Steam Sculpture captured by Z 8 / Z14-24f2.8
Hell’s Half Acre is what Midway Geyser Basin was originally known as. The trail across the Firehole River and up the slope to the world-renowned Grand Prismatic thermal area, one passes Excelsior Geyser. Once a very violent geyser, these days it has settled down and just pours out 4050 gallons per minute of nearly 200f degree water. In winter, it bellows out steam, which just inches from the hot influence of the geyser returns to water, freezing where the wind takes it. There is a bench on the boardwalk, and this year, well, you can see how Mother Nature decided to decorate it. With the Z 8 LCD flipped out (it was -09 at the time) and Z14-24f2.8 @f2.8, I bent over while not slipping on the ice to memorialize this work of art. Though gone the following week with the warming temps, I never forget the beauty of the sculptures born from steam.