Stonehenge is famous because its true purpose baffles modern society’s understanding. Is it a temple built by ancient Druids? Researchers also believe it could be a burial monument. Others say it’s religious or spiritual. Then there’s speculation that it is a celestial calendar or computer. Extraterrestrial technology. The picturesque Hudson Valley town of North Salem, New York, also has one. It’s called Balanced Rock.
Visiting the unique structure makes for a perfect day trip. It’s only about an hour’s drive from New York City. It’s a roadside attraction and not the only one of extraterrestrial lore. Hudson Valley is a hotbed for UFO activity and the supernatural. At a bend in the road on Route 121, the geological wonder is at 667 Titicus Rd North Salem, NY 10560. (A few miles south of I-84)
Inspiring awe, the 60-ton granite marvel balances on four limestone pillars. But there’s a very plausible scientific rationale for the phenomena. It’s called a glacial erratic or “wandering rocks,” according to National Geographic. They could be “palm-size pebbles to boulders as big as houses.” Ancient ice flow transported and left them in different locations when melting occurred. Great distances from their original location, in some cases. Balanced Rock is from the Pleistocene Epoch, the last ice age. Evidence of climate change over millennia.
They sit weird—enigmatic. Their lithology (or physical composition), differing from the surrounding rocks, arouses curiosity further. And here, in such a mind, is where imaginations take liberties. Ancient Native Americans built it. Druids while exploring North America in the distant past. Or, as Ancient Aliens suggests, “technologies of their alien mentors.” Balanced Rock is the subject in an episode of the History Channel’s hit show. (“S14 E7, The Druid Connection.”)
The New York Department of Economic Development has it listed as one of the “Secrets of Hudson Valley.” Its magnetic field is “10 to 50 times larger than other areas.” And it’s hard to ignore “the high frequency of UFO sightings” in the area spanning over 100 years. Writer Whitley Strieber and his family owned a cabin to get away from the city not too far away. After seeing a hypnotist, Strieber discovered he’d had many encounters with extraterrestrials. His experiences became the subject of the semiautobiographical book Communion. Christopher Walken portrays Strieber in the 1989 film of the same name. The Hudson Valley area even hosts a UFO Fair in Pine Bush.
Visitors to Balanced Rock reported “pain and distress disappearing” says “I LOVE NY.” I have taken my family to Balanced Rock and many other area attractions. It is a memorable experience for us, filled with a connecting energy.
