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2009-11-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

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2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference

2009-10-02T08:49:00.017-04:00

The 2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference in Tyler, Texas promised exciting guests, some interesting topics, a great vendor area, and a lot of fun, which it didn’t fail to deliver on any count. The event took place on Saturday, 9/26/09, with around 425 people from California to Maine in attendance for the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy’s (TBRC) annual event. The event featured 12 fascinating speakers and a retail area with some unique and exciting merchandise. The exciting day was rounded out with a dinner featuring Peter Matthiessen, world-famous naturalist and two time National Book Award winner. The event also featured Bob Gimlin, of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, as a special guest.

In addition to Peter Matthiessen the list of speakers was an impressive one. The morning speakers were Daryl Colyer and Jerry Hestand, both TBRC investigators, and Alton Higgins, a biologist with TBRC. The afternoon was action packed with speakers Robert Swain, artist, Esteban Sarmiento, primate biologist, Chris Bader and Carson Mencken, both sociologists, John Bindernagel and John Mionczynski, both wildlife biologists and TBRC advisors, Bill Dranginis, developer of the “Eye Gotcha” wildlife camera, and Loren Coleman, cryptozoologist and author. The lectures ranged on topics from new technology used in the field to the role of environmental conditions on sightings. There were also many personal stories and reports of sightings sprinkled throughout many of the presentations. The controversial subject of turning Bigfoot into a profitable business venture was even broached.

This year the event featured a large vendor area that had everything from high-tech gear and art to books and dog treats. Not to miss out on the fun, Believe It Tour was at the conference with a table full of exciting new merchandise. We even had a special Texas t-shirt to commemorate the conference. We had a great time talking to everyone that stopped by our table and appreciated the opportunity to meet with some of our Believe It Tour fans who followed our recent 2009 CA tour.

The day was rounded out with a fundraising dinner at the Tyler Discovery Science Place. The dinner gave everyone the chance to mingle on a more casual level and all of the speakers were extremely accessible and happy to talk to people about a subject close to their hearts. After the dinner Peter Matthiessen regaled the audience with a number of fascinating stories during his presentation.

The crowd at the event was a mix of old friends and a number of new faces, which made for an exciting time and no one was quite ready for the day to end. I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say I can’t wait for the 10th annual Texas Bigfoot Conference next year.

Bigfoot Afoot in New York

2009-09-11T07:44:00.004-04:00

Recently, I wrote about the possible Bigfoot sighting in Kentucky that has garnered a good deal of media attention. The coverage started when an image was captured from a motion sensing camera that seemed to indicate something besides a bear was raiding a Fairdale man’s vegetable garden. However, what the creature was is still a mystery.

Now I’m a California native that spent the first part of my life in Northern CA. As most of you know that area is a positive hot bed of Bigfoot sightings and other encounters. Needless to say, the idea of Bigfoot residing in the pristine wilderness of CA seemed very reasonable to me having personally spent a lot of time in the Sierras and always hearing stories about the cryptid’s existence. However, while doing some background research on my recent article I accidentally discovered something rather interesting about the area I now live in.

I have recently relocated to the East coast and never really gave much thought to the West coast Bigfoot perhaps having a New York relative. Well, when I was going through some books and doing an internet search I discovered that New York actually has a fairly large number of reported Bigfoot incidents. According to Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), out the 50 states, New York ranks as the top 9th state in number of sightings with 95 reports. This is a little less than the top two states listed, which were Washington with 467 reported incidents and California with 414.

There was even a book published in 2008 that explores some of the reported sightings in New York. The book entitled “Bigfoot Encounters in New York and New England” by Robert and Paul Bartholomew explores Bigfoot in Native American folklore through modern day encounters and then documents some of the more interesting sightings. The Bartholomew brothers have spent the last 30 years searching for Bigfoot in the area and this book is a culmination of their research.

A few months ago I discovered while watching the national news that I lived in an area that had some fairly extraordinary Black Panther sightings. See my previous blog about the Black Panthers in Rockland County. Now it would seem I find myself in the middle of possible Bigfoot territory. I guess it’s safe to say I live in a prime region for a variety of cryptozoology encounters.

I’ll have to make sure I keep my eyes open and my camera handy just in case I spy the large furry creature known as Bigfoot lurking in my backyard or peeking in my kitchen window.

What was in Kentucky? Bigfoot or a Bear

2009-09-09T07:31:00.004-04:00

It would seem Kentucky may be home to more than a famous horse race with a recent sighting of Bigfoot being reported. The exciting cryptozoology news has even been reported by outlets like CNN.

This summer Kenny Mahoney, a Fairdale home owner, noticed his once flourishing garden was disappearing at a rapid rate, so he decided to use some technology to catch the culprit. Mahoney decided to set up a motion camera in his yard to see if he could figure out what was raiding his garden. Image his surprise when he reviewed the images and saw a large black hairy creature. Mahoney estimated the creature to be well over 6 feet tall and it didn’t resemble any animal he’d ever seen before.

According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), Kentucky has had 63 reports of Bigfoot sightings or incidents since 1950. Fairdale, which is in Jefferson County and south of Louisville, had one incident in 1971 where strange noises and howls were reported.

Mahoney has a hard time believing Bigfoot is visiting his backyard, but he has no idea what exactly the mysterious creature might be. The photo has been sent to a wildlife expert to analyze and determine what was caught on film.

It would appear that Mahoney certainly did have an unusual visitor to his backyard, but was it really Bigfoot or was it another more innocuous creature like a bear or maybe another type of primate?

What was that in the Sky over China?

2009-09-08T20:40:00.004-04:00

On July 22, 2009, Chinese scientists and students captured on film something mysterious flying in the skies over China during the recent solar eclipse. From the few photographs being released it’s fairly safe to say it wasn’t a bird, plane, or even Superman.

Scientists from the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing are puzzled over what they saw and the resulting images that were obtained by the scientists and students observing the solar eclipse. Researchers will spend the next year analyzing the 40 minutes of footage and numerous photographs to try to determine what the object was. The observatory’s director, Ji Hai-sheng, has stated that scientists will not publically speculate on what the unidentified object might be until they have analyzed all data. The July event was just the latest in a series of unidentified sightings that have been reported in China.

The question remains as to what was seen in China? Was it an anomoly caused by the solar eclipse, a commercial airplane that had an unusal refection due to the solar event, or something truly unidentified that might indicate life exists elsewhere?

Is 09/09/09 a Curse or a Blessing?

2009-09-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

Is tomorrow with its three nines, 09/09/09, going to be a cause for celebration or cause to stay at home and hide under the covers? The jury is still out on this apparently auspicious or inauspicious numerological day.

In the United States many retailers and even some county governments are capitalizing on the good luck aspect of the number nine. Everything from movie releases to specials on getting married will be offered to take advantage of the good fortune associated with the number 9. Another significant aspect to tomorrow is that it will be the last time, for almost a century, that we will see a set of repeating, single-digit dates.

In China the number nine is considered to be the second luckiest number behind eight and holds a prominent place in the history of the country. The number can be found prominently displayed in many architectural features. Historically it’s also been incorporated, though intricate design elements, into the clothing of emperors and warriors.

However, Japan has a different take on the number 9 and in that country the number is considered extremely unlucky. The word for nine in Japanese sounds the same as the word for suffering even though it has a different spelling. It’s also an element that many architects have completely eliminated in their building plans due to its unlucky connotations.

Many numerologists believe the number nine has a mix of positive and negative traits. On the positive side it represents compassion, forgiveness, and success. However, the flip side is that it’s associated with arrogance, resentment, and self-righteousness. The number 9 is also considered very spiritual and holistically balanced as it represents the cycle of gestation and birth.

Regardless of what popular opinion is on the number nine, at the end of the day tomorrow you’ll have to be the one to decide if 9 was your lucky number or not.

The Search for England's Lake Monster

2009-09-07T10:40:00.007-04:00

According to a recent story in The Westmoreland Gazette a search is being mounted this month to the find England’s famed lake monster. The creature, known as Bownessie, allegedly lives in the depths of Lake Windermere. Lake Windermere is the largest fresh water lake in England at 11miles in length. Windermere is interested as it’s a long, narrow ribbon lake, which is a lake formed from the ice age through the glaciation period. This always leads to speculation that some ancient creatures became trapped when the lake was formed.

A search team will undertake the task of locating the creature begins on September 19, 2009. The team will include Dean Maynard, a celebrity psychic, and photographer Linden Adams. In 2006 Linden was the first photographer to capture the lake monster with his camera, which further supported a sighting a university professor, Steve Burnip, had ealier that year. Bownessie has been spotted many times over the years, but has proven as elusive as the world famous Loch Ness Monster.

Will the team find Bownessie or will the creature remain as mysterious as Bigfoot or the Yeti?

Chupacabra – The Response

2009-09-03T19:31:00.002-04:00

Well, it would seem the man who rocked the cryptozoology world with his recent discovery and has been reveling in the media attention has decided the resulting frenzy is just too much. While it seems obvious that a possible discovery of this nature would generate a huge public response it apparently wasn’t so obvious when the announcement was first made.

Jeff Ayer, the Texas man who is in possession of an alleged chupacabra, is being overwhelmed by national and international attention over the creature he has. The non-stop media coverage his discovery has generated has inundated Ayer to the point that he isn’t currently offering classes at the Blanco taxidermy school he owns.

While Ayer first said he might actually have found the mythical beast he’s now stating he thinks it may just be a genetically abnormal coyote and not a chupacabra. Although he still insists he will preserve it and donate the creature to a museum. However, one can’t help, but wonder if this is truly what Ayer thinks or if he is just saying it’s not a chupacabra to divert the current frenzy surrounding him. Time will tell.

Chupacabra - To Be or Not To Be

2009-09-02T20:53:00.002-04:00

The news of the day in the cryptozoology world is that a chupacabra has finally been found in Texas. The chupacabra has long been the subject of mysterious sightings and many unexplained tales. Supposedly, chupacabras are creatures typically described as wild dogs that have almost lizard-like features and they are known to attack livestock, particularly goats. Reported sightings of these creatures have been primarily in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. One area with a large number of sightings has always been Texas where the reported chupacabra was allegedly found.

The man in possession of the creature is Jerry Ayer, who is the owner of a local taxidermy business. When you see the video footage of Ayer showing some of the creature’s odd features it does make the viewer feel like maybe this isn’t a neighborhood dog with mange or a typical wild canine. According to Ayer he plans to preserve the creature and donate it to a local museum.

I hope this creature really is the mythical chupacabra that everyone has talked about and quested after for years. If it is then it lends more credence to the existence of other things like Bigfoot and lake monsters. I sincerely hope it isn’t just a publicity stunt, which would be just one more negative blow to the cryptozoology world.

Stay tuned for the latest developments.

Willow Creek and the Start of the Bigfoot Scenic Byway

2009-08-21T17:55:00.007-04:00

Day 10 started off with a good deal of anticipation and a lot of excitement since the Believe It Tour crew was starting their official Bigfoot quest portion of the trip. We were going to travel along the 89 mile Bigfoot Scenic Byway that stretches from Willow Creek to Happy Camp with a few stops along the way. First we would start by visiting a few places in Willow Creek and going for a night hike in an area with a number of Sasquatch sightings. Then midway on the journey we were going to stop at the famed Patterson-Gimlin film site, explore the area, and then stay the night. We would then finish up our journey down the Bigfoot Scenic Byway in Happy Camp with a stop there.

The crew arrived in Willow Creek to meet Steven Streufert who is the amazingly interesting and knowledgeable proprietor of Bigfoot Books in Willow Creek. We stopped to chat with Steven about the area, his experiences with Bigfoot, and to hear some new stories about Sasquatch. Steven also has a fantastic selection of books on Bigfoot in his store. The shop is filled with a huge selection of books and Steven appears to have a little bit of everything that a voracious reader would ever want.

After we spent some time with Steven we were back on the road and heading to the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum or, better known as, the Bigfoot Museum. When the crew arrived at the museum we were warmly greeted by Peggy, one the docents that works there. We had arranged for a special tour of the museum for our group and three Bigfoot researchers we had invited to join us. For the tour this year we decided to invite some Bigfooters to join us at different portions of our adventure into California’s Bigfoot territory. At the museum the crew was going to meet Linda Martin of Bigfoot Sightings, Craig Woolheater from the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, and Sharon Lomurno the blogger behind Bigfoot Field Reporter. The crew had arranged for a special tour of the museum for our group and the three Bigfoot researchers we had invited to join us there. At 3pm the entire group was scheduled to meet at the museum, which was the time our crew had arranged for the tour. However, Craig and Sharon each had some travel delays, which didn’t allow them to join us until later that evening. Luckily, we were able to arrange things at the museum for them to be open, on a day they were normally closed, as Sharon had never seen the museum before and we wanted her to have the opportunity to experience it. The Bigfoot Museum is filled with information on Bigfoot sightings, many castings of footprints, and an interesting collection of pop merchandise that has capitalized on the image of Bigfoot over the years.

Since the two Believe It Tour guests were running late the crew and Linda went back to Steven’s book store. Steven regaled us with even more Bigfoot adventure stories and we talked about the logistics behind doing two investigations in the heart of Bigfoot country. In addition to visiting the Patterson-Gimlin film site, the Believe It Tour crew had arranged for an investigation, graciously led by Steven, that evening to the Friday Ridge Road in the Brush Mountain Lookout area of Willow Creek. Also while at the store the crew found some great new Bigfoot books to add to our growing cryptid book collection.

From the bookstore the crew and Linda went over to Cinnabar Sam’s in Willow Creek for some dinner and to wait for our guests to finally arrive. Over dinner Linda told us some great Bigfoot stories and gave us a local perspective to the Bigfoot experience. During dinner Steven arrived and we began working out the final details for our night investigation along Friday Ridge Road. There had been a number of sightings reported and vocalizations heard in that area of Willow Creek, so Steven thought it would be a great place for the Believe It Tour crew and our guests, Craig and Sharon, to explore once the sun went down. After Craig and Sharon finally arrived we talked for a while longer before parting ways to get ready for the night’s next adventure. Unfortunately, Linda wasn’t able to join us for our hike, but we had a wonderful time talking and sharing stories with her.

Once we had gathered our gear the Believe It Tour crew, Steven, Craig, and Sharon met at Willow Creek’s famous Bigfoot Motel before heading off to Friday Ridge Road in search of a Bigfoot adventure.

The crew’s anticipation was growing as we drove down the dark and twisty mountain road to get to our location. When we finally arrived the Believe It Tour crew was armed with an infrared (IR) digital video camera and Craig had brought along a small thermal imager and a handheld Generation 3 night vision device (NVD). Armed with our equipment and some bear spray we set off down the road. It took a while to get used to the absolute darkness and almost painful quiet that surrounded us as we slowly moved forward, but once we did our senses became heightened as every sound in the forest seemed magnified. We stopped a number of times to carefully listen and scan the forest with our equipment when we heard noises in the darkness that seemed to indicate something living, besides us, was near. At one point Craig even heard a rock thrown at the group. However, no one else heard it as most of the group was walking in front of Craig. Rock throwing is a common Bigfoot behavior that has been noted by cryptid researchers. After about two hours of walking along the road the crew decided to call it a night. While the Believe It Tour crew didn’t find anything that night or personally have an encounter with anything unknown to us everyone had a great night exploring Friday Ridge Road thanks to the help of our guide, Steven.

Our trip to the Friday Ridge area was exciting, but all of us were even more thrilled to be going on a journey to explore the historically significant Patterson-Gimlin film site on Monday. Look for more adventure from Day 11 as we continue our quest for Bigfoot.

Bigfoot Country Is Off The Grid

2009-08-19T16:43:00.013-04:00

Once the Believe It Tour crew hit Bigfoot Country we had only momentary windows of internet and cell access, which is why not much has been heard from us in almost a week. As a result of our spotty internet service we've fallen a little behind on our blog posts and photos. We'll try to give a general update to fill in the last few days until we have a chance to blog in more detail.

Starting along the coastal Redwoods we made stops at just about every roadside attraction that had a carved Sasquatch sculpture outside. Being in Bigfoot territory we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We stopped at places like the Legend of Bigfoot. While at this store we took the opportunity to talk to other travelers to see if they had any sightings or other interesting Believe It stories.

Sure enough the crew found a number of interesting stories while on our travels. One example was shape shifters, an area that has recently peaked my interest. Everything from eagles turning into deer to woodland faeries shifting into inanimate objects. All of the stories we heard were very exciting.

A fun side trip was seeing Paul Bunyan, a favorite in American folklore, at the Trees of Mystery in Klamath. This 49'2" tall statue along with his trusty sidekick Babe the Blue Ox was a huge hit with the kids and the Believe It Tour crew. We took the opportunity to ask Paul if he believed in Bigfoot between the many questions all the kids were yelling up to the friendly logger. The answer to our question was "Sure, I believe. He owes me $4 from a card game after all."

We then continued into Willow Creek for the start of the Bigfoot Scenic Byway. We invited a group of fellow Bigfooters to join us on this portion of our trip. The highlight of the trip was spending a night at the famous Patterson-Gimlin film site in Bluff Creek. Not only was this a highlight, but an extremely close call for a group of Squatchers in one of the trucks making its way out of the site through a rock slide area. More details and photos will be up soon.

While at the film site we had some "Sasquatchtivity" comprised of some whistles and rustling that happened right after all of us had settled into our tents for the night.

After our exciting time at at the film site we also made stops in Happy Camp and Mt. Shasta. After camping at Mt. Shasta that ended our search for Bigfoot and put us back on the grid as we move into San Francisco.

Again keep an eye out for updates as we bring you more details and lots of photos for each of the specific stops.

Special thanks go out to the Squatchers that took part in this portion of our journey: Steve Streufert at Bigfoot Books, Linda Martin from bigfootsightings.org, Peggy at the Bigfoot Museum, James "Bobo" Fay and Jimi "Slash" Frizzell all around great guys and Bigfooters who saved the day, Craig Woolheater from Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, and Sharon Lomurno of Bigfoot Field Reporter.

The Ghost Town of Bodie

2009-08-15T01:57:00.003-04:00

After surviving the heat of Death Valley day five of the tour led us to the famous ghost town of Bodie. Armed with video cameras, a tape recorder, and cameras the crew set off to have an adventure.

Bodie is a ghost town that in its heyday had a population of over 10,000 and was the second largest CA city behind San Francisco. The town was named after W.S. Bodey when he discovered gold in the nearby hills in the 1850s. The current spelling of Bodie came about as the result of a misspelling by an illiterate sign maker. In its heyday Bodie had around 30 gold mines, 65 saloons, numerous brothels, and opium dens and Bodie was considered the most lawless and violent gold rush city in the West. It began its slow decline until 1962 when the State of CA took town over and turned it into a state park where the building are currently preserved in what is considered an arrested state of decay.

There are endless ghost stories around Bodie and even an alleged curse on the city. One of the most haunted houses in Bodie is the Jim Cain house where a maid committed suicide. The building has been used as housing for park rangers and was even open to the public at one time and many people have seen or experienced a somewhat frightening entity in the house. The other residence that has many stories is the Mendocini house where the sounds of children’s laughter and parties have been heard many times over the years. A number of people have also reported cooking smells emanating from the former residence.

While the ghost stories are well known and always interesting perhaps the most fascinating aspect to Bodie is its curse. Over the years the tale has been told that the spirits of Bodie’s former residents protect the town from any item of the former town being removed. If anyone visits the park and takes away a relic or unofficial souvenir the person supposedly has bad luck befall them and the park rangers report that they frequently have items mailed back to them as a result of the supposed curse.

The Believe It Tour crew had a great time exploring Bodie and came away with some good experiences, great video, and some fantastic photos. However, we were careful to make sure that everything we came into contact with stayed exactly as we saw it on our visit. Whether the curse is real or not, the crew wasn’t going to take any chances.

Gathering Evidence

2009-08-13T16:39:00.008-04:00

Hope you've enjoyed reading all about the locations we've been stopping at along the tour. Perhaps you've even been making notes for your own tour of California.

Flying in and out of places, as we're trying to cover as many stops as possible, makes it difficult to conduct investigations or explore the settings in depth. However, we have managed to fit in some time for collecting possible evidence.

For instance, while at the Amargosa Hotel we had the opportunity to set up our night vision camera in our room and took numerous photos of the area. Our host, Rich Regnell, pointed out the room we were in had previous paranormal activity. We also tried to record some EVPs while in the area referred to as "Spooky Hollow".

This was continued into the next day while visiting the town of Bodie. Taking avantage of the fact we had the entire cemetery to ourselves for a long period of time, we used the digital recorder to try and communicate with any of the Bodie residents that have been buried up on that lonely hill.

While we didn't have as much time as we would have liked to spend investigating and we haven't had the time to fully review all the digital information yet, it still might turn up some interesting evidence.

This is sort of a teaser to make us want to come back and explore even more. Until then we will continue pulling out the digital recorder, IR lights, and anything else we can fit into the mix. You never know what you might find.

(photo: Sacramento Tunnels)

Death Valley Junction

2009-08-13T15:38:00.008-04:00

The day in Death Valley ended with a stop in Death Valley Junction where we toured the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel. The Believe It Tour crew had a very personal and exciting tour of the location by Rich Regnell, who runs the opera house and hotel.

The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel was created in the early 1920s by the Pacific Coast Borax Company as a complete self-contained town for the company that included a hotel, dormitory style housing, hospital, recreation hall, emergency medical facility, and a morgue. In 1967 Marta Becket discovered the, by then, abandoned complex and had a vision for what it could be. A prolific painter Marta spent many years painting murals and art throughout the buildings and also giving nightly dancing performances. Eventually Marta purchased the entire town of Death Valley Junction and in 1981 it was listed in National Register of Historic Places.

When we arrived at the Amargosa complex, Rich graciously spent time giving us a tour and then sitting down to regale the crew with fascinating paranormal experiences and stories about the hotel and his personal experiences there. The tour started in the hotel with a visit to the rooms on the main floor that featured artwork by Marta Becket, who is the amazing creator and visionary of the opera house and hotel compound. The main floor of the hotel had originally been built for investors and other important people associated with the borax company.

After viewing the main floor we were taken on a unique tour of the lower floor where the dormitory housing had been. Rich told us the paranormal activity in this location was unusually prolific and countless people had experiences that ranged from seeing apparitions to being touched. With Rich guiding us the crew went through all the rooms on the lower level. There was definitely a sense of history and of the people that had spent time in this area of the complex.

When we got back to the main floor Rich sat down the crew and talked to us about the history of the town, the complex, Marta, and all of the paranormal activity in the buildings. The paranormal activity is so great in the building that he even has a paranormal coordinator, Maury Mootz, who handles the coordination of investigations for people who want to see and experience the buildings.

The last stop on the tour was the opera house. The crew had seen pictures on the website of the interior, but nothing prepared any of us for how amazing and breathtaking it was person. The entire building was covered in a mural, including the ceiling. It was a solo project that Marta undertook and completed in four years. During the time she painted it she was still giving nightly dance performances and each day would break down all the scaffolding, so her audience never saw any detractors from her performances.

The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel are truly unique places, so if you’re ever in Death Valley Junction make sure you stop by to say hi to Marta and Rich.

The Death Valley Stop

2009-08-12T01:25:00.004-04:00

When the crew arrived in Death Valley the temperatures were already in the high 120s (in the shade). The day was full with trips planned to Devil’s Golf Course and Death Valley’s famous Racetrack Playa with the mysterious sliding stones. However, before heading out we stopped by the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to get some information on road conditions.

We talked to a park ranger who informed us that they wouldn’t recommend us driving out to the Racetrack. If you combined the 27 miles of unimproved road conditions with the roads being covered with sharp volcanic rock and the fact our mini-van really didn’t qualify as a high-clearance vehicle seemed to be a recipe for a flat tire and potential disaster. While all of us wanted to see the sliding stones we decided it wouldn’t be worth the risk.

The sliding stones are rocks that mysterious move across the desert floor without being touched by humans or animals. The sliding stones range widely in size and leave large grooved trails behind them. While no one knows what causes the movement there are a number of hypotheses that range from wind to drying water from rain in the surrounding mountains. However, the fact that the rocks change directions when they move or have inconsistent movement when surrounded by similar rocks would seem to question some of the current ideas behind why the rocks move.

Once we left the visitor center we were off to Devil’s Golf Course. The Devil’s Golf Course is an area filled with hundreds of spires that were formed by eroding rock salt. The folklore behind this Death Valley landmark is that it’s such inhospitable territory only the Devil could manage to play golf there. However, when we got to the turn off we discovered another very rough unimproved road and decided that it wasn’t worth risking a flat tire to see with the temperatures being what they were.

On the way back to another stop we did take a quick side trip to see the Artist’s Drive, which is an amazingly colorful area that was a 9 mile loop through the hills. The hillsides were covered in many different colors as a result of volcanic properties and sediment in the ground, which made for a spectacular drive. While we weren’t able to find any paranormal, folklore, or extraterrestrial connection to Artist’s Drive it was still wonderful to visit.

Do you have any interesting Death Valley experiences or any comments you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you.

Aliens in Baker?

2009-08-12T01:08:00.004-04:00

On our tour we heard a rumor there were aliens in Baker, so on the way to Death Valley we decided to make a quick stop to visit a shop called Alien Fresh Jerky. When you drive up to the building you’re struck by the eclectic collection of alien paraphernalia that decorate the façade. There was an alien sitting on a sign, one on the roof, a family of aliens sitting in a car, and, of course, a space ship. Inside the shop was filled with a variety of snack items for the road weary traveler and more alien related merchandise.

We thought a quick trip off our path to Death Valley was worth it to see a few aliens.

Do you have any favorite alien inspired locations you’d like to share with us? Let us know.

Exploring the Ghost Town of Calico

2009-08-10T14:16:00.002-04:00

As the sun rose in the desert the temperatures inched up for the Believe It Tour crew as we got ready for another fun day of exploring. After a cup of espresso and breaking down camp we decided to do a little more in-depth exploring of Calico.

We took a train tour through the back side of the town where we saw the original silver mine and left over relics from the mining boom in the 1880s. Brad and Diana even explored an old mine shaft while Mike explored the town. The crew was also able to talk to a few merchants in town about their paranormal experiences in Calico and hear a few interesting ghost stories.

In one store we talked to a merchant that had worked in Calico for six years and had heard many ghost stories. She said the store she worked in had a man in the back that had been seen over the years, but she had never seen him. Although she did have a curious experience with some missing keys that mysteriously reappeared after a month. While she’s not sure what happened she does know that someone played a joke on her, whether that person was human or a ghostly entity. She also directed us to another store where they had some activity.

In the next store we were able to speak with another Calico merchant who had a number of interesting paranormal experiences. She said her store had a male presence that roamed throughout the shop and a little boy who played on the plank porch in front of the building. She also experienced something that physically touched her when she was in a back storage room. She then said most of the buildings in Calico had numerous reports of paranormal activity that residents, merchants, and visitors had experienced over the years. She said at one time Calico had regular ghost tours, but currently they were only offered at Halloween.

Some of the other stores we visited regaled us with tales of the paranormal that ranged from a mysterious haze that would be seen hovering near the ceiling of a mine shaft to children’s laughter near a bridge that led to the old school house and the smell of perfume coming from one of the buildings that used to house a brothel to some other merchants capturing a number of EVPs.

After a fascinating adventure through Calico we’re back on the road heading to Death Valley.

The Ghost Town of Calico

2009-08-10T01:47:00.005-04:00

After exploring the Integratron in Landers the Believe It Tour crew decided to spend the night in a spooky ghost town called Calico near the Mojave Desert.

Calico was a silver mining town that had its heyday in the late 1800s. However, by 1904 the town was abandoned and officially became a ghost town. Today Calico is a park that is open to the public and only one of a handful of surviving mining towns from the Old West. People can visit Calico to see how life might have been back in the 1800s and they even experience the Mystery Shack, a tilted house where they can see water running uphill. As 1/3 of its buildings are original many paranormal events have been reported over the years. For some brave souls that aren’t scared by the ghost stories there is even camping in Calico.

Tonight the crew decided to brave the desert wind and Old West ghosts to stay overnight in Calico. Check back tomorrow to see if we had any interesting experiences.

Landers

2009-08-10T00:59:00.005-04:00

Day 3 started with the Believe It Tour crew hitting the road to head to Landers, which is adjacent to the Mojave Desert. We decided to explore another vortex and check out an extraterrestrial inspired building.

The The Integraton was built in 1957 by George Van Tassel as a time machine and a mechanism to rejuvenate people. George designed and built the domed Integration based on the research and theories of Nikola Tesla and by guidance he received from extraterrestrials. The site was also carefully chosen by George for its unique geomagnetic forces, which create a vortex that the dome sits on.

When we pulled up to the dome we were impressed by its remoteness and the solemn landscape surrounding it. When we arrived the dome was closed for a private function, but that didn’t stop us from soaking up the unique atmosphere and snapping a few photos before getting back on the road.

Fallbrook and Phantoms...oh my!

2009-08-10T00:55:00.001-04:00

On the way to Landers the Believe It Tour crew stopped in Fallbrook to visit a private winery called Phantom Winery. Phantom Winery is owned by Jeff Kuns who also owns Phantom Threads, the company that embroidered the jackets the crew is wearing on the tour. Plus we thought the name, phantom, sounded like it just might just somehow fit into our folklore category. Phantom is a word that figures prominently in American folklore and has been used in many phantom hitchhiker stories and phantom black dog tales.

Jeff gave the crew a fascinating tour of his vineyard with showing us each type of grape variety he was growing and telling us what went into planting, tending, and harvesting his vineyard. When we had finished walking through the numerous rows of vines Jeff showed us his processing room and wine cellar where the wine was aging. After seeing the wine making process from start to finish Jeff then graciously invited us to a private wine tasting.

The Believe It Tour crew felt privileged to enjoy some amazing wine, great conversation, and lots of laughter. Seeing Phantom Winery and visiting Jeff was a fantastic way to start things as we left San Diego to head off to the next adventure on the tour.

Coronado and San Diego

2009-08-09T20:15:00.006-04:00

Day 2 of the tour started with an exciting change of plans and a completely new itinerary. The day was going to include a ghost investigation and a visit to Pasadena’s famous suicide bridge thanks to a lot of hard work from some great folks with a paranormal group in Southern CA. However, the schedule changed at the last minute, so the Believe It Tour crew decided to embrace some spontaneous adventure and see some new locations.

We started with going to the famous Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA. Hotel Del opened in 1888 and was the world’s largest hotel and the first one to have electricity. Hotel Del Coronado has a colorful past that includes the suicide of Kate Morgan in November 1892. Kate allegedly shot herself on a hotel stairway despondent over health issues and her husband’s gambling problems. According to the Hotel Room 3312 is still visited by Kate Morgan and is one of the most popular rooms at the hotel.

The next stop for the day was at Villa Montezuma in the Golden Hills area of San Diego. Villa Montezuma was built in 1887 and was home to the famous spiritualist Jesse Shepard. The house has had numerous reports of paranormal activity that range from the ghost of one of Shepard’s servants who committed suicide to the strong presence of entities in the room that Shepard used for séances.

After all of the haunted exploring the Believe It Tour crew decided to look for signs of aliens and we heard talk there were signs of then in San Diego. Our quest took us to Pacific Shores in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego where we found a delightfully glowing beverage called an Alien Secretion amongst black lit mermaids and sea monsters. Then it was off to Cardiff, CA to The Kraken, which was named after the famous sea monsters of seafaring folklore. While we didn’t spy any sea monsters we did have a great time filled with lots of laughter and fantastic people watching.

Be sure to see what adventures we encounter on Day 3.

San Diego Ghost Tour

2009-08-08T12:44:00.010-04:00

The crew met with Michael Brown, owner of Old Towns Most Haunted, for an exciting adventure tour that explored the paranormal side of San Diego. Old Towns Most Haunted is a tour that takes people throughout the Old Town area and relates history, reported encounters, and Michael’s personal experiences. Michael has been leading ghost tours in Old Town San Diego for 9 nine years and is an active ghost investigator. His tour is also the only ghost tour led in a CA State Park.

We started the tour with walking through the Old Town State Historic Park and learning some of the fascinating history behind a number of buildings and the tour guide’s personal experiences and encounters in the Old town area as a ghost investigator. A few of the tour highlights were a stop at a cemetery, an encounter with a vortex, and a haunted building we were able to explore.

One of the places we stopped at was the El Campo Santo Cemetery, which was an active cemetery from 1850 until 1880. We had the chance to walk inside and see some of the historic gravesites as we were regaled with interested stories about the cemetery. Michael mentioned that a number of people on past tours had issues with electronic equipment, specifically cameras, not working while in the cemetery.

During the tour Michael showed us a vortex in the courtyard of the famous Whaley House. He had a tour participant use an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter to find the exact location of the vortex. Once the vortex was found Michael related some of his personal experiences with the area and explained the role vortexes play in the paranormal world.

One of the last stops on the tour with going into one of the historic buildings that shares a courtyard with the Whaley House. The building’s past was a colorful one that ranged from being a former brothel to currently housing New Orleans Creole Cafe. Using an EMF meter Michael was able to have an interesting interaction with a paranormal entity he referred to as John.

The tour ended with Michael telling a few more stories and then showing us a number of intriguing images he had captured in his many years of being a ghost investigator. The tour definitely gave people an interesting glimpse and a new perspective into Old Town San Diego.

Our Haunted Dilemma of San Diego

2009-07-23T00:30:00.004-04:00

Each of us on the Tour this year has spent a good portion of our lives in San Diego and, as a matter of fact, Brad still lives there. Due to this it seems only fitting that the 2009 CA Believe It Tour should start in our old haunts.

Deciding what to cover, while we are in town, has been more challenging than expected. As all of us have lived in San Diego we have first hand knowledge of two popular locations that are famous for their haunted histories and spooky stories. These two internationally known locations are Hotel Del Coronado and the Whaley House. We're also looking at the possibility of visiting a location that would be completely new to the crew of Believe It Tour.

We were debating which locations to visit, so we decided to consult with a local medium who's extremely familiar with the history of San Diego hauntings and hot spots. So far we've gotten some good insight into the potential tour stops, which will help us make a decision

Will we end up searching for Yankee Jim in Old Town at the Whaley House? According to the Travel Channel's show, America's Most Haunted, Whaley House is the number one most haunted house in the United States. Another option is to drive across the bridge to see if anyone by the name of Mrs. Lottie A. Bernard is checked into the Hotel Del Coronado and then ask about the legend of Kate Morgan. Maybe we'll venture into San Diego's Sherman Heights to be treated to a piano recital by the late Jesse Shepard in his historic Victorian, the Villa Montezuma.

Which location will the Believe It Tour crew visit? Be sure to check back on details as they unfold.

Weird & Haunted Travels

2009-07-20T21:13:00.009-04:00

At a recent Believe It Tour New England Chapter dinner event the host, Mike Esordi, and guest speaker, Jeff Belanger, shared some great pointers on the best spots to visit on your next vacation or weekend getaway.
Mike discussed a few of the stops being planned for the upcoming California Believe It Tour that includes the famous ghost town of Bodie, Lake Tahoe where the crew hopes to spot Tessie, Happy Camp to search for Bigfoot, and to Paso Robles to see if some mysterious wine making vampires can be tracked down.

Jeff gave a wonderful presentation on several haunted destinations he has explored that ranged from the Queen Mary in CA to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in KT. He even regaled everyone with some fantastic stories about spooky events that have been experienced in the White House over the years. You can read more of Jeff’s White House stories in one of his books entitled,Who is Haunting the White House?.

So follow Mike or Jeff or both of them on your travels! Either way you’re sure to have an amazing and enjoyable trip. We’d love to hear from you, so let us know what some of you favorite trip destinations are.

St. John's Eve: Voodoo on the Bayou

2009-06-24T23:36:00.005-04:00

June 23rd was the eve of St. John the Baptist's birthday, a high holy day in the Voodoo religion. Here in New Orleans, Voodoo priestess Sallie Ann Glassman leads this celebration on a quaint wooden foot bridge on Bayou St. John. As the sun sets, Sallie Ann draws the cornmeal veves (symbols) of five lwa (voodoo spirits) on the weathered bridge. As the drummers drum, a small choir sings the creole songs beckoning the lwa to come dance with us. The primary lwa called upon in this ceremony is Marie Laveau, the powerful Voodoo priestess of New Orleans during the 1800s. She too held her St. John's Eve celebrations on this bayou. Just as the Catholic saints were human and elevated to saint status, so too the Voodoo lwa were originally human. The lwa are called upon for help and healing. According to Ms. Glassman's book Vodou Visions, Marie Laveau is called upon for help in the Voodoo arts and healing. Her colors are blue and white.

Voodoo is a religion of light and love. It is not about hexes and curses. Voodoo began during the slave industry long ago when people were kidnapped from various African tribes and thrown together on huge slave ships. One way that people took comfort during this horrific time was through their religions. As a result, the various tribal religions began to blend. The slaves who were sent to Haiti took their new blended religion and absorbed the French culture and Catholism, giving birth to Voodoo. The Haitian slaves who were sent to New Orleans adopted some of the local beliefs and practices, thus changing the religion again. Today's practioners blend their religious backgrounds and belief systems with Voodoo, creating a very personal spiritual path of reverence and ritual.