The downward warping of this state highway near Moab, Utah was a result of the presence of a severe magnetic bubble that landed here. These bubbles are much stronger than the everyday magnetic variations that go unnoticed (example: the needle of a compass deviating by one millionth of a degree).

As I drove down this flat road, enjoying the magnificent landscape, I was jolted out of my scenery-induced state of awe by the audible alarm of my Multiphase Gauss Receptor. The intensity of the bubble was so bad that the paper clips in the car's coin tray glommed together and flew as a single blob to the steering column, where they held fast. This scared the pants off of me (only in the figurative sense).

After activating the other instruments I got out of the car to gather evidence. This picture is one of the many I took; it clearly shows the warping of the road. I documented the situation until my head was about to explode from a gauss-ache. The only relief was afforded by driving out of the affected area. About a mile down the road, the paper clips unglommed and fell to the floor, necessitating another stop to clean them up. This work is not easy. Thankfully, the gauss-ache subsided. Later in the day, all traces of the magnetic bubble were gone. The road unwarped.

The sanitized story for public consumption is located elsewhere.