Watkins Glen Scenery, Shadow Gorge c. 1860

This stereoscopic image of Watkins Glen, captured by George F. Gates, plunges us into a gorge where nature's architecture looms large. The layered rocks, carved by relentless streams, evoke the inexorable passage of time. Consider the bridge, a fragile man-made structure spanning this primordial chasm. Bridges, throughout history, have been potent symbols. Think of the Roman pontiffs, literally "bridge-makers," who connected the earthly and divine realms. Or the Bifröst in Norse mythology, a bridge linking Midgard, the world of humans, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. This small bridge in Watkins Glen echoes this archetypal image, inviting us to cross from the known to the unknown, from safety to the sublime. The shadowed depths of the gorge speak to a collective fascination with the hidden and the mysterious. It's a journey into the subconscious, where the raw power of nature stirs deep within us, a primal force. It's a reminder that the symbols that resonate most powerfully are those that tap into our shared human experience.