Originally it was a valley, or more specifically a deep wooded crevasse, hidden in the center of the mountain range. The crevasse was a dead end, wooded mountains angled for the sky on three sides, the fourth side tumbling into the rolling hills the lesser cousins where time and erosion had worn the peaks down. The winter snows melted into a spring flood that roared and rushed into the hills otherwise the crevasse may never have been found. The industrial age with its seekers and entrepreneurs; however, dug deep into the mountain range to find iron, copper, gold, coal, limestone, clay, and rare precious metals. The need to harness the river led to a dam which led to the valley flooding. Now the steep sides of the mountain slope into a lake on one side, while the other sides are lined with the architecture of modernity; chutes and pulleys, buildings, roads, rails, and constant motion. From a high enough altitude the mining complex can be mistaken for an anthill with bustling motion going in and coming out, all on mysterious missions opaque to the viewer.
The mountain lake remains a haven. Very little sound from the mining and manufacturing complex drifts into the water-logged crevasse. Humans do not venture here, the sides being too steep for easy travel. Birds and butterflies, deer and rabbits, coyote and foxes, mice and squirrels, all have a place here.
A hot air balloon drifts over the lake. The occupants stare in wonder, snapping pictures to store the memory of the view forever on digital devices; multiple versions of a truth that will scatter across the globe.