Mysterious shiny monolith found in Utah desert

[Stevicus]

Another update: Visitor: Monolith toppled by group who said 'leave no trace'

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New clues have surfaced in the disappearance of a gleaming monolith in Utah that seemed to melt away as mysteriously as it appeared in the red-rock desert — though it’s no longer the only place where a strange structure has come and gone.

A Colorado photographer told KSTU-TV that he saw four men come to the remote Utah site Friday night and push over the hollow, stainless steel object.

“Right after it had fallen over and made a loud thud, one of them said, ‘This is why you don’t leave trash in the desert,’” Ross Bernards told the Salt Lake City TV station.

The group broke down the structure into pieces, loaded it into a wheelbarrow and left.

“As they were loading it up and walking away, they just said, ‘Leave no trace,’” he said.

The sheriff’s office in San Juan County has said it’s not planning an investigation into the disappearance of the monolith, which had been placed without permission on public land. But authorities also said they would accept tips from any of the hundreds of visitors who trekked out to see the otherworldly gleaming object deep in the desert.

Apparently, the monolith attracted visitors, who left trash and waste.

Visitors have left behind a mess of human waste, cars parked on vegetation and other debris, the land agency said. The mysterious structure that evoked the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” generated international attention and drew plenty of speculation about otherworldly origins, though officials said it was an earthly creation of riveted plates of stainless steel.

For Bernards, the visitors’ damage to the environment convinced him that the remote area was better off without the structure.

 

[McBell]

Apparently, the monolith attracted visitors, who left trash and waste.

 

[Stevicus]

German police probe mystery of missing giant phallus statue

BERLIN (AP) — Police in southern Germany have opened an investigation into the disappearance of a large wooden sculpture of a phallus from a mountainside where it appeared without explanation several years ago.

Local newspaper Allgaeuer Zeitung reported Monday that the 2-meter-tall (almost 7-foot) tall sculpture appeared to have been chopped down over the weekend, with just a sorry pile of sawdust left behind on the 1,738-meter (5,702-foot) high Gruenten mountain.

The male genitalia had gained celebrity status in recent years as a destination for hikers, and even appeared on Google Maps, where it was classified as a “cultural monument.” Local lore has it that it was made as a prank birthday present for a young man whose family didn’t appreciate the gift and so the 200-kilogram (440-pound) sculpture was hauled up the mountain and left there.

 

[Revoltingest]

View attachment 45788

@sun rise.....does trash just follow him around?

 

[Revoltingest]

Another update: Visitor: Monolith toppled by group who said 'leave no trace'
Apparently, the monolith attracted visitors, who left trash and waste.

The entire park attracts visitors who leave trash & waste.
The monolith is no exception.
(I pick up trash when hiking there.)
(And yes....I am indeed that virtuous.)

 

[sun rise]

@sun rise.....does trash just follow him around?

Nah. Bears make a mess and dogs just look askance at the result.

 

[Stevicus]

The entire park attracts visitors who leave trash & waste.
The monolith is no exception.
(I pick up trash when hiking there.)
(And yes....I am indeed that virtuous.)

A lot of people seem to like the outdoors, but too many of them are ruining the outdoors.

 

[Arthur P. Dent]

Aside from the plethora of issues surrounding the Boy Scouts, when I was one in a younger age, they did teach us that the ONLY thing you take is pictures and the ONLY thing you leave behind is footprints. I am proud to say that I am passing those values onto my children as well as any who will listen ;-)

 

[Stevicus]

California monolith becomes the third to appear and disappear

Now, there's been a third monolith which appeared and disappeared in California.

Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A silver-colored metal monolith has been discovered in California, shortly after similar monoliths in Utah and Romania were discovered and subsequently removed.

The California monolith was photographed Wednesday at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero. Deputy City Manager Terrie Banish confirmed the object was removed by unknown means Thursday morning. She said the city did not remove the monolith and does not intend to investigate the matter.

Witnesses to the California monolith's removal said the culprits were vandals from out of town who replaced the structure with a wooden cross.

The origins of all three objects remain unknown.

Is this some practical joke? This is getting kind of weird.

 

[Stevicus]

I found another article, a bit more in depth, about the monolith phenomenon and where they might have come from: Mysterious monoliths are appearing across the world. Here’s what we know.

So where are all these monoliths coming from?

It’s not clear that they’re all from the same source. The building style and materials used vary sharply between locations, and a possible explanation would be that the Romanian and Californian monoliths are the work of copycats following the example of whoever made the Utah monolith.


Are they some sort of cynical guerrilla ad campaign? Considering that the Utah monolith dates back to 2015, that seems unlikely: It would be a hell of a slow burn of a marketing push.

One popular theory notes that the Utah monolith site is close to some of the 2015 shooting locations for the HBO drama Westworld, and suggests that it might be a leftover prop, or a prank by a member of the Westworld crew.

Another theory suggests that the monoliths are an anonymous art installation or series of installations, created either by the same team or by an original artist in Utah and then copycats.

And in that case, the most pressing question becomes: Who is the artist?

I didn't know they filmed Westworld near there, and considering the time frame they believe the monolith was placed there, it seems to make sense.

 

[JustGeorge]

I found another article, a bit more in depth, about the monolith phenomenon and where they might have come from: Mysterious monoliths are appearing across the world. Here’s what we know.



I didn't know they filmed Westworld near there, and considering the time frame they believe the monolith was placed there, it seems to make sense.

Interesting...

I read this right after reading @Left Coast 's post about aliens...

 

[Left Coast]

Interesting...

I read this right after reading @Left Coast 's post about aliens...

You've cracked the case!

 

[JustGeorge]

You've cracked the case!

Its about time I got something right...

Do I get a cookie?