Gravity Goes Gonzo
Lake Wales Florida- This small town may not be the center of attention anymore but when Florida was first trying to gain fame as a tourist destination, Lake Wales and it's Spook Hill played a major role as a Sunshine state attraction.
Located next to the Spook Hill Elementary School, this gravity defying hill sits ready and waiting for any passerby to give it a try. A nearby sign explains it all:
"Many years ago an Indian village on Lake Wales was plagued by raids of a huge gator. The Chief, a great warrior, killed the gator in a battle that created a small lake. The chief was buried on the north side. Pioneer mail riders first discovered their horses laboring down hill, thus naming it "Spook Hill." When the road was paved, cars coasted up hill. Is this the gator seeking revenge, or the chief still trying to protect his land?"
To see it in action you're invited to drive up to a white line painted across the road, put your car in neutral, and let it roll backwards.
Is it real? Well I was initially disappointed when I saw the hill. There isn't much of an incline and it seems dwarfed by another hill that the road goes up. Our test car did seem to roll uphill when we gave it a try and the effect of going uphill is heightened if you put your face down on the pavement and kinda squint.
Spook Hill is but one of many such gravity defying attractions located across the states. There's the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz Ca., Gravity Hill in Salt lake City UT, Mystery Hill in Blowing Rock N.C. and even a Confusion Hill in Piercy Ca. All of them give various theories concerning why gravity is not behaving like it should.
Perhaps the granddaddy of them all and the best gravity defying for your money is the Oregon Vortex near Gold Hill Or. The theory exposed forth here is that an incredibly dense object from outerspace impacted earth on the spot thousands of years ago and is now buried under the side of the mountain. The weight of the object bends gravity waves toward it, causing the phenomenon.
Spook Hill is located in Lake Wales Florida approx. 1 hour from I-4 off Hwy. 27
sources
-information taken by personal experience
---new information added July 10th 1999-----
Near San Antonio is a railroad crossing where local lore has a school bus being hit by a train, killing all children aboard. Efforts to document that this accident occurred has not been successful. It has been reported the accident happened during the 1920's, the 30's, the 40's and the 50's. Nevertheless, here's the mystery:
Approach the train crossing in your vehicle. Turn vehicle off. It proceeds to roll up the slight upgrade, over the tracks and to safety on the other side of the crossing. Legend has it the spirits of the children push the vehicle, making sure it clears the track. One crusty ex Texas Ranger conducted an experiment where he washed the back of his van, wiping it clean to make sure all latent prints were eliminated. He then sprinkled an abundant supply of talcum powder on the back of the van. He got into the vehicle and it began to move forward over the tracks. The Texas Ranger got out, walked to the back of the van and found a clearly defined set of finger prints in the talcum powder. He had no explanation other than he knew he had cleaned his vehicle.
Would spirits leave finger prints?
source
-information taken by e-mailed report
