Daniel Paul

Absolutely. There's all kinds of that stuff out there. Right after World War II, Southern California was the world's capital for aerospace manufacturing. I think it was probably the primary generator of the Southern California economy was defense, satellite missiles and aerospace and all of that. So George is right in the middle of that.

During World War II, Frank Kritzer builds an antenna on Giant Rock and the locals, including some of the local sheriffs, accuse him of being a spy. And they're getting really suspicious of him because here's this German living deep in the desert with an antenna on his boulder.

During World War II, Frank Kritzer builds an antenna on Giant Rock and the locals, including some of the local sheriffs, accuse him of being a spy. And they're getting really suspicious of him because here's this German living deep in the desert with an antenna on his boulder.

During World War II, Frank Kritzer builds an antenna on Giant Rock and the locals, including some of the local sheriffs, accuse him of being a spy. And they're getting really suspicious of him because here's this German living deep in the desert with an antenna on his boulder.

And at a certain point, they accuse him of stealing dynamite because Kritzer is doing some, you know, mining or whatever in the area. they get suspicious. And at a certain point, there's two different stories as to what happened next. One of them is that he committed suicide as they were closing in on him.

And at a certain point, they accuse him of stealing dynamite because Kritzer is doing some, you know, mining or whatever in the area. they get suspicious. And at a certain point, there's two different stories as to what happened next. One of them is that he committed suicide as they were closing in on him.

And at a certain point, they accuse him of stealing dynamite because Kritzer is doing some, you know, mining or whatever in the area. they get suspicious. And at a certain point, there's two different stories as to what happened next. One of them is that he committed suicide as they were closing in on him.

But the other was that they threw a flashbang into his little hovel beneath the rock, probably knowing that there was TNT in there and knowing that they were going to kill him. And the flashbang, you know, caught the dynamite on fire and it blew up and Frank Kritzer was dead. So...

But the other was that they threw a flashbang into his little hovel beneath the rock, probably knowing that there was TNT in there and knowing that they were going to kill him. And the flashbang, you know, caught the dynamite on fire and it blew up and Frank Kritzer was dead. So...

But the other was that they threw a flashbang into his little hovel beneath the rock, probably knowing that there was TNT in there and knowing that they were going to kill him. And the flashbang, you know, caught the dynamite on fire and it blew up and Frank Kritzer was dead. So...

Van Tassel finds out about this and he works with the Bureau of Land Management to acquire that property to sort of homestead it. And Van Tassel eventually moves out there. I think this is about 1947. He leaves the aerospace practice altogether and decides to run the landing strip out there.

Van Tassel finds out about this and he works with the Bureau of Land Management to acquire that property to sort of homestead it. And Van Tassel eventually moves out there. I think this is about 1947. He leaves the aerospace practice altogether and decides to run the landing strip out there.

Van Tassel finds out about this and he works with the Bureau of Land Management to acquire that property to sort of homestead it. And Van Tassel eventually moves out there. I think this is about 1947. He leaves the aerospace practice altogether and decides to run the landing strip out there.

He builds a little cafe for his wife to run called the Come On In, where people could land on the landing strip just to go get a piece of pie, like Howard Hughes apparently did all the time. He would fly and get a piece of cherry pie and leave. And when Van Tassel first moved in there, he had three young daughters also. He cleaned Kritzer's blood off the rocks.

He builds a little cafe for his wife to run called the Come On In, where people could land on the landing strip just to go get a piece of pie, like Howard Hughes apparently did all the time. He would fly and get a piece of cherry pie and leave. And when Van Tassel first moved in there, he had three young daughters also. He cleaned Kritzer's blood off the rocks.

He builds a little cafe for his wife to run called the Come On In, where people could land on the landing strip just to go get a piece of pie, like Howard Hughes apparently did all the time. He would fly and get a piece of cherry pie and leave. And when Van Tassel first moved in there, he had three young daughters also. He cleaned Kritzer's blood off the rocks.

I mean, his blood and his innards were still in there. Like, it was just, you know... Van Tassel, what a weird experience. He cleans it off. One of his daughters told me later that they never actually lived under the rock. They lived kind of next to it in these sort of tents, but they lived outdoors. But Van Tassel gets really interested in what's going on under that rock.

I mean, his blood and his innards were still in there. Like, it was just, you know... Van Tassel, what a weird experience. He cleans it off. One of his daughters told me later that they never actually lived under the rock. They lived kind of next to it in these sort of tents, but they lived outdoors. But Van Tassel gets really interested in what's going on under that rock.

I mean, his blood and his innards were still in there. Like, it was just, you know... Van Tassel, what a weird experience. He cleans it off. One of his daughters told me later that they never actually lived under the rock. They lived kind of next to it in these sort of tents, but they lived outdoors. But Van Tassel gets really interested in what's going on under that rock.

And at a certain point, he starts leading regular Christian church services out at Giant Rock. prayers, singing of hymns, so on and so forth. I mean, he's not a minister, but he's doing this. And he's running the airstrip that Kritzer had established. And at a certain point, those who are gathered with him underneath the rock, Start getting really interested in experiments.