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A mudpot, at Mud Volcano Area, Yellowstone. June 2023.

Ziwei didn’t like the smell of the mudpots, but I did. The smell, described as “the pungent odor of rotten eggs” on the Yellowstone website^*1, which is the same thing we learnt in high school, is from the hydrogen sulfide. I would not say this smell is fragrant, but it’s not gross. It smells a salty taste, remind me of food, I don’t know which kind, with a subtle touch of comfort. The appearance of it remind me of some kind of flavored powder mixed with water or milk, like 芝麻糊, or 藕粉. Without a thorough mix, there are always some lumps left in the mixture. Those are my favorite.

Another thing I like about those mudpots is that how clearly they are presented. Hot springs are more colorful, but they are often half-hidden in the milky mist, especially during those cold months. They are also extended, so it’s hard to see the whole thing. Geysers are exciting, but they are too violent to be captured. Mudpots, thanks to their thick texture, show all their motions. Taking photos of the mudpots can yield surprises, as shown in the one picture above.

A drop of mud jumps up vertically, floating above the pot which has ripples as the result of the motion. You can even see the shadow of the drop, emphasizing the floating fact. This photo has a precise natural time stamp, as this drop couldn’t be floating for long. Now this very moment that no one else on this crowded world could possibly know of got captured by me. Anyone else gets to know it later, must attribute it to me. That’s exciting to think of, and makes me feel powerful.

I’m still not sure about the meaning behind a past moment like that, if it’s meaningful at all. But that’s the topic for another time.

* notes:
1. They have the same texts for the mudpots and the smell in the linked page. 07/01/2023