Topic: The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

[FrankB]

In 1947 George VanTassel retired from a career in aeronautical engineering and leased 4 square miles of desert near Landers, CA at Giant Rock (the world's largest free-standing boulder) from the BLM. There he and his wife opened the Giant Rock Interplanetary Airport and the Come On Inn, a small restaurant.

One day in August of 1953, at about 2:00AM, aliens from the planet Venus landed at Giant Rock. They made contact with George and telepathically gave him vast amounts of information about time travel and rejuvenation technology. (I'm not making this up, it's all on the internet so it must be true.)

From 1539 through 1977 George held Interplanetary Space Conventions at Giant Rock. In 1957 he started construction of the Integratron, which was originally intended to be an electrostatic generator. No metal was used in the construction of the building itself. The building is 2-stories, 38 feet high and 50 feet in diameter. The second floor is an acoustically perfect sound chamber.

VanTassel died suddenly in 1978. He never did get a chance to activate the electronic equipment in the Integratron, and it disappeared mysteriously a few days after his death.  You can read more about the building and its use today at www.integratron.com    It's worth the drive to see it and experience a "sound bath" in the second floor chamber.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

Inside the lower floor area.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

Heading up the stairs to the Sound Chamber.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

Getting ready for a Sound Bath.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

From the Integratron it was on to the town of Joshua Tree for some lunch, but first a quick stop for fuel. The Xterra in it's most common habitat.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

Next up Joshua Tree National Park, with a stop at White Tank to hike the little Arch Rock Nature Trail before heading out on Geology Tour Road and down Berdoo Canyon.

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

The Integratron / Joshua Tree Road Trip

[Goldfish]

Looks very interesting Frank. When did you go ?

[Paul]

Somebody got a new wide angle lens. 

[FrankB]

Looks very interesting Frank. When did you go ?

Saturday. Actually the JTNP part was pretty much a last minute (as in after lunch) decision.

If you want to experience a Sound Bath check out the Integratron website under the section called Visit the Dome. Public sound baths cost $10, and are done at Noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Not every weekend, though, so check the schedule before heading out there.  We didn't go to Giant Rock this time, but that really should be part of any Integratron visit. It's a couple of miles away up a sandy wash road.

[FrankB]

Somebody got a new wide angle lens. 

Good catch Paul, really wide angle. It's a Pentax 10-17 Fisheye Zoom. All but one shot in this post were taken with it.  Lots of fun, it's my new favorite lens. At 10mm it exhibits true fisheye distortion, but once you get close to 17mm (25.5mm in 35mm equivalent, for those of us old enough to remember film) it looks fairly normal. Like most crop sensor-only Pentax lenses it's fairly compact too, but it is heavy since it's made of metal not plastic. I'm looking forward to taking it to Europe, but that may have to wait a couple more years. For now I'll have to settle for Banff and Glacier NP in early August when we do our next long road trip in the X.

Here is a link to a post on the SD DSLR site with some of my first shots with it.

http://www.sandiegodslr.com/?q=node/885

[chad]

Looks like fun
I should take the kids there

[AV Xterra]

Is the sound bath clothing optional?  I don't like to bathe with my clothes on.

[Soylent Yellow]

Is the sound bath clothing optional?  I don't like to bathe with my clothes on.

No Dan, no!  Clothing is not optional, it is required!  They're not that kind of alien.  Pervert.

[Blackx]

Looks awesome.  I'd like to check that out.