Dawn Steam Rising from Colorado Hot Spring

Vapor curls upward from the steaming pool, dissolving into the cool air of a Colorado floodplain. The water glows with a faint, earthy warmth against the grey wetness of the surrounding mud and grass. Late spring grasses, still damp from recent rain, stand in clumps around the spring's edge. Above, a perfectly clear sky transitions from pale orange near the horizon to soft blue. The light is diffused and misty, softening the textures of the steam and the rough, mineral-stained rocks lining the pool. The steam drifts horizontally, caught in the stillness of the morning. A thin layer of condensation coats the dark volcanic stones bordering the water.