First stop was the Oregon Vortex, a seemingly cheesy tourist trap in the woods 5 miles off the interstate. We had our doubts, but having appeared on the "X-Files", "Ripley's Believe It or Not", Travel Channel, TLC, and Discovery Channel to name a few, we decided to give the Vortex a chance. This acre of woods was known as forbidden ground to the Native Americans, as they noticed that no animals would enter here. It was noted that unusual conditions existed here, but it wasn't until 1943 that scientific theories were presented. The Vortex is a spherical field of force, 1/2 above ground and 1/2 below, forming a circle. The force acts on you in such a way that you can't stand erect; you inevitably incline towards magnetic north. Our guide went on to tell us that as you travel north in the Vortex, you appear taller… Yeah, right!

Whoa, wait a second! Did she just shrink?? As you can see from the handy stick, as the visitor moved south (right), she appears shorter. Now, I know what you're thinking "The ground isn't level." At every stop, the guide would pull out a level or tape measure. The weirdest thing, on both sides of the plank, your height on the back board was exactly the same. "The Vortex can't change your height, it just makes you appear different" our guide assured us.

Here's another demo. Before he raised the stick, you can see that the ladies end was just slightly lower than Chris's.

Then Chris moves north and BAM he looks like a foot taller. Behind them is the world famous House of Mystery. Originally built an assay office for gold mining, it began sinking and sliding off its foundation. As we walked through the House, we realized that when you tried to stand straight, you end up leaning. A ball and glass bottle appear to roll uphill. A broom stands up on its own. Since it was opened in 1930, over 300 imitation Houses have been built, but anyone can build a crooked house! There's only one Oregon Vortex!