MYSTERIOUS AMERICA

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA

Rockin’ in the Free World

A MINI-GUIDE TO CREATIVE ROADSIDE ROCKS

The wonderfully painted rock juts up out of the ground along a wooded road in Marlborough, Connecticut. Not only are the roadside wonder’s origins a mystery, but its form remains a question as well: Most call it Snake Rock, but some refer to it as Turtle Rock, insisting that the small clumps of stones on either side are meant to be clawed feet.

No one seems to know the identity of the artist who painted the rock. But a local history website lists it as a landmark, and everyone in town knows it. Strangely, the rock has been secretly repainted several times. Many believe

it was originally done by Jason Sawyer, the artist who painted Eagle Rock, another animal-shaped site a few miles down the road in Hebron. In 2002, Tara Graham took over the repainting of Eagle Rock. Many believe she also repaints the reptile rock as well, but no one knows for sure.

There is something fascinating about art created not for accolades, but for the enjoyment and viewing of the general public. These types of art become beloved landmarks that many simply take for granted as permanent, not considering that the paint does need to be renewed over time. It is art such as this that becomes part of the local identity, a constant just like the seasons.

And, they can be found all over the United States – here are just few places that are Rockin’ in the Free World!

Elephant Rock in Adirondacks Route 8, Hague, New York

Tarzan called him Tantor – we have always called them magni cent.

Many years ago, way too many years now, I watched a herd of elephant frolic (that was really the only word for it) in a small Sabie River lodge just below our room in what would soon be called the extension of Kruger National Park in South Africa. Truly an amazing thing to see.

Up along Route 8 in the Adirondacks, there is a nice little homage to the real thing. Maybe just a local artist’s folly – but we like it. Let us trumpet as we ride by! Tantor and Tarzan would like it.

Lord’s Prayer Rock • Route 116 Bristol, VT

The rst time we passed this we had to do a double-take and then a quick U-turn to take it all in.

The huge glacial erratic has one of the most famous gathering of words on the planet – The Lord’s Prayer.

Like most things like this, there are a few tales for the telling. A 19th-century physician, Joseph C. Greene, of Buffalo, NY, thought of hieroglyphs when planning a way to commemorate his boyhood in the Bristol, Vermont area. He’d grown up in South Starksboro, and one of his jobs had been to deliver logs to the Bristol sawmill. The journey down the mountain, via 9 Bridges Road or the Drake Woods Road was fraught with dif cult switchbacks and stream crossings. When Greene reached the big slab of rock and a level byway, he’d always say a silent prayer, knowing the worst of the trek was behind him.

It became known as Bristol Rock. In 1891, Greene paid a carver to engrave the Lord’s Prayer (full version, not the Roman Catholic abridged version) on the slab. He had his name added as well.

There is another story. In this version, Greene was upset by the cursing and swearing of passing logging wagon drivers. So, he had the prayer carved to make them think twice before taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Greene’s long gone, but his slab endures, like an onramp to Heaven.

If you’re heading east on Rt. 17 from Bristol, watch carefully or you may miss it since it’s angled eastward on this narrow road. There is a small pulloff, with concrete picnic tables and a barbecue pit.

There is never a time we pass this that we do not slow down and appreciate its grandeur.

Ringing Rock State Park

Holy cow… These rocks have earned a place as an actual state park.

Back in 1890, J.J. Ott (Ottsville) gave a remarkable concert for the Buckwampum Historical Society. What made the concert remarkable wasn’t the music being played but the instrument Ott was playing. The instrument was made of stones that made “clear, bell-like tones” when struck by a hammer. You might say it was the rst rock concert.

Ott procured the musical rocks from a nearby boulder eld in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania. Known today as Ringing Rocks Park, the rock eld occupies seven acres of an otherwise wooded area, and is over ten feet deep with boulders. Ten friggin’ feet!

Only about a third of the rocks ring, and for a long time why the rocks rang at all was unclear. However, in 1965 a group of scientists crushed, broke, and sliced the rocks. After performing numerous tests, they found that while all the rocks do in fact ring, they often do so at tones lower than the human ear can perceive. Furthermore, the exact mechanism by which they ring still remains elusive.

We have brought countless friends here and they all ride away amazed. So shall you…

Balanced Rock, Salem, New York

We think this is simply a big rock that somehow got hung up on some other smaller rocks when the ice age faded. It stuck. It looks cools. Done. But, no… We have to have fun and wackiness should prevail. We love this stuff.

North Salem, New York is a picturesque town. The east town line is the border of Connecticut, and the northern town line is the border of Putnam County.

Just off to the side of Titicus Road in North Salem is a rock that weighs an estimated 60 tons. The Giant chunk of granite is called Balanced Rock and some believe it’s responsible for a rash of UFO sightings in the 1980s.

In the 1980s, there were more than 5,000 reported UFO sightings in the Hudson Valley and the border towns and cities of Connecticut. Ancient Alien theorists believe that Balanced Rock created an energy or a vortex that drew them in.

Surrounding towns like Brewtser, New York have structures that mainstream historians insist were “root shelters” built by farmers. Ancient Alien theorists believe that these structures have celestial alignments that would indicate otherwise. Instead, they say these megalithic huts have an unmistakable construction style, that of the Druids.

These theorists believe the Druids made it to America long before Christopher Columbus and built these sites. They think the structures had a power that acted in conjunction with and as an accessory to Balanced Rock. Is Balanced Rock an energy source that drew UFOs to the region?

Or, is it just one of many “Earratics” left behind from 10,000 years ago?

We’ll leave that up to you.

In the meantime - Rock On! O’Life Out! ,