PINEOLA, NC. Our time here while camped at the Pineola (pronounced pine-OH-la) Campground has been very chore-oriented combined with efforts to view the 2024 Olympics without cable TV hookups.  Someone recommended viewing YouTube via a "hotstick" from Amazon, but even then we generally get only recordings and not live coverage.  

We did find out that we have national access to the YMCA with our membership from St Augustine.  We have only done water aerobics, since nothing like Silver Sneakers is available here.  We have been there twice so far and already feel sore from that.  A couple of old coots we are.

On Friday July 26st we had dinner at the Rohrbaugh's home in Newland.  They are old friends from their days living in St Augustine.  

On Saturday July 27th we went shopping in Boone where I ordered an AT&T hot spot, since our Verizon one is not that great, regardless of all the hype about their coverage.  We may be finding out that the AT&T one is not that great either. We also shopped at the Publix in Boone, including getting our Rx refills.  That is the only Publix anywhere near here.  

On Tuesday July 30th, we had a plumber install a new kitchen sink fixture trio of faucet, nozzle, and sprayer.  I was able to order from Amazon a set identical to the one that came with the motorhome.  The old set was 11 years old and starting to leak.  The setup looked simple to me, but Betty fretted that I was in no condition to crawl under the sink and lie on a wooden ridge while working the old set off, then install the new set.  Turned out the plumber really had to earn his keep getting it done, and I was glad that I did not try it. 

On Thursday August 1st we drove up to Boone once again to pick up the new AT&T hot spot.  It is hopefully better than the Verizon one, but nothing like what we have at home.  We also picked up another Rx at Publix pharmacy.  Before leaving Boone we stopped off at the Mystery Hill Natural Gravitational Anomaly.  There are other such places around the world, with several in the US.  The three points of the Bermuda Triangle have this anomaly, which could explain why flight compasses go nuts in that triangle of space.

I was very skeptical about this place.  I had seen similar places shown on TV and wondered if it was simply optical illusions, so I brought a level app on my phone that I knew worked.  Even the guide of our tour through this place was a skeptic a first and brought a level from home, which he left on the stone slab below to demonstrate that it was indeed level.

Note Level on Stone Below Us

As we switch positions on this stone, it appears that our height difference changes considerably.  People who are not as different in height as Betty and I are notice it more.

Note the Difference When We Switch Places

This Couple Were Not As Different in Their Heights

Now They Switch Places

Then you enter their strange building.  The tour guide warned us to hold onto the railings, since many visitors get very disoriented in there.

As You Enter the Main Room

This Floor Slants Down to the Right, But Things Roll Uphill

The camera is tilted below to show how it feels to walk up the room.  The swing above is swung far more to the side than it would ordinarily be. 

Everything Is Accentuated

If you stand with your back to the wall at the low end, it feels like hurricane winds are pinning you against it.  

As You Attempt to Walk Away from That Wall

The photo below shows what it feels like to move away.

It Takes A Surprising Amount of Effort

Betty Demonstrates the Pull

Our guide demonstrated the anomaly by pouring water at the low end of the pipe below to show that it flows uphill.  There is also a rail that inclines uphill to show a ball rolling uphill.

Here Betty and another guest give a demonstration.  

After we left that room, we went into rooms on the way out of the anomaly area. 

Below is a demonstration of the Bernoulli effect of air blown straight up on a ball.  

        

The following really are merely optical illusions.

Mirror Used to Make It Look Like Betty Is Floating

While This Rotates, If You Cover One Eye
It Appears to Rotate in the Opposite Direction

Water Appears to Flow From Faucet Suspended in Air

Other illusions were impossible to photograph.   

The next room was a favorite for Betty.  It was for blowing bubbles.  Click on link:  Betty Blowing Bubbles

There was another exhibit for blowing bubbles that Betty struggled with.

Click on link:  Sometimes Bubbles and Betty Do Not Mix

So I took over for a while.  

Click on link: Steven Gives It a Try

We left the unique building for the main tourist attraction area, which included a small eatery.  I was so disoriented by this point that I wanted a drink of soda or something.  We got soft pretzels and a diet soda.  I noticed that, like so many tourist stops in this part of North Carolina, there is a very large display of "vintage" soft drinks for sale, most of which neither of us had ever heard of.

One of Many Displays of Old Soda Brands

Even the Window Sill Had Sodas Lined Up

After a rest (and a while seated) I was able to drive again.  It really was a disorienting experience.