Can anyone explain the height change mystery at Oregon Vortex?

reply to post by WWu777

I've actually been here with my brother and when we went we brought our own level and pendulum. This place is not just an illusion its definitely happening and I could tell by that plank test. When my brother walked past me I saw him shrink! We took photos and you can see the background doesn't change and the plank is level! We had a yard stick held between us and when we changed positions it leveled out instead of flipping angLes. All the while the level never changes. Ill try to find the pictures.

Creative construction, use of visual trickery. Come on guys, we know all this by now. Believing in the Oregon Vortex being preternatural is like believing that Halloween Haunted Houses really have ghosts in them. It's just a fun gag for the kids, not something adults should be giving serious credence to.

What we need to show why this happens is simultaneous video taken from directly above and the side view already seen.I think the Ames room comes pretty close......
en.wikipedia.org...

I think the trick is in the angle the plank they are standing on is on. The pictures and videos are never perfectly straight it'ss always on an angle. That's just My opinion anyway

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

What exactly is a gravity hill and how does it work? Those links above don't explain that. I would image that if a river or ball was rolling uphill, then the ground or foundation underneath must be tilted somehow in a way that you don't notice it, right? That would be the logical explanation.

However, a level plank is another matter. If a plank can be demonstrated to be level by a level tool and by me balancing a nickel on it, then how would heights change from one end of the plank to the other, from any angle you look?

Again, see the video above from the news report. You will see the height change take place. See it for yourself.

I wonder what would happen if I took two cylinder objects of the exact same height (such as barrels) and switched them on that plank, and measured them each time with a tape measure. Or better yet, how about sliding two objects of equal height toward each other on that plank and see if any height changes occur?

I should email the Oregon Vortex visitor center and ask them if they've tried that.

Originally posted by doodles40
I think the trick is in the angle the plank they are standing on is on. The pictures and videos are never perfectly straight it'ss always on an angle. That's just My opinion anyway

That doesn't make sense. You can go there yourself, as many have, and see the same thing with the naked eye. It's not that simple.

The height change shows from every angle. And the plank is level. I even balanced a nickel on its edge on it.

reply to post by WWu777

I should email the Oregon Vortex visitor center and ask them if they've tried that.

Do you expect an honest answer? They designed the illusion, they're not going to tell you how it works.

Check this out. A skeptic and debunker on my forum admitted that after he did some simple tests with the photos, that optical illusion wasn't the explanation.

Ok, so I did take the pics of scepcop and erased everything around the two guys, and there is definetly a height difference between the two photos. Don't feel like uploading it to image shack or anything but its easy to do yourself. Right click and save the photos. Open in paint or other program and just erase everything around then use a box to draw a straight line from the top of the taller guys head. There is a real difference on the photos between the gap from the bottom of the box and scepcop's head in each photo.

This guy on PinoyExchange had an interesting explanation:

www.pinoyexchange.com...

I'm skeptical. Consider these points:

1) Why is the level tool measured only at the center? They should measure from both ends to check whether it is truly at dead level. The coin test is irrelevant if it is only placed in the middle.

2) I suspect that one of the ends are subtly sloped upwards and craftily hidden by the soil to make it look straight and even. You can see this on the first video. The left end is raised higher than the right end. I don't think they covered it properly.

3) Why use people as a measuring tool? They should use a long ruler at the same height measurement to check the level. If the other end is lower, then, no brainer actually. The other end is higher, which I believe can be verified with the level tool.

However, if you superimpose the photos of the same people on both sides, you will still find a height difference, regardless of the slopes or leanings. The leaning only makes a slight difference, but not enough to account for the height difference.

reply to post by WWu777


Oh na I'm from another country and sorry wasn't attacking you or anything was just a thought

Ok, to close this "mystery" once and for all, I've made a little experiment with my 14yo son and my 6yo daughter, that don't have of course, the same height:

I've took two shoots of both of them standing on a ground plank, with the camera making roughly a 20/30° angle with the plank:





Note that the apparent size of my son is bigger in the first shoot than in the second because he's closer to the camera.

So I guess that there's also a "mystery spot' in my own garden...

I also tried it with a shorter angle:





It works as well.

And to definately prove that this is only a trick of perspective, I've took two shoots with the camera lens parallel to the plank:





No change in the apparent size of my children in both photos...

Case closed!

reply to post by elevenaugust


Yeah this is what I was getting at with my post thank you for explaining

So which vortex house are we talking about, the one in Oregon or the replica that was made for Knotts Berry Farm?

That's right, it has so much magic that they were able to syphon some off into a replica!!

Lastly, it was just an outdoor Ames Room:

An Ames room is a distorted room that is used to create an optical illusion.

en.wikipedia.org...

Haunted Shack @ Knotts:
en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by adigregorio


PS:

Ames' original design also contained a groove that was positioned such that a ball in it appears to roll uphill, against gravity.

Just sayin'

No magic, just fancy illusions. Also, if they have the water faucet that has water but no pipes, just ask them to turn off the water. That always upsets them!

Could this be how the ball rolling up the plank trick is done? If so, does it explain the height change illusion too?

Check out the photos here taken by a visitor to the Oregon Vortex. They show that the background has nothing to do with the height change.

www.robbecher.www4.50megs.com...

reply to post by WWu777


As I have pointed out it is a clever use of the Ames room, in this case an "outdoor version".

Here is another example:
www.patheticsympathyseekers.com...

Here is some Wiki love, though I am sure it will be discounted due to its lack of magical properties....I mean because it is Wikipedia!

en.wikipedia.org...

Most people believe this effect happens due to a distorted background which results in a forced perspective, as with an Ames room.[2] It should be noted, that photographs published at the official website of the attraction appear to demonstrate the same apparent height anomaly even when the potentially confusing perspectives of the background are removed. However, while the taller of the figures does indeed change dramatically in size depending on whether he stands on the side that 'makes you shorter' or the side that 'makes you taller', the shorter of the two figures remains the same size in all photos, no matter which end of the plank he stands on, thus indicating clearly that the photos are digitally altered. Photos taken by independent parties and posted online do not show a similar discrepancy in size once the illusion caused by the background is removed.

It is a forced perspective, outdoor Ames room. If it was so magical, copies wouldn't be so prevalant:

en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

Just to note, from that last link:

After a spiel concerning "strange goings on," and a demonstration in which two volunteers appeared to change height (in what was, in effect, an outdoor "Ames Room")

Also, the last link was a replica of the Oregon Vortex house, and was billed as such at the theme park. (Was one of my favorite attractions until they removed it.)

Optical illusions are fancy, but are illusions none the less.

EDIT (To Add)
Try to find an arial photograph of the site, there used to be one of the Haunted Shack, where you could see how the plank was angled versus where the audience/camera is. Of course it ruins the magic trick, and magicians never like that. You really could build one of these yourself, it is not hard at all. Then you too can have a magical plot of land...huge tracts?


EDIT (To Add)
Here is another list of Mystery Spots and the like.

paranormal.about.com...

Reminds me of this =)

www.youtube.com...

Ok, i have been to the Oregon Vortex and i can vouch that if you pay attention to the trees when going through the illusions, these are all clearly optical illusions.

This is why there are places like this all over the place. Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz CA is another. Tourist attractions only. If there were real mysteries there, scientists would be all over the place studying it.

The angle of the platforms position you in such a way that you are motivated to look certain directions to maintain your balance and orientation. The platforms ARE LEVEL yes, but, when i was there i also noted that the places for your feet were not always level, they forced you to stand in a slant. Pointing your body one way while the environment modivates your eyes to look down to see the person you are comparing yourself with.

Also, sometimes the environment around the illusions is designed to make you think the area is level when it is in fact, not level at all.
I made this picture to show that the differences between these mens heels and heads remain the same despite what seems like a height change.

Oregon Vortex