Floating Mesa

The top of a giant mesa, just outside of Amarillo, appears to float in the sky above

Category Outsider Art, Optical Oddities

Image of Floating Mesa located in Image of Floating Mesa located in  | Floating Mesa in the distance Image of Floating Mesa located in  | The side of the mesa where the line of white boards ends, revealing the illusion. Image of Floating Mesa located in  | When the sky is too dark, the illusion's effect is lost.
Outsider Art http://atlasobscura.com/category/museums-and-collections/outsider-art Optical Oddities http://atlasobscura.com/category/intriguing-environs/optical-oddities

Another creation of the eccentric millionaire known as Stanley Marsh 3, - who prefers the Arabic numeral to the Roman numeral which he find pretentious - Marsh is most know for his Caddilac Ranch creation. The Floating Mesa, one the many odd spectacles created by him in and around Amarillo, is a short drive northwest of town.

The illusion is that the top portion of the mesa is floating, which is fully realized whenever the sky is the right shade of white. On clear days with no overcast, the line of plywood sheets painted white appears to blend in with the sky behind the mesa. While the Floating Mesa's illusion only works from one side, the effect is nonetheless intriguing.

When asked about his art Stanley Marsh 3 simply replied, " Art is a legalized form of insanity, and I do it very well".

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  • Address State Hwy 1061, Tascosa Rd., Amarillo, Texas, United States
Map/Directions

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From Amarillo, take State Hwy 1061 (Tascosa Road) to the Northwest, about 8 miles away is the junction with State Hwy 2381, the Floating Mesa is just to the east of this Junction.

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Comments

  • chandler4& chandler4 May 27, 2011
    and how many times per year does the exact shade of white appear?
  • & Anonymous February 20, 2010
    that doesnt even look that cool