Miles -O- Fun

"Stars Fell on Alabama"

Have you ever been riding in the car and noticed a big sign on the side of the road that looked like this one? They are called Roadside Historic Markers and they tell about an area that is significant to an event in the past. Today we stopped at this one in Sylacauga. It tells about the only falling star ever recorded in history to have hit a person. (Not so lucky, huh?) It happened in a house that used to be located near this sign. Next time you ride around, look out the window to see how many of these markers you can find and stop if you can. The stories the markers tell will give you a new perspective on the places you may pass every day. You can find a listing of all of the historic markers here and more about the Alabama Historical Association Highway Marker Program here. 

Gravity Hill

I wish you could see the excitement
on my face!

     Since I am from Sylacauaga, I wanted to show you some of the cool things this small town has to offer before going into the big city. Sylacauga is home to a naturally occurring 'magic trick' called Gravity Hill. Everyone around here knows about it, but if you're from out of town you may not have heard about it. Gravity Hill is a small road right off of Highway 280 before going over Merkle Mountain. You can drive your car onto it, drop it into neutral, and feel your car being pushed 'uphill'. This is a picture of me in the car being pulled back up the hill. 

See how it looks like it goes uphill?

     A lot of the locals like to say that the 'push' is from a ghost named Henry that died in a car crash there. Really, it's only an optical illusion. The way the mountain and the hill join makes the eye see a slight downhill slope as uphill. You can learn a little more about Gravity Hill by clicking here. Everyone should experience it at least once and best of all, it's free!