# Oregon vortex and the mystery spot

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 18, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924 "2001-08-18T19:17:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Podalack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@Podalack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podalack)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924/1 "2001-08-18T19:17:55Z")

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Has anyone been to either the Oregon vortex and the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz? Please fill me in on what’s at each? How high is the cheese factor?

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**Author:** ![askol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@askol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askol)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924/2 "2001-08-18T19:33:44Z")

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I’m fairly certain that there is also a Mystery Spot in the UP of Michigan. I’ve never visited it, or the Yooper Tourist Trap.

askol

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924/3 "2001-08-18T19:56:22Z")

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A geographical metaphor being exceptionally suitable for this subject, “been there, done that”:

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=34731](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=34731)

A fair number of places like this exist - they generally rely on misleading visual cues which cause you to have a false idea of what “vertical” is, making a slight downhill slope appear to be uphill.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924/4 "2001-08-19T02:38:32Z")

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So I checked out all the links in the previous thread on this, and they all seem to have similar attractions. Who built the first one? Are all the rest knockoffs, or is there a franchise? If I want to open my own Mystery Spot®, can I download a list of attractions and how to build them? Is this an underexploited investment opportunity, or is it already past the bubble?

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-vortex-and-the-mystery-spot/76924/5 "2001-08-19T06:05:10Z")

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I know there is a Mystery Spot somewhere in Texas, I don’t recall where that was though, and in the Wisconsin Dells there is the “Wonder Spot”. All are a con, tricking your sense of up & down temporarily. They do have entertainment value, though.