Seven Magic Mountains

I go back and forth between Vegas and southern California a lot. The last few times I noticed what looked like several columns of huge stacked colored marshmallows off to the side of the road between the M casino and Jean. Every time I made a mental note to stop by my next trip, but always forgot.

Yesterday I was returning to Vegas and stopped at the Jean gas station. While there I remembered the promise to myself. So I took the side road, that parallels the I-15 on the northbound side. Sure enough after several miles I came to the Seven Magic Mountains.

They are pretty much what they look like from the freeway. Except they aren't huge marshmallows but enormous boulders. The type of rock seems to be volcanic glass, which is not generally found in the area. There is some signage about it at the parking lot. Be warned there is no bathroom and the Vegas desert can get HOT.

I wish to say that I think this rates very high on the cool meter. If you're traveling between Vegas and the state line it is definitely worth stopping by. Even if you fly into town it would be worth it to take a side trip there if you like things like this.

I think I'll make a formal article out of this if I can get a model to come out with me to spice up the pictures. For now, you'll have to settle for these. Click on any image for a larger version.

The question for the poll is what do you think of the Seven Magic Mountains?











p.s. I'm sorry some of these are rotated incorrectly. They are correct every other way I view them except here.

I loved it until I read it cost $3.5 million.

Quote: DRich

I loved it until I read it cost $3.5 million.

I didn't know that. Assuming five boulders per column, that is $100,000 per boulder. However, consider all the joy it will bring to the world.

I love them, because the only time I am out that way, I am headed to the Pioneer Saloon, one of my Vegas Happy Places.

Well now, this sounded like fun.
Seven mountains.
I've read some (all) of the Wiz's mountain adventures that I could find.
I was eager, I was disappointed this time.

You cannot make a mountain out of a molehill, try as you might.
This appears to be yet another failed attempt...

<edit> Nice pics! Well, except for that aging dorky looking guy that kept jumping in front of the camera ;-)
How in the world did he get rich and famous?
I am going to go look for interesting stacks of stones, first thing tomorrow....

Quote: TwoFeathersATL

I've read some (all) of the Wiz's mountain adventures that I could find.
I was eager, I was disappointed this time.

I don't approve of the use of the word "mountain" in this context either. There is a legitimate peak called Magic Mountain in Red Rock, which I think I've climbed. Plus, Magic Mountain is an amusement park in Valencia, CA, or at least it used to be called that.

If your point is that the name is misleading, I would agree. However, I wouldn't let that sway your decision to go or not.

You replied before I got my edit posted.
You may reply again once you read it ;-)

More impressive...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balancing_Rocks

I decided to check it out one night after a show at South Point. I knew it's approximate location but couldn't find it. I finally located it on Waze, and drove to it. I was surprised it's not lit up at night and more surprised to find that the parking lot for it is closed from dusk to dawn.

Quote: billryan

I was surprised it's not lit up at night and more surprised to find that the parking lot for it is closed from dusk to dawn.

Keep in mind this thing is about ten miles from civilization so could be easily vandalized. One can paint over grafitti (my spell checker doesn't like that spelling) but lighting would be expensive to replace if a bunch of drunk teenagers get in a testosterone-fueled fury.

The lesson to be learned is to visit during the day.

Count the mountains behind you. I only count six.

Quote: DRich

I loved it until I read it cost $3.5 million.

... and will be shown for only two years.

Quote: BleedingChipsSlowly

... and will be shown for only two years.

It's stacked painted rocks. I think it's cool but if 100k per rock moved was spent that's retarded. I Wonder...was there an artists who though up this concept, if so, how much did the artist get? If he got paid a bunch of money for this then it's outrageous IMO. Could of had some taggers paint the rocks for free as part of a community service program.

Quote: BleedingChipsSlowly

... and will be shown for only two years.

3.5 M. For 2 year's only? That's seriously retarded and Disgusting.

Perhaps someone needs civil assets forfeiture them rocks.

I suppose they could have had a couple thousand prisoners lift the rocks into place.

"“Seven Magic Mountains” cost $3.5 million, but not $3.5 million in tax dollars. The Nevada Commission on Tourism kicked in $100,000, but that body is supposed to give away money to draw tourists, and that’s a relatively small amount. The big bucks came from private donors, with Aria resort being the largest."

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/columns-blogs/jane-ann-morrison/new-seven-magic-mountains-art-offers-different-kind-theme

This seems fairly uninteresting to me; I would consider going there a waste of time. With all the natural beauty the lands out West have to offer, who needs to see a bunch of painted rocks?

Quote: RonC

...The big bucks came from private donors, with Aria resort being the largest."...This seems fairly uninteresting to me; I would consider going there a waste of time...

But yet Ted Whiting (Arias top surveillance guy) will cry foul when a card counter wins $20 off their good DD blackjack game. These casinos do such stupid things!

Quote: BleedingChipsSlowly

... and will be shown for only two years.

I don't get that at all. Is it out of budget limitations or that some art is supposed to be temporary, like the Cristo Umbrellas (which I saw)?

That pic vaguely resembles a pic of the Pokestops in Disneyworld ;-)

At the end of the exhibition, perhaps the rocks will be pulverized, and the chips sold off as magical charms.

I'm writing an article on the Seven Magic Mountains. I welcome all comments by those who have seen it.

I hope nobody will mind me saying that on the way to BBB's Jeopardy appearance, some of the WoV locals stopped there, and nobody seemed to like it except me.

Quote: Wizard

I'm writing an article on the Seven Magic Mountains. I welcome all comments by those who have seen it.

I hope nobody will mind me saying that on the way to BBB's Jeopardy appearance, some of the WoV locals stopped there, and nobody seemed to like it except me.

I liked it other than the fact that we paid about $3 million for it.

Quote: Wizard

I'm writing an article on the Seven Magic Mountains. I welcome all comments by those who have seen it.

I hope nobody will mind me saying that on the way to BBB's Jeopardy appearance, some of the WoV locals stopped there, and nobody seemed to like it except me.

I've been there several times. I think it's awesome. The bright colored boulders against the stark gray desert gives it a real nice "wow" factor. It was recently re painted and my understanding is they are extending the time frame for it to stay. Or at least attempting to extend it. It's got kind of a kitschy flavor but in a good way....akin to the buried Cadillacs in Amarillo, Texas. Simple and effective.

I believe the design was a ~6" column embedded into the ground, the boulders drilled thru and layered on top of each other and connected with cement or rebar. If one has time afterward....drive down to Terribles Casino and take the east west road going west and hit the Pioneer Saloon. Lot of history. The bar was the staging point for the rescue operations for Carole Lombards plane crash in 1942. There is a story that Clark Gable was there drowning his sorrows at the bar. There is a room there dedicated to the crash. Food isn't bad either...burgers, etc.

7 magic mountains is a nice visit. Free. Free parking. It's good for a few pictures. Highly recommend. Also stop into the "convenience" store. 96 gas pumps and a convenience store the size of Texas.

Quote: TDVegas

7 magic mountains is a nice visit. Free. Free parking. It's good for a few pictures. Highly recommend. Also stop into the "convenience" store. 96 gas pumps and a convenience store the size of Texas.

The convenience store is over 50,000 square feet. A normal convenience store is about 2000 square feet.

To be be fair, it's now looking like it will become a permanent attraction so the money spent (for a two-year exhibit) is becoming more reasonable. I don't think it will ever replace the Luxor pyramid or "Fabulous Las Vegas" sign as a visual shorthand for the city but, people do seem to like it.

One issue I had is that parking is somewhat confusing. If you head south from Vegas you hit the official parking lot first. That's fine. The official parking lot has a well marked trail leading to the stones, signage discussing the exhibit, a porta potty and (when I was there) a catering truck.

Unfortunately I was heading north from Terrible's casino and hit the unofficial parking lot first. This lot isn't bad (it's actually closer to the stones) but it has none of the official amenities mentioned. The mix of trails leading from it have ankle twist hazards and there's a barbed wire fence to climb through (i.e. don't bring grandma this way). Sadly, by the time you realize you've parked in the wrong place, there's little group willingness to go back to the car and pull all the way around.

Don't forget this tongue-in-cheek version on the east side...

That's a good point about the "unofficial lot." I wondered why some people always chose to park away from the nice lot and brave the barbed wire.

I just posted my article on the Seven Magic Mountains. Please have a look. I welcome all comments and corrections.

Quote: Wizard

That's a good point about the "unofficial lot." I wondered why some people always chose to park away from the nice lot and brave the barbed wire.

I just posted my article on the Seven Magic Mountains. Please have a look. I welcome all comments and corrections.

It might be good for a fingernail polish or makeup commercial, but other than that, it's just stupid.

How much it does it cost for us to upkeep the damn thing?

Travel note: It's adjacent to Route 15, but in the middle of a 13 mile stretch with no exits. Acecess is from South Las Vegas Boulevard.


I've stopped there once in 2018 on the way to Primm / Laughlin. I think it's cool.

I occasionally look online for more info about it and keep coming up empty. The most info I've ever found, was also the most disturbing; that it was a temporary installation. Temporary? Why? I'd not like there is a developer that wants that land. There are thousands of undeveloped acres nearby. And it’s not like there are a lot of costs to maintenance. Add a soda machine and it could probably pay for the expense of servicing the porta-johns. Whatever.


Anyway, while searching, I DID find a couple photos that tell the construction story.

I didn't find any evidence of the boulders being drilled and and filled with rebar & concrete, but it sure makes sense.

What I found that IS cool is this first photo which shows that the topsoil was removed (there's a pile in the background), and each rock tower sits on a concrete pedestal foundation.



This second photo is during the painting process. It wasn't until I saw this that I even realized that they were painted afterwards. Yeah, it's very obvious in the first photo, but it simply didn't occur to me.



I also find it funny that they went to the effort of masking the next boulder to prevent the paint from dripping on it. I mean, such a mistake would be hardly noticable, and easily fixed.

This third photo is obviously shortly after it was completed. There’s newly planted shrubbery, with wet sand around each shrub. Note that the lettering was not a sign, but a PhotoShop job - the lettering's shadow doesn't match the towers' shadows.



The last item that I found online is an architect's drawing. I find it humorous that there's far more detail given to the parking lot than to the 7 towers.



The next photos I took myself.

There's one sign along the walking path.



Notice the Aria logo on that sign? There's also a miniature display at the Aria, near the parking garage entrance.



I know it's hard to read, but the lettering on the glass says:

Quote:

ugo rondinone
seven magic mountains

Art Production Fund and Nevada Museum of Art present Seven Magic Mountains, a large-scale, site-specific public artwork by artist Uri Rondinine. Mediating between geological formations and abstract compositions, Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains consists of locally sourced limestone boulders stacked vertically in groups ranging between three and six. Each stone boasts a different fluorescent color; each individual totem stands between 30 and 35 feet high.

The artwork extends Rondinone's long-running interest in natural phenomena and their reformulation in art. Inspired by naturally occurring Hoodoos and balancing rock formations, the stacks also evoke the art of meditative rock balancing. The works appear poised between momumentality and collapse -- seeming to defy gravity in their tettering formations, but equally to depend on it.

For more informations, please visit aria.com/fineart.
#7magicmountains

At the bottom of the text is the same 4 logos seem on the sign at the site.

I'm not sure what kind of statement is being made by not capitalizing the artist's or work's names at the top, but then capitalizing them in the text.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I didn't find any evidence of the boulders being drilled and and filled with rebar & concrete, but it sure makes sense.

They definitely cored the boulders for a pipe column. There are some videos and pics here....

It doesn't look like any rebar to solidify the connections. Possibly just layered on top of one another with some kind of cement or industrial epoxy.

http://sevenmagicmountains.com/timeline/

Quote: TDVegas

They definitely cored the boulders for a pipe column. There are some videos and pics here....

It doesn't look like any rebar to solidify the connections. Possibly just layered on top of one another with some kind of cement or industrial epoxy.

http://sevenmagicmountains.com/timeline/

WOW! Thanks.
Sigh, I don’t know why I couldn’t find that website before…

Good post, DJ. Most of that stuff I didn't know.

I agree it seems wasteful to take it down after the whole expense of building the thing. It's not like the space is needed for something else. Then again, art is often meant to be temporary.

I suspect many people went, thinking it was only there for a limited engagement.

I live on the Gold Coast (Australia) and for some reason this thread prompted me to do a search for this piece of "art" (see below):

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/eleven-metre-high-lights-set-to-welcome-visitors-to-the-gold-coasts-north-and-south/news-story/35efa9bb5a7a3029ca5f919613595a7c

I thought the lights were ok, until I saw that it cost 2 million AUD.

This is very close to Jean Lake (dry). where Ace Rothstein meets Nicky Santoro in the desert. One of the best scenes in Casino.

Quote: DRich

The convenience store is over 50,000 square feet. A normal convenience store is about 2000 square feet.

Wonder the size of Buc-ees? Texas chain. The Alabama store has 120 pumps.

Quote: DeMango

Wonder the size of Buc-ees? Texas chain. The Alabama store has 120 pumps.

My first impression was there was plenty of room for future slots.

Quote: billryan

My first impression was there was plenty of room for future slots.

Terrible's is limited by Nevada Gaming to only have no more than 15 machines.

Quote: DeMango

Wonder the size of Buc-ees? Texas chain. The Alabama store has 120 pumps.

Before Terrible's opened their big store they made many trips to visit different Buc-ee's. I believe their largest is around 68,000 sq ft.

Quote: DRich

Before Terrible's opened their big store they made many trips to visit different Buc-ee's. I believe their largest is around 68,000 sq ft.

And yet they still adopted the horrible-for-traffic-flow model of putting all pumps on one side of the building? It is scary at the Terrible's Chevron in Jean during peak hours. People forget how to drive and clog the area between rows of pumps for no reason. Enough so that I won't stop there during peak hours, and just soldier on to Baker or Barstow. Too bad, as it is a nice facility otherwise.

Quote: DRich

Terrible's is limited by Nevada Gaming to only have no more than 15 machines.

For Now. I recall when NJ Gaming was insistent that Atlantic City casinos would NEVER operate 24-7. Things have a habit of working themselves out.

Quote: LoquaciousMoFW

And yet they still adopted the horrible-for-traffic-flow model of putting all pumps on one side of the building? It is scary at the Terrible's Chevron in Jean during peak hours. People forget how to drive and clog the area between rows of pumps for no reason. Enough so that I won't stop there during peak hours, and just soldier on to Baker or Barstow. Too bad, as it is a nice facility otherwise.

The parking in front of the building doesn't help either. People backing up while people are pulling out or in to a pump. The parking should have been better designed as well. The store is super cool, though. More beef jerky than a herd of wolves can consume. I assume they had enough land to make it a bit safer and flow better. People walking from the pumps into the flow of traffic to get to the store doesn't help either.