7/25/13
Ned Opdyke
27 of my newest best friends
In
1969 I was 12 years old, and my parents took me to The Mystery Spot. I’d lived in Santa Cruz County my whole life,
and had heard about the place from both sides of the fence. It was either, “It’s a really crazy place and
no one knows why things happen there the way they do,” or… “It’s just a big
hoax, why would you want to waste your time and money?”
It
was a big day for me. I was a smart kid,
and I’d been around long enough to know there had to be an explanation, no
matter how weird things might appear. I
was gonna blow the lid off the place, and was looking forward to being admired
and potentially rewarded for my genius.
My deductions and explanations were going to make headlines. I didn’t really know any of the story, or any
of the details… just that things were not
quite right on this side-hill piece of property; wonky, as the Brits might
say. I don’t remember too much about my
visit, except for the fact that I was really pissed off that I could not figure
it out. It was frustrating to me that
the mystery about this alleged hoax was going to remain just that. I didn’t know the definition of wonky until
42 years later, when one of the guests used the word during one of my tours I
was giving there.
In
2011, at 54 years of age, I had gotten to the point where I would do anything
for a buck, even if it meant taking minimum wage, and going back to the place
that had outraged and confused me as a child.
I knew it was a hoax and I was going to be able to get the inside scoop,
and finally relieve all the built up angst I had subconsciously carried inside
me for all those years.
The
thing was though… after all those years… the angst had actually turned into
something else. Now, I had a different
outlook on the mysteries of life. Sure,
I might find out what the ‘tricks’ were, but at my advanced age, I had learned
that there are some things that are better if they are unknown. Mysteries are fun.
Going
into the training, I had preconceptions.
How would I be able to look the tourists in the eyes and tell them, “No
one knows,” and/ or… “That’s why they call this The Mystery Spot.” And as I was going through my training, I
asked a few of the established guides, “What is really going on here?” To the credit of their character, each of them,
almost to an exactness that was a little spooky, said, “We really don’t know,”
and gave me a sideways wink and just the hint of a smile.
So
that’s what I’m going to leave you with here today. The answer to what I had wondered about my
whole life, and what people from all over the world are still wondering… What
is the secret of The Mystery Spot? The
secret of The Mystery Spot is… that… after over 70 years in operation… it is
still a mystery.
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