Mystery Spot-May 19, 2012

我們家一向以隨興著稱，機動性很強，星期六早上整理院子，中午吃了午餐，下午兩個小朋友看了一個卡通，一切如常，忽然，老公說，要不要去Mystery Spot? 那是什麼？沒聽過。他說他十幾年前曾經去過，在Santa Cruz 附近，開車大約45分鐘，最近中午散步碰到以前的同事，說蠻好玩，所以看我們要不要去。

上網快速找了一下，發現是一個小tour,有一個人導覽，每次進去有人數限制，為了怕到了沒位置，所以用電話預約，訂了5點的那場，出門時大約3點，先去逛逛最近附近剛開的兩家店再上路，時間剛好。

在那裡，“據說” 地心引力或其他定律都不太能完全運用，水能從下往上流，球能從下往上滾，筆直的樹到那裡就會變彎，同樣的兩個人換個位置高度就不同。我們是不太相信就是了。我們覺得他們那支Home Depot 的水平尺不平，不過回家查了一下資料，發現他們的技巧比單單弄把不平的尺高一點。下面有篇文章，我懶得看，有興趣的人可以看看。

問哈哈好不好玩，哈哈說沒有很好玩，可是很interesting, 嘻嘻上車就睡著了，所以沒問他。我覺得如果自己玩，不要跟“團”，會比較自由，時間也比較多，有了導覽，變得有點像旅行團的走馬看花，被趕著走，因為下一團馬上就到了，時間排得很緊湊，害我們沒辦法好好研究，他們可能就是怕我們好好研究，才故意把時間排的緊緊的。

The following article was from the link:
http://www.sandlotscience.com/MysterySpots/Mystery_Spots_1.htm

Mystery Spots Explained

We know them by many names but collectively they are known as Mystery Spots because of the mysterious events which often occur in, or near them. Lucky for us their owners love to show them off and visitors are welcome to come in and see the resident "alien vortex," and other strange phenomenon...for a small fee. Mystery Spots are a product of the Great Depression, a time when entertainment was just about the only industry still growing in America. Mystery Spots continue to draw crowds and delight visitors to this day.

Most mystery spots share a basic presentation. You are shown into a special room or small cabin where the strange phenomenon will occur. A friendly guide explains that what you are about to see "lies well-beyond the scope of science." The patter may differ, but the stage is set for some rather astounding optical illusions. You will see balls roll uphill, and water flow briskly up the spout. You will watch as ordinary chairs defy gravity and cling to the wall without support, while fellow visitors stand around in impossible angles.

We can explain how the special effects and optical illusions are produced, however knowing the truth does not lesson the enjoyment of the experience. Rather they are are more fun just because you know. No good optical illusion is ever ruined by the truth.

The effects which you see at a mystery spot are deliberate; driven by spatial distortion and misdirection. They are cunning perspective and spatial illusions designed to boggle the senses, and they work very well.

How It Works. Mystery Spots are cleverly engineered. To construct your own mystery spot, first build a little room or cabin. My little sample below is a squarish room with a chimney.

Next, lift one side of the house until the room tilts about 25°. Some say that the first Mystery House slid down a hill in a rain storm and ended up at the perfect angle. Whereupon the owners noticed strange things happening inside. Personally I think Americans are clever enough to think up the idea with, or without a rain storm.

Important. Hide the fact that the little house is tilted. Place the room along a slope. Bury part of the floor if necessary. Use walls or fences along the approach to cleverly disguise the terrain; slope them the wrong way. The idea here is to distort the architecture, and add landscaping to make it look straight and level to a visitor. Remove as many vertical references as possible, and change the slant of the ceiling to make the room look level. Place purposely distorted objects around to further enhance the effect of normalcy. Everything has to look as normal as possible; as if the room weren't tilted. You are now ready to welcome visitors.

How People Stand at Impossible Angles. We can see what is actually happening from a vantage point outside of the cabin. From our vantage point the people look like they are standing in a normal, upright position..

However, things look different to the people inside the room (right-hand cartoon). They desperately cling to a false notion of normal 3D space, but are deceived by the environment. To people in the room, everybody looks like they are standing at an impossible angle. They see friends defy gravity and walk up walls. People lean effortlessly into space without falling. The "alien vortex" seems to have a powerful enfulence.

How Water Flows Uphill. From our vantage point we see the water flowing normally down a slight incline and spilling naturally from the spout. 

Inide the room, things are getting stranger and stranger. To visitors it looks as if gravity is leaking out of the room. They watch in amazement as water flows uphill and pours out of the spout at an eerie, unnatural angle.

Does it matter if you know how it works? Even when you learn the secret behind the effects, they are no less amazing. In a Mystery House environment there are no mirrors or hidden panels; no flashes of light or clouds of smoke; the illusions are in-your-face real, and happening right now; to everyone present. It is an enjoyable and rewarding social experience as everyone present shares the same illusions. Mystery spots are an exciting, and fun excursion into the wonderful world of sensory illusions whether you understand how they work, or not.

Why do we like Mystery Spots? Perhaps because of our total belief and commitment to reality. Like riding a roller coaster; it is fun to lose control for a few brief moments. We like to tease reality, to lose the security of familiar spatial references for a brief time. It is no wonder that many people consider mystery spots to be a premium ticket.

How to Find Them. Here are some names and links to Mystery Houses. This is by no means a complete list. We have found that some mystery spots have their own web sites, and others are featured on city or state portals. Some of the following links may not be active. As an example, a visitor recently reported that the Knott's Berry Farm Haunted Shack is now closed. Call first, just to be sure. Visit a Mystery Spot today!

Confusion Hill Gravity House, Percy, CA; Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA; The Mystery Spot
Santa Cruz, CA; Calico Ghost Town Mystery Shack, Yermo, CA; Knott's Berry Farm Haunted Shack, Buena Park, CA; Spook Hill, Lake Wales, FL; Mystery Spot, St. Ignace, MI; Mystery Hill, Irish Hills, MI;Mysterious Tuttle House, North Woodstock, NH; Mystery Hill, Blowing Rock, NC; Mystery Shack, Maggie Valley, NC; Mystery Hill, Marblehead, OH; The Oregon Vortex House of Mystery, Gold Hill, OR; Confusion Hill, Ligonier, PA; Gravity Hill, Bedford Country, PA; Cosmos of the Black Hills, Rapid City, SD; The Wonder Spot, Lake Delton, WI; The Teton Mystery, Jackson, WY; Mystery Hole, Ansted, WV.