Oregon Vortex & House of Mystery, Gold Hill, Oregon

After a good night's sleep in Rogue River, Oregon, we just couldn't leave the area without visiting a what some may consider a tourist trap....The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery!

There are gold and minerals located in the area of The Oregon Vortex & House of Mystery

 This roadside attraction is located just a few miles north of Rogue River in Gold Hill, Oregon.
Signage within the site
Supposedly, when you enter the vortex it can make you feel dizzy and your camera shake.  Coincidence?
Prior to any construction of the area, local legend had it that Native Americans in the area referred to the site as a "forbidden" land, and travelers passing through would often find their horses refusing to go through the area.

Slice of ancient tree on display at the Vortex

Another shaky image?

A gold assay office was built in the area in 1904, which slid from its foundation in the early 1910, coming to rest at an odd angle. Odd angles seem to create an illusion of objects seemingly rolling uphill. The same effect can be seen in The Montana Vortex and house of mystery, Pennsylvania's Laurel Caverns, and at Santa Cruz, California's Mystery Spot. 

Check out the angles inside the House of Mystery.  The ball on the rope is plumb.

Gman outside the House of Mystery.  When he moves to the right does he appear smaller?

Hmmmm?

Oregon Vortex is also famous for "height change" as the apparent relative height of two people varies, depending on where each stands. Most people believe that this effect is due to a distorted background that induces a forced perspective, as with an Ames room, but this has been ruled out by taking readings with a stick. The Oregon site also appears to exhibit phenomena similar to those perceived by visitors at the mystery spot located outside St. Ignace in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

A few more of our fellow travelers testing out the mystery




The site has been investigated and featured in several television shows such as Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, CW's Supernatural, Sam & Max Hit the Road, The X-Files,Gravity Falls, Ghost Adventures and Mysteries at the Museum.

Hmmmm?



No matter what the area is, or appears to be, one thing is for certain.....its fun!  We had a great time exploring this mysterious area.  With a reservation waiting for us in Eugene, Oregon, it was time to head north on Highway but first we made a stop a the Golden Historical Site.


POPULAR DESTINATIONS >>

Image

Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
Image

Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
Image

Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,