was at a low elevation and we couldn't really see the water. I told my wife and daughter they could go ahead up the trail a little bit and I would take a detour climbing the mountain on the other side. When I got to the top and turned around, the beauty nearly took my breath away. There before me were such vibrant colors in the middle of an other-worldly landscape. The colors are created by different bacteria that live within this hot water. They are the only things that can survive in it. The different colors represent different species of bacteria that live at the different temperatures. Together, these microscopic organisms create a palette that is unique and ever changing.
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Awarded Judge's Award of Merit in Cass County, Missouri's 2012 County Fair |
