Haunting geolocation tale in Rock Creek Park
We decided to check out a real urban legend and set up an online challenge in the process. It was scarier than expected!
October is the month of beautiful decay, of ghosts brushing by. Still, when I picked the site for my next geolocation challenge, and decided to bring my son a lot, I was NOT expecting to be as spooked as I was.
However, before we get to that part of the tale, let’s discuss the challenge and how we were geolocated. Here’s what I posted:
I really love this picture especially (big thanks to my son, Lev!) and if you see what’s in the background, you’re already off to a good start as far as geolocating me goes:
Computer, enhance!
You may have needed to do some digging if you’re not familiar with that type of sign/emblem, but if you live in the United States, you probably have a good idea! Yep, that’s the good old National Park Service:
And it immediately narrows down your choices!
The first person to correctly locate us was actually zedster, but he has been to that place and simply recognized it.
Plenty of people got it immediately after zedster, though, and I especially appreciated the simple methodology described here:
The wonderful Ken Campbell also took the time to lay out his methodology for me here:
I really appreciated this response as well:
Remember, foliage is your friend when you’re doing a search like this!
A lot of us tend to disregard foliage, because, well, we don’t often notice how distinctive it can be. But I’ve seen some of the toughest geolocation cases I’ve come across be decisively solved when trees and nature came into play.
I also really appreciated Gina chiming in, because, well, she brought up something that a lot of people who are new to geolocation bring up:
It can seem absolutely impossible at first!
Yet once you understand that geolocation is not a guessing game, it’s the process of elimination + cross-referencing other details for a sure match, it gets so much easier, so very quickly.
And that’s something to watch out for if you think you can’t be geolocated. As I keep saying, I care about your online safety. You should always know how easily you can be found.
The Capitol Stones are, of course, famous, and you can read more about them here. I also really like this piece, because it delves into some unexplained issues with the terrain — mainly, the weird holes in the ground nearby. This story from 2009 has more information on the holes.
I would LOVE to be able to pin down how the holes came to be — but for now, I wait.
I must also tell you that this place is genuinely spooky, which took me by surprise. When we first turned off the trail to get a closer look, there was a loud noise nearby. As if something big jumped off a tree. Probably just an animal of some kind, but I was immediately startled. It didn’t help that Lev, when taking my picture, casually remarked, “There’s a guy behind you.”
I freaked out. Turns out, the guy was just poking around the place like we were, and he said that he was “sorry to disappoint” that he was not a ghost. I told him that I was extremely relieved.
What really got me about the Stones is that even though these are old pieces of the Capitol, lying abandoned, being slowly reclaimed by nature, there is absolutely no graffiti on them, and the place does inspire a kind of reverence. The stones themselves are very old, of course. Much older than the dump site itself. Maybe they’re visited by the spirits of those who built the Capitol. Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination. I wouldn’t risk hanging out there at night either way.
Big props to whoever altered the “DO NOT ENTER” sign, though. We didn’t spot any worms, but I didn’t want to stick around to have any arrive. Have I ever told you guys the tale of my father and the Great Sea Wyrm? Maybe I will, one day. Suffice it to say, we are not fans of worms in my family. (BUT WAS THIS ALL A DUNE REFERENCE?PERHAPS WE’LL NEVER KNOW)
Good on Riley for spotting what appears to be a Klingon word on it as well, however, giving a potentially new spin on things:
We’ll be back soon with a new challenge. For now, I’d like to thank everyone who participated in this fun, beginner-level challenge — and I’d especially like to thank my son Lev again, for being braver than I am.
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