Exploring an abandoned cult compound

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  • Опубліковано 20 кві 2022
  • In this little motorcycle adventure, I ride out to the Marconi Conference Center in northern California. The abandoned compound has a long history but is probably best known for being the headquarters of Synanon, one of California's most infamous cults. I rode my motorcycle up the beautiful Highway 1 along the coast before finding this beautiful but eerie tucked away place.
    History source: www.parks.ca.gov/pages/467/fi...
    Please comment, like and subscribe to keep adventuring with me on my motorcycle rides!
    #motorcycle #motovlog #travel #explore

КОМЕНТАРІ • 72

  • @jimkelly6814
    @jimkelly6814 2 роки тому +19

    Thank you Jesse for this excellent video. I was living in Marin during the 70's when all of this was going on. Thank God for the Point Reys Light. They were "the little paper that roared" as they uncovered the horrors occurring in that cult. The publisher later wrote an excellent book titled "The Light on Synanon." If you can find a copy, it's a good read. Thanks again.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +2

      Wow, that's great to hear, I'll look for that book. Point Reyes Light is definitely a small but mighty paper still to this day! Thanks for watching, glad you found it interesting!

    • @unicorn144
      @unicorn144 2 роки тому

      We called it Tomales Bay .... such disinformation....misinformation about Synanon ....

    • @unicorn144
      @unicorn144 2 роки тому +1

      If you want some real information get a book by Louis Yablonsky about Synanon which might give you a little bit more of a balanced point of view other than the Jabberwocky that you and others constructed out of myth, innuendo, and outright lies

    • @TravelandTell
      @TravelandTell 2 роки тому +1

      True....

  • @ClueSign
    @ClueSign 2 роки тому +7

    Mikel Jollet's "Hollywood Park" is an excellent memoir about growing up in, and escaping from, the Synanon Cult as a little boy, and living in abject poverty afterward, in his grandparents home in San Jose and then in Berkeley with his brother and terribly cult-damaged mom. The cult sent people to find them and kidnap them; managed to inflict some beatings on his step dad, but failed to bring them back to the headquarters.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      Wow, thanks for the recommendation I'll check it out!

    • @ClueSign
      @ClueSign 2 роки тому

      @@JesseVad It's truly harrowing!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      @@ClueSign sounds like it! I’ve gotta look it up

    • @ClueSign
      @ClueSign 2 роки тому

      @@JesseVad The author survived to be front man of a pretty successful indie band, Airborne Toxic Event.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      @@ClueSign oh wow that's pretty interesting. Can't wait to read it!

  • @amandadoverspike2949
    @amandadoverspike2949 2 роки тому +5

    Thank you for this! I love reading/watching things about cults and I had never heard about this one. Beautifully shot too!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Thank you so much! I'm so glad you found it interesting. I didn't know much about this one either until this trip. Glad you got something out of it too!

    • @matthewm7395
      @matthewm7395 2 роки тому

      Check out Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollet. He and his family lived here but escaped.

    • @TravelandTell
      @TravelandTell 2 роки тому

      Great....

  • @strigoi3467
    @strigoi3467 2 місяці тому +1

    i live in sonoma county. never heard of this! i hope ur vids blow up the bike vlogging is legendary man !

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 місяці тому

      Thank you so much!

  • @TravelandTell
    @TravelandTell 2 роки тому +1

    Wow awesome , beauty beauty beauty , its beautiful, thanks for sharing. Big like 97❤

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Thanks so much I'm glad you found it interesting!

  • @jrr2525
    @jrr2525 2 роки тому +4

    Good video and nice drone footage! Thank you for mentioning the Miwok history. I used to live in a place just adjacent to Marconi, and walked there nearly every day. On the north side of the property there are some newer buildings with lodging and conference facilities - you can stay there on your own, or have weddings and events there. There are beautiful trails all around the property, and a hill in the back with wonderful 360-degree views of the bay and the ranch lands to the east (and at least when I lived there, the top of that hill was the only place around with cell reception, so we'd go up there to make phone calls). You captured the feeling of the place.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Wow that’s so cool to hear about! Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m glad you found it interesting! It’s a beautiful place

    • @TravelandTell
      @TravelandTell 2 роки тому

      True...

  • @Maya-xs9xn
    @Maya-xs9xn Місяць тому

    Loooooove your video!! So interesting!!

  • @tritisan
    @tritisan 2 роки тому +2

    I’ve lived in Marin for three decades but have never visited this Marconi center. But I have been to the one on the coast, north of Bolinas. AKA RCA Beach. Highly recommended!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      oh yes! Is that the one in Point Reyes in the cypress tree tunnel? I actually did a video and stopped at that one a couple months back!

  • @jehrlich28
    @jehrlich28 Рік тому +2

    So interesting how the "legend" becomes more terrifying as the years pass. I lived there. It was nothing like that. That building, in particular, was always full of roaring fires, good food, people talking with one another, living in peace and harmony. Mostly. For sure some crazy shit went on there, but nothing near as crazy as Trump's America, and that is a fact. I wish people had a better picture of what it was really like. Many of us loved it. Nice drone footage - wish you could've seen it fully occupied. It was not scary, it was a true California commune.

  • @jacoblee8417
    @jacoblee8417 2 роки тому +1

    Man…. Excellent production quality…. You will have 50 k subs by the end of the year for sure if not more… cool stuff

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Thank you so much for the kind words that means a lot to me! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it. More to come!

  • @TourmotoDesign
    @TourmotoDesign 2 роки тому +3

    Dude! Your channel is going to BLOW UP! Keep up the awesome work! Subscribed

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      omg thank you so much that means so much to me! Will do!

    • @TravelandTell
      @TravelandTell 2 роки тому

      True....

  • @inspiredtowander
    @inspiredtowander Рік тому

    Holy cow, what an awesome video! Great videography, and interesting narration. Love the history of this place, and it is now on my bucket list of places to go investigate for myself! Great job! Thank you!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  Рік тому

      Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed, definitely check it out when you get a chance!

  • @ghoffman1171
    @ghoffman1171 2 роки тому +1

    Fascinating... I have ridden my motorcycle by this site many times and enjoyed many lunches at Tony's on Tomales Bay and never knew what the Marconi Center was or knew of it's history. Thanks for the video, now I'll have to make a slight detour as it has piqued my interest. I'll just keep an eye out for rattleless rattlesnacks as I have heard they may be indigenous to Marconi!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      hahaha yes definitely check it out it's worth it! I had ridden by many times too and never knew. Thanks for watching!

  • @krisanderson7325
    @krisanderson7325 2 роки тому

    Great video, and as always lots of good information.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Thanks brosef 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

  • @iankof90
    @iankof90 5 місяців тому

    Now, all we need is an apparition of Faith Seed to bring him to the Bliss.

  • @Evie45645
    @Evie45645 Рік тому

    Glad I found this. Just started listening to The Sunshine Place podcast all about the cult...

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  Рік тому +1

      Oh cool I don’t know that podcast I’ll have to check it out

  • @jimmyl1606
    @jimmyl1606 2 роки тому

    I rode up to Point Reyes Lighthouse for the first time by there. It was such a beautiful ride. Wow, I will definitely stop by there sometime.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Awesome! And yes go stop by it’s definitely worth a trip up there!

  • @karlcollins2106
    @karlcollins2106 2 роки тому +1

    Cool video

  • @bbamboo3
    @bbamboo3 2 роки тому +2

    Please consider sharing this video with others on the Marin Community Media Center's public access channel in Marin (free). An interesting story well told.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      That’s a great idea! Do you know who to reach out to for that?

  • @umreeh
    @umreeh 8 місяців тому

    Hope you checked out the rest of the property. It's a great park and conference center

  • @primefocusphotography
    @primefocusphotography 2 роки тому

    Great job on the vid. Def earned a sub 👍🏼Gonna have to make my way up here now. 😂

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      Thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and found it interesting!

  • @kateysegal4467
    @kateysegal4467 Рік тому

    I want to see inside the compound you should make a part 2 if the inside

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  Рік тому

      Unfortunately it’s boarded up and now it’s being developed into something else, so this was probably a last look!

  • @spaceshantynow1851
    @spaceshantynow1851 11 місяців тому

    Thanks Jesse! Planning on riding down the coast tomorrow and hoped to stop by the Marconi location as I have in the past. Nice intersection or motorcycling and amateur radio for me. It was funny to UA-cam and find your video. I didn’t realize the facility was in such bad shape when you visited it. It looks be still be a work in progress with maybe rooms to stay in in September 2023? Cheers!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  11 місяців тому

      Glad to hear it! Yeah should be interesting to see it now I think it’s very different!

    • @spaceshantynow1851
      @spaceshantynow1851 11 місяців тому

      Hey Jesse, I had a great ride down the coast to the Monterey area and did stop a the the old Marconi hotel. It still looked the same as your visit a year ago. I don’t feel compelled to hop off my bike and explore around it. But I’m glad you did! Fun to see your other video in my feed of your visit through Inverness. On the way back home I got to visit a relative there and it was fun to see your ride through it. Cheers!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  11 місяців тому

      @@spaceshantynow1851 that’s fantastic! Glad you had a great experience and interesting to hear an update on the place!

  • @mintaka57
    @mintaka57 2 роки тому

    Wow

  • @Sabashton8
    @Sabashton8 7 місяців тому

    I'm from Synanon. 74-96

  • @mxt4907
    @mxt4907 2 роки тому +1

    Has it been renovated? All the reviews make it seem like a hotel now and you never showed the inside

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      This building is abandoned and closed off as shown in the video. On other parts of the park and property there is a working center with rooms and offices etc.

  • @williamryan9195
    @williamryan9195 4 місяці тому

    It's not abandon and is a conference center available for rental

  • @peachii1848
    @peachii1848 2 роки тому +1

    I haven’t seen the whole video, But I actually live near so I may try to visit!

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому

      You should, it's a beautiful place!

    • @peachii1848
      @peachii1848 2 роки тому

      @@JesseVad i’ll try to visit soon then !

  • @jonathanfarrell2378
    @jonathanfarrell2378 9 місяців тому

    It’s sad that the property and building are left to ruin. I like the way you wove the indigenous tribes of Marin into the narrative. It’s odd that California attracts some real nut cases. But I think people often forget that California’s true wealth is in its natural beauty and resources. The native tribes knew this and respected it. But unfortunately not the white people. Thanks for posting.

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  9 місяців тому

      Thanks for watching I appreciate it!

  • @jackoo666
    @jackoo666 2 роки тому

    Jesse vad!!

  • @drwoofy
    @drwoofy 2 роки тому +2

    not one of marin county's better moments....and yep many poured money into this organization...i knew it was a scam from the start....

    • @JesseVad
      @JesseVad  2 роки тому +1

      Definitely a dark history, interesting to hear about though!