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

Monumental Mysteries

I recently read an article on an Atlas Obscura site about a monument called Utah’s Eerie Stone Cross.

The story went, according to Greg Christensen of Atlas Obscura, that “For decades a crudely constructed, 20-foot-tall cement and stone cross stood in a hollow on the northern outskirts of Kaysville, Utah. Marked with a large letter K in the center, the cross was known to locals as Kay’s Cross. It couldn’t be seen from any road and was on private property, undeveloped except for a few footpaths that meandered deep into the woods. Its secluded location, unknown origins, and proximity to the Kaysville Cemetery made Kay’s Cross a xture of urban legend.” Stories abounded of polygamy, mass murder, and eternal entombment – you know, the usual. But on February 15, 1992, nearby residents reported hearing a loud boom. Deputies of the Kaysville police department made their way into the hollow to nd Kay’s Cross destroyed, apparently by 80 pounds of dynamite planted at the base; no arrests were ever made. Slingshot forward to last year.

Georgia Guidestones

The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument that stood in Elbert County, Georgia, United States, from 1980 to 2022. The stones were 19 feet 3 inches tall and the structure was sometimes referred to as an “American Stonehenge.”

The structure, which was built in 1979, had long drawn curious visitors from around the world because of its unique design and cryptic messages. It was made of six granite slabs – a central monolith anked by four others and topped with a capstone – weighing a total of more than 100 tons. Holes in the pillars were aligned with the Pole Star and the Sun’s solstice and equinox, and one aperture allowed a ray of sun to pass through at noon each day to indicate the day of the year.

On it was also inscribed 10 elliptical messages in several languages, including Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew. They included “Maintain humanity under 500 million in perpetual balance with nature” and “Balance personal rights with social duties”.

At one time former Republican candidate for governor Kandiss Taylor called it “satanic” and campaigned on a promise to obliterate it.

On July 6th of 2022, the stones were mysteriously dynamited. The explosion was even caught on video. Taylor suggested the vandalism was an act of God. “God is God all by Himself. He can do ANYTHING He wants to do. That includes striking down Satanic Guidestones,” she tweeted.

Okay then. God used dynamite? Reminds me of Kirk asking, “What does God need with a Starship?”

And, speaking of our favorite Starship captain…

Future Birthplace of Captain James T Kirk

Riverside, Iowa

A number of years back I was reading one of the many books by my favorite author, Rand McNally, and on the two-page spread of Iowa, there was a small red star. The red star usually points out a place or town of interest. This one jumped out at me as it said – “Future Birthplace of Captain James T Kirk.” Really?

I remember this mentioned in the Star Trek ick with the whales - George and Gracie. The marine bi- ologist says “Don’t tell me, you’re from outer space?” Kirk responds “No, I’m from Iowa. I only work in outer space.”

Hmmm. Road trip!

Gene Roddenberry’s 1968 book ‘Making of Star Trek’ declared that James T. Kirk would be born in a small Iowa town on March 22, 2228. The town wasn’t named in the book, but city councilman Steve Miller decided it should and could be Riverside, IA.

After erecting a monument claiming Riverside as the future birthplace of the famous character in the mid-’80s, the town changed its slogan from “Where the best begins” to “Where the Trek begins.”

I brought Shira here (okay, dragged without her consent or enthusiasm) during our F%$K COVID Cross-Country Tour in 2020. Indeed there is a monument, a replica of the Enterprise, and even a museum. All the Trek you could want.

But, not much else.

At the BMW Rally in Missouri this past spring we met a couple at a bar who were from Riverside. We told them we had visited and they apologized. Well, only 205 years till we nd out, right?

Hollow Earth Monument • Hamilton, OH

John Symmes, Jr., a 19th-century lecturer, had a theory: he believed the Earth was hollow.

While Jules Verne may have been the most famous writer to expound on the concept that the Earth is hollow, Journey to the Center of the Earth was explicitly a work of fiction.

Early-1800s lecturer John Symmes Jr., however, wanted to let people know that Verne’s visions were not as fantastic as they seemed…

Symmes’ Hollow Earth Theory posits exactly what you’d think: that the Earth is in fact hollow. According to Symmes, the empty center of the planet is accessible via shafts located at the north and south poles of the planet, as though Earth is some sort of celestial jewelry bead.

While the theory seems far-fetched by modern standards, Symmes was able to garner a strong amount of interest in the concept via his lecture tours, where he displayed his research into the magnetic elds that he claimed were proof of the holes at the poles. He garnered so much interest that he actually got Congress to vote on funding that would allow him to mount expeditions to the polar regions in the 1820s, where he guaranteed they would nd the entrances to the center of the planet. Unfortunately for him, the government did not share Symmes’ sense of wonder and the grant was voted down.

Symmes retired to Hamilton, and his theory outlived him, at least for a time, but you can see a statue, dedicated to this notion, with a hollow Earth sitting at the top.

Just another stop on the road through Mysterious America. ,