{"id":10685,"date":"2012-04-29T09:19:39","date_gmt":"2012-04-29T14:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=10685"},"modified":"2022-06-03T06:38:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T11:38:03","slug":"gravity-hills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/gravity-hills\/","title":{"rendered":"Gravity Hills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many years ago I had an acquaintance who was an accomplished magician. Fortunately I got to see him practice various magic ticks as he perfected his craft. So of course I learned the secrets behind many of the illusions. The human brain likes to believe what it thinks it sees. The magic tricks often reveal themselves when someone moves to an angle not normally available to the audience. I never tired of the illusions even when I understood the mechanics. If anything, I became more enthralled. It took amazing practice, skill and timing to make all of the moving parts come together convincingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Completely Explainable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"gravityhill01.<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I think of “gravity hills” much the same way, with Mother Nature substituting as the magician. Gravity hills go by many names — magnetic hills, mystery spots, ghost roads, electric hills and so on — and they all describe the same basic phenomenon. It’s an optical illusion<\/a> where a slight downhill appears to be an uphill. The topography, horizon, road cut, floral growth, and angle of pathway all conspire to fool the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people ascribe gravity hills to supernatural explanations. Why they jump reflexively to the ethereal plain as their first resort is for someone else to determine. I’m simply an observer who notes that a quick Internet search reveals countless gullible people who take the phenomenon way too literally. There’s some weird magnetic or electrical force at work in their opinion, or a disgruntled ghost associated with some improbably legend, an alien or extraterrestrial vortex to to a different dimension, or any number of strange, devious or evil explanations. The truth is rather more mundane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nothing Unusual<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One often sees individual gravity hills described as rare or even unique. Actually, there are many such places identified worldwide. Some of them are easier to perceive than others. Of course those are the ones that become word-of-mouth or even literal tourist attractions. There are any number of lists<\/a> and collections<\/a> one can consult to experience a gravity hill nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minor ones exist everywhere, though. I often experience the feeling of driving slightly uphill even when I know the road is completely flat as I move through long, open stretches of lightly-traveled highway. I’m not sure if I have a propensity for spotting such things or whether this is common to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at a few examples. But let’s also bear in mind that Google may or may not capture the phenomenon adequately. I’ll limit myself to one instance per country. Please don’t take offense if I don’t happen to mention your personal favorite. Feel free to post a link or Street View image in the comments if you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Electric Brae, Ayrshire, Scotland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n