Landers, California Something about Giant Rock seems to attract grandiose claims. Some say it is the largest free-standing boulder in the world. There are also WWII-era tales of a German spy blowing himself up with dynamite in a room hollowed out under the boulder. In the late 1940's, George Van Tassel (builder of the nearby Integratron) lived under the boulder and established the location as UFO Central; conventions of the faithful were held at Giant Rock into the 1970's (Van Tassel himself was said to have been abducted by extraterrestrials). Out here in the desert, all such assertions are as trustworthy as a mirage and can vanish just as quickly. But the rock itself remains; these days the site is the domain of partiers, campers and dirt bikers. The large detached piece seen in this photo broke off on February 21, 2000, probably due to lingering heat from a bonfire the night before. Even this event was seen as fulfillment of a prophecy ... just the latest grandiose claim associated with Giant Rock
