all you need is love. and maybe four wheel drive.

bathed in steam. lifting off the water making its way towards orion. cold stone pressed against the length of me. but i'm warm from the inside out. chills spread across my skin in waves. like when finger tips graze my stomach. tiny. more delicate than goose bumps. clouds pass overhead and expose the blanket of stars. the moon dominating the night show. i can only imagine the true depth of the black obis. the breeze blows stronger. i lower myself into the bath. earth's bath water. heated from its core. strawberry fields hot spring. i am in love.

jieun took me to steamboat springs. three hours away. five different terrains. rain poured down as we packed up the car. weather says thirty percent chance in the mountains. we're risking it. it's worth it. drive through mountains. tunnels. snow capped here, now snow on the ground around us. another tunnel and it's arid ranch lands. i've crossed an entire country of terrain in only a few counties. mountains. mountains. mountains. i wanted to be in awe. and now i am breathless. i have never seen anything this remarkable. pumping gas, mountains rise on the horizon. clouds cast shadows on open plains. cows. horses. sky. everywhere there is sky.

pass through town. meander through neighborhoods. small houses. wood. easy to heat. cozy. cyclists race up hill. everyone in town is biking or walking. we find our turn. hot springs, buffalo pass. tatanka ranch. the sky is patchy clouds but the sun is holding its ground. saving us a place. road ends. gravel begins. my focus is a champ. down shift. we're cruising. winding up the steep grade through aspen groves. stark white shoots towards blue. leaves wave in the wind. confetti. two shades of green. under, over. waving in the breeze. hybrid camping. park at the bottom of the trail and hike up half a mile to the spot. four wheel drive would get us there. the focus, not so much. but she's happy parked under the aspen. and i'm happy to be hiking. heavy gear. deep breaths. fresh air. clean and crisp. feels like a charlotte november. tents are up. firewood collected. peanut butter and granny smith sandwiches.

we hit the trails. cattle trails. animals have worn the way. follow the tread through grass. beetles have made the green a beautiful red. it's sad because the trees are dead. but a striking contrast from a distance. we climb up. switch-backs. the marley dog bounding up ahead. pausing to see where we are behind him. charging back around us and up again. pushing past us on the trail. taking out our knees. he loves this. and i love watching him enjoy the open ground. no leash. wild abandon. just steer clear of the skunks. up higher. never quite at the top. always more ahead. gun fire. a pistol. we stop on a large rock protruding into the air. this will be our top. the gun shoots are louder and more frequent. shrapnel rains down around us. trees have been hit. we are in the line of fire. jieun suggests we leave. she turns to climb down off the rock, i'm one hundred yards down. i warned you about my stray bullet theory. this is precisely why. the bullets have to be going somewhere. unsuspecting passers-by. we manage unscathed.

back to town to get marshmellows. we're girls. give us a break. off to the hot springs. ten dollars. no glass. no alcohol. no running. bathing suits optional. the sun is almost down. that dusky haze mixes with the steam that starts to appear as the temperature begins to drop. fifties in town. colder now. paths weave through trees and around tepees. private pools off to the left. water runs from one into another, into another, down the slope. the path widens at the bottom. stone deck provides seating. log chairs. adirondack meets paul bunyan. the spring feeds into the first pool, the warmest. hot. over one hundred ten degrees. and surges of even hotter water pour into the far corner at intervals. there is a terrace effect. pools flow into one another. divided by rock walls. connected by paths and stone stairs. slippery. move slowly. the bottom is gravel. like an aquarium. and the water feels clean and refreshing. a sauna. a spa. natures bath. heated from the earth. i am in awe. i am in love. i am floating under a blanket of stars, noises muffled by the water lapping around my ears, brushing my hair against my shoulders. deep breath. take it all in. if colorado is god's country, this is the capitol.