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Jacques-Andre Istel has officially established the Center of the World in Felecity, California (Population 2), and he has built a town around it to bolster his claim. He's the mayor. The town is named after his wife Felicia.
The Mayor needed a way to mark his Center. Felicia had the idea: "It's in the desert, why not a pyramid?" Jacques-Andre was delighted, and had a 21-foot-tall, hollow, mirror-lined, pink granite pyramid built over The Spot, which is a dot in the center of a bronze disk set into the pyramid's floor. Placing your toe on the spot is an occasion for ceremony in Felicity, with a town official recording the exact moment on your certificate and ordering you to make an obligatory wish.
For an extra $3.00 you get a certificate of the "CENTER OF THE WORLD"
inside the pyramid and 'make a wish'.
There are a hundred granite slabs that contain inscriptions and pictures of the 'history of the world".
It is actually quite remarkable.
Many of the slabs are left blank for future generations to add more history to it.
A sculpture of God's arm -- from Michelangelo's Dawn of Creation painting in the Sistine Chapel -- acts as a sundial.
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and, of course the Hand of God points to the 'center of the world'!
It even has a "Stairway to Nowhere"
This stairway is actually from the original staircase in the Eiffel Tower.
Good fun to see the creativity in such an unusual place.
Other Decorations in the Desert
The Valley of the Names
DURING WORLD WAR II, SOLDIERS training in the desert north of Yuma, Arizona, began decorating a site they called “Graffiti Mesa,” using rocks to write out their names in the clay. The tradition continued on after the war, and the graffitied area grew and grew. Today over 1,200 acres of land are decorated with signatures, messages, dates, initials, and designs.
It reminds me of the graffiti in Hawaii
except the background is black lava and the rocks are white coral.
Some create a bit of color in the desert.
Many have to bring their own rocks.
Hey, Monica!
added color is nice
A fun day of jeep touring in the desert.
