a strange museum at the ‘centre of the world’ - metal plaque

Thirty years ago, Jacques
Andre Eastel decided to move to the desert and find a way to do something.
Since then, he has built a museum, which will last until 6000.
About 30 years ago, Jacques
Andre Eastel turned to his wife, Felicia Lee and said: "We are going to sit in the desert and find a way to do something.
It's hardly a tempting offer, but by then, Li must have gotten used to her husband's rabbit --Smart plan
In 1971, he and his bride at the time were at great risk. to-
Yes, Istel drove the couple for a round-the-
The World flies in a tiny, twin
An engine plane with few Chevrolet cars.
Before that, there was the whole thing that convinced people to jump out of the plane: In his 1950 s, after returning home from the end of the Korean War, he served in the US Marine Corps, istel has developed skydiving equipment and technology to enable regular Joe to jump out of the plane and land at 2, 500ft, as if he had fallen from a 4ft shelf.
Soon thousands of Americans began to enjoy the latest craze: skydiving.
Li, a Sports Illustrated reporter, met Istel, then known as the "father of American sport skydiving", in an interview in a magazine, she had her own taste for adventure.
"If I told her tomorrow that we were going to Mars, she would say, 'What am I going to pack? '? ’,” Istel said.
You may also be interested: a museum measured by a million-point difference, basically an unnamed work in the United States, why is this American city so ridiculous, so in its 1980 s,
East corner of California, a few miles west of Yuma, Arizona, next to Interstate 8, where Istel got a 2,600-
An acre of land decades ago.
In addition to the good reservoir, this special strip of the Sonoma desert has little to recommend.
But "we realize we like it-calm, beautiful," Istel said . ".
In addition to the RV park and some impressive high sand dunes, there is nothing around it, and the couple's desert sanctuary is almost out of the way.
So it makes sense to put it somewhere, at least in Istel's enthusiastic imagination.
France, 1985-
The born skydiving pioneer coaxed the California Imperial County Board of Supervisors to designate a location on his property as the world's official center. (
It may be bold, but not necessarily inaccurate, because anywhere on the surface of the Earth may be central. )
Such an important landmark needs to have its own town.
The next year, Istel created Felicity, which now has about 15 residents and its own highway logo.
In the absence of objections, Istel was elected mayor in the same year-apparently for life.
But in the desert, the hideaway of Istel is not over.
He has an idea to build a granite monument with inscriptions on it to commemorate the important people and places of his life-his alma mater airborne companions (
Princeton University, New Jersey)
His family fled France during World War II and settled in New York.
His father Andre was a consultant to Charles de Gaulle, while his mother Yvonne was a wartime volunteer.
Istel doesn't want any monuments.
It must be magnificent, and more importantly, it must be something that will continue into the distant future.
He hired structural engineers who designed a design for a slender granite triangle that Istel said could survive in 6000.
On 1991, the monument of the triangle rose from the ground.
It is 100ft long, about 4.
5ft high, facing about 60 polished red granite panels.
Durability from inside: Steel-
The reinforced concrete sank into the trench 3ft deep.
Then Istel decided to build another monument in honor of the US Marines who were killed in the Korean War.
Then there are the third monuments, the fourth and fifth.
Today, 20 granite monuments are placed on the desert floor at a clever angle, forming a museum of granite history, which is an open
An old knowledge airline.
As a guest posted on TripAdvisor, the museum is "a place where Martians come to know humans ".
From the Big Bang to former US President Barack Obama, Istel inscribed most of our knowledge of the world on his stone triangle.
Visitors-tens of thousands of visitors every year-Learn about Hinduism, the eruption of the vesuwei volcano, Zapotecs in central Mexico, Buddhism, the birth of Jesus, the behavior of the Huns Attila, the Bida walrus, Greek philosophy, Gettysburg speech, moon landing and contemporary terrorism.
Despite his background in the Ivy League, Istel believes
The knowledge gained "may be the best form of education ".
The idea behind these historical sketches is to provide enough information to stir up the interest of the reader.
Most topics-even big ones-can only speak a few hundred words at most.
Li handled most of the research with well-known publishers such as Oxford, Britannica and Larousse.
Istel wrote the article and then he and Lee discussed the wording back and forth before finalizing the final version.
The entry titled "interesting time" went through 59 drafts.
Once the text is ready, professional sculptors start working and often work hard under the lights of the night sky to escape the heat of the cruel desert.
To match the text, the artists etched illustrations on hard stone panels.
The museum can't cover everything, so "you can pick something interesting," Istel said . ".
He often combines related project teams with a single theme.
The code of Rabbi hanur and the Ten Commandments appear under the "early concept of law.
In a panel called "exploration and expansion", the concept of "obvious destinations" in the United States was mentioned, as well as the adventures of Merryweather Lewis and William Clark.
Some topics of personal interest to Istel-skydiving gets enough space-while others come from suggestions from others.
Lee came up with an idea for a group on the official American coat of arms.
Some inscriptions are interesting, if a little more.
In 1809, for example, President James Madison proposed the creation of a cabinet position for the minister of beer.
Burgers "account for nearly 60% of all sandwiches ".
Grizzly bears on the flag of the original Bear Republic in California "look more like pigs than bears ".
Typical western cowboy "often hundreds of miles from the nearest bar or woman ".
Istel believes the TV mute button for "one of the greatest inventions in the world" is mentioned.
Istel aims to be objective and is a person who insists on accuracy.
But even reputable sources will disagree on certain issues, which is a difficult challenge.
"The answer is, you do your best," Istel said . ".
The official season of the museum is held in the cool months.
From the day after Thanksgiving
4 th Thursday, November)
By the end of the parade, visitors can join 15-
A minute tour led by a volunteer guide, watch short videos about the museum, or eat something at a small restaurant.
The museum is open for the rest of the year, but only for yourselfguided tours.
Istel's property is also dotted with art and architectural works that seem to have nothing to do with anything, but adds a bit of ridiculous fun.
The 25 feet part of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower does not coordinate the rise of the ground to the desert sky.
A replica of a bronze sculpture, from the painting's ceiling to the Sistine Church's "arm of God," as the gnomon of the day dial.
And a hollow, 21ft pink-
Inside is a metal plaque that marks the center of the world.
In addition to the regular admission fee of $3 per person for the museum, the $2 fee gives visitors the right to obtain a certificate to prove standing in the exact location.
The highest and most striking element of the property is a small white church, located on a 35-foot mound, poetic.
Istel is not particularly religious, but he believes that it is appropriate to install a church if there is no other reason than "let's keep good behavior.
Istel and Lee live next to the museum and are lovely.
House full of big windows looking at chocolate
Colored Mountains.
There is a library full of leather
The piano played by Li and the bound roll.
Istel offers carbonated wine-crystal wine glasses to guests if they like.
Istel made plans for the museum and everything around him in his manor.
However, on the occasion of his 90 th birthday, he has no plans to slow down.
The museum is far from complete.
Dozens of blank granite panels await text and illustrations.
There is also a new highway sign to be installed, never
Keep up with the end task of online reviews.
Istel responds to each and every-even mean-with consistent courtesy --.
If one day residents of other worlds really visited the museum, Istel wouldn't be particularly surprised.
He believes that humans will one day settle on other planets and eventually become stars, so it's not hard to imagine at some point that humans will be able to return to Earth.
There is a big question mark on a granite panel that says: "May distant descendants, perhaps far away from the Earth, look at our collective history with understanding and emotion.
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