It’s been a while since I did any black and white landscapes so today’s visit to Parfrey’s Glen and Natural Bridge State Park was a good opportunity to play around with monochrome again. Both areas are in the “driftless zone” in Wisconsin, an area in the southwest portion of Wisconsin that was not covered by glaciers in the last ice age, so the ancient rocks and hills were not bull dozed by glaciation. It makes for some great photography.
This small canyon very near the terminus of the glaciers from the last ice age was originally carved out by the melting glaciers. In 2008 a freak heavy rain storm again rushed water down the canyon ripping out a boardwalk and stairs built years ago to make it easier for visitors to walk up the glen. In my opinion the new washed out glen returned it to it’s more natural state is an improvement!
I think the most amazing thing about this 35 foot limstone arch at Natural Arch State Park is the fact that archeologists have found evidence of fires built under the rock overhang dating back to 12,000 years ago, making this one of the earliest known sites inhabited by humans in the Eastern United States. It’s possible that the people that first called this place home hunted wooly mammoths. That’s something to ponder as you enjoy the serenity of this off the beaten path State Park. As humans, I guess we’ve always had a thing for a home with a “view”.
