Something About A Cemetery....

     They dot the landscapes in a variety of displays. Some colorful, many elaborate, often hidden in unexpected places like tree-covered hillsides or forgotten plots in the desert.

     Death is big business because it seems to be one of a few things that have been prominent throughout history. With so many people here and gone, a variety of afterlife displays have come about. But one special version of this ritual comes in the form of a good old cemetery.

You may come across a wild character from history, such as the outlaw poet called Black Bart in Marysville.







Or the worn epitaph on the headstone of strange fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft in Swan Point.

     The feeling of walking into- or stumbling upon- these places usually has a different feel to it, depending on the atmosphere. One may feel a sense of peace in the presence of simple stones, the scent of cut grass, and bright flowers fluttering in the breeze. That feeling might be opposite when surrounded by broken memorials on weeded hillsides and looming tree branches that have not seen a caretaker in years.
     I have seen many varieties of these memorial grounds.

   




Every monument in the Père Lachaise Cemetery has its own uniqueness that seems to be built by an artistic sculptor.









The creeping moss and brooding tombs in Highgate Cemetery breed good reason for the rumors of a vampire lurking around.










Union Cemetery, made famous by the Warrens claiming it to be one of the most haunted in the USA, has tilting stones and dates from centuries ago.







In New Haven, Connecticut there is a cemetery known as the Crypt On the Green. It resides in the basement under a beautiful church.











And the simple headstones from the Winter Quarters coalmine disaster rest on the hill overlooking Scofield, Utah.

Honorable mention goes to the Montmartre Cemetery, much of which resides under a bridge busy with foot and auto traffic. It is full of wild, wandering cats who move about the crypts.

   



     Many of these places seem quiet enough to meditate, but we often hear about the restless side of these places. Virginia City, Nevada has tales of glowing light with no natural source. Boothill Cemetery bares ghostly tales of those who did not survive Tombstone, Arizona. And Bodie, California is known for its deadly curse on anyone who takes even the smallest item from the area. Let us not forget the photos captured of strange figures in Bachelor's Grove, said to be a dumping ground for the mob.

   
     It always baffles me when people would find enjoyment vandalizing these places. How bored can people be? It is one thing to sneak into a moonlit burial ground for the thrill of makeout sessions and fast romps among the tombstones, but it is entirely another demon when monuments that cost lots of money from families who wanted to memorialize loved ones have been toppled over or sprayed with paint for a night of “fun”.

     These people lack any ambition or creative powers to occupy their time creating something, so they occupy their time in sabotage and destruction.

     In other ways, the dead have been disrespected by ghouls and seekers of easy money- like macabre entrepreneurs who sold bodies to medical schools. This practice may have actually lead to more knowledge of the human body that we have today. Double-edge sword indeed.

Then there are those who have dug into crypts for fortune. As was the case with the body of President Abraham Lincoln when his corpse was stolen for ransom. A more depraved reality comes from those who put their muscles to work and dig through the six feet of dirt to do mind-blowing deeds, example being that of one lonely farm owner out of Plainfield, Wisconsin. Another example being the unidentified Ghoul of Whitmire Cemetery.

     It is not uncommon when Mother Nature herself takes entitlement to vandalizing, such as the heavy downpours of rain that have uncovered some burial grounds and the floating coffins of Hurricane Katrina. A more supernatural event of unexplained destruction comes from Barbados, where the Chase Family vault has become a legend for the repeated ransacking of caskets by an unseen force.

     But it is not uncommon for more selfish reasons of defacing these monuments to the dead. People who simply want memorabilia have ruined it for the rest of us. Hence why there is no longer a statue the likeness of the Lizard King on Jim Morrison's grave in Paris, France and why the headstone of Billy the Kid has been caged in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

 
















     For those of us who have learned to respect the memory of those who have passed on, sometimes centuries before our first breath, these grounds are important places. It is no wonder why the Native Americans guarded their own places of tribute to fallen relatives as the influx of people who marked the graves with stone monuments and crosses may have intruded on their original cemeteries.

It is important to remember to give the utmost respect in these grounds. They are dedicated to the lives of many people who still have stories to tell.

     These are stories from different generations across the spectrum of time. Lives of tragic repeats and unsung heroes who heavily believed in the generations of people to be born long after their final breath.

     And, whether you believe it or not, your lack of appreciation for their final resting place could very well lead to them following you home.

We speak lightly here where families shed a tear.

Our naked eye unknowing that souls are near.

It's easy to find fate and future if you search hard.

It's easiest if you walk down to the churchyard.

- JEB

Evidence: The Key to a Paranormal Investigation

                                                               Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

When I first became interested in the Paranormal I read every book and website I could find on the topic. Even though I am not big on reading, I could finish an entire book in two days. I just couldn’t get enough information to quench my desire for knowledge on the subject.
During a visit to my local library I came across a book that I thought was about ghosts and the paranormal. The title was very deceiving. I took it home anyways not really knowing what it was about.

As I read through the book I began to realize that the intent of the author was to discredit the paranormal. He wasn’t interested in entertaining the idea that it was possible that ghosts actually existed. He also wasn’t interested in attempting to capture any evidence to establish any kind of claim or attempt to use that evidence to debunk it. He would simply visit a location that was reported to be haunted, walk around for a couple of hours, and if a ghost didn’t jump out at him and say, “Boo!,” that location wasn’t haunted. By the end of the book, the author came to the conclusion that there were no haunted locations, just “haunted” people. In other words, those that believe are making it up. I will never get the two days back that I spent reading that book!

Today, there are tons of paranormal shows on TV and the internet. A majority of the shows collect evidence during their investigation, but some don’t. Some are based solely on one persons "special abilities" to detect if a location is haunted or not. Not one bit of evidence is collected to support their claims.

One such show, which I will refrain from mentioning the name, involves an individual going to different locations and telling the owner what they sense. It’s usually a demonic entity, which drives me nuts! I will save my disdain for those that believe demonic entities are hiding around every corner for another blog.

I have watched this show several times. If I don’t know someone or if I can’t point to any evidence that can back their claims, I am a little skeptical of their “abilities.” A famous politician once said, “trust, but verify.” I always refer back to that statement in cases where I find myself a little skeptical.

So, several of the episodes involved locations I have never been. Since I have never been there and I don’t know the history of the location, I remained skeptical, but had nothing to go off of. One episode involved a location that I knew very well! They went to the Amargosa Hotel and Opera House in Death Valley Junction, California. I had investigated and researched the heck out of that location.

After spending some time walking around, the star of the show sat down  with the caretakers of the hotel and explained what they felt was happening at the hotel. Everything they talked about was the same information that was common knowledge and you could find on every website about the history of the hotel or legends that had been passed around throughout the years. Some kind of evidence would have been nice to back up their claims. Without evidence, they were simply repeating the stories they have heard and these stories were not based off of any kind of physical proof.
Our team basis our investigations off of physical evidence, pictures/video/audio. We need something physical to present to the client so that they can see or hear for themselves that there is possibly something there. Without that physical evidence, we just have personal experiences that can’t be backed up.

I am sure many would say to themselves, yes, but evidence can be faked so what does it really matter? That is true and all you have to do is look at social media and you can find many instances where people put out fake videos, pictures, or audio in order to go “viral” and gain interest. Apps have also been created where you can insert a picture of a “ghost” into any picture to try and fool people to think that a picture of something paranormal was captured.
For those of us investigators who have reviewed 100s of hours of video and audio and 100s of pictures taken during an investigation, spotting a fake is rather easy. We take spotting fakes seriously. Every fake that comes out damages any credibility real investigators have and makes a mockery of the work that we do.

There is no way that we, as investigators, can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our evidence is paranormal. There is no method to prove it. Most of what we go off of is based on theories by those that came before us. It would be wonderful if we had scientific proof that our evidence was paranormal. That is why we try to caveat our evidence as "possible" or "probable" when we refer to it. If all other reasonable explanations for what that evidence can be is debunked, then there is a good case to be made that it is probable that we have captured paranormal evidence. How else can one explain capturing a voice on audio that doesn’t match anyone that was present in an area or capturing a voice in an area where no one else was present?

Even though we can’t prove the evidence is 100% paranormal there are ways that we can verify the integrity of our video, photographic, and audio evidence. There are specialists in these fields that can review the evidence and certify that the evidence hasn’t been altered in any way. While this is a good method, it’s not always practical to send out every bit of evidence for every investigation to be verified.

Video, Audio, and photographic evidence is the key to a paranormal investigation. While personal experiences like seeing or having a direct encounter, sensing the presence of something paranormal, and the ability to communicate with ghosts is great, it doesn’t provide a client with the possible proof they are seeking unless something they can hear or see can be presented with the personal experience.

Watching a clients face during a review of evidence says it all. We can talk for hours about our personal experiences and you can tell that a client just isn’t as impressed. When we play a class A EVP for a client, the excitement that they have been validated is obvious. We have even had clients invite their neighbors over to listen to our evidence because they are so excited. It’s this reaction that proves that this form of evidence is the key to a paranormal investigation.

Meet Erin Lake

Meet Investigator Erin Lake

(Tumalo Falls, Bend Oregon)

How long have you been interested in the paranormal?

I’ve been interested in the paranormal since about 2006. My grandma had just passed and it was the year that I first had any experience with the paranormal.

( Tumalo Falls, Bend Oregon)

Have you had any personal experiences? How many? Which is your most memorable? Why?

I have had some personal experiences. Such as hearing someone talking who isn’t there, dreams, objects moving on their own, hearing someone saying my name while being the only one home or awake, and hearing footsteps. So far, my most memorable experience has been a dream that I had. I was walking with my grandmother, who had passed away, and she was talking to me about something that I was going through at the time. But before she started to walk away in the dream, she turned to me and told me to tell my mom that she liked the new lights that she had put in the new house. When I woke up, I told my mom about the dream and about the lights. My mom stopped what she was doing and just looked at me, then told me that she had just bought some new lights for the new house that we were building. No one except for my dad had even seen them yet to know what they looked like.

(Erin's dog Motley and Erin)

What made you seek out a paranormal Investigation team?

I have always talked about how I would like to join a paranormal investigation team since my first paranormal experience, but I never actually sought it out. It wasn’t until my sister forwarded the 'A.L.P.S. craigslist ad for a new team member' to me that I even thought about actually being a part of a team. I didn’t hesitate to reply to the ad immediately after reading it.

                 

 How long have you been with ALPS?

About 4 months

    

(Erin and Motley in Mendocino, Ca)

How do you think an investigator should behave and work?

I think an investigator should behave professionally during an investigation. A paranormal investigation team is there to help people and to do that, the team should carry themselves professionally and confidently to do the best job possible to give the client the peace of mind they need. 

              

When not investigating, what do you do in the off time? Work? Other hobbies?

In my off time, I spend a lot of time with my family and my dog Motley. Motley is my little sidekick. I enjoy doing just about any outdoor activity, like camping, hiking and anything water related. In the summer you can find me at my favorite lake or river on just about any given day.

    

(Bullards Bar Reservoir)


(San Francisco, Ca)

                                           

(Backstage at a Sevendust show during Aftershock)

If you could investigate anywhere in the world, where would you go?

If I could investigate anywhere in the world it would be Dracula’s Castle. I’ve always wanted to go there, and to investigate there would be awesome!

What are your long term goals being part of the ALPS team? Short term?

I would say that my main goal being part of ALPS, besides helping people with their paranormal experiences, is to build long lasting friendships with the members of the ALPS team.

Tech Review: Ovilus 5b

The Ovilus 5b

A tech review by ALPS investigator Jennifer Furgerson

There have been many types of Ovilus' made over the years since it made its on screen appearance on the television show Paranormal State in the year 2008.

 It was created by Digital Dowsing.

Blow are some examples of the most popular models:

The most resent in the line of Ovilus' is the Ovilus 5b:

This device has a dictionary mode just like the others that came before. It has an easy to find on off switch and is rechargeable. Both nice features in any device used in the field for paranormal investigations. Just like the Ovilus 4 the voices sound real compared to the robotic voices of past models. The model 5b has the same modes as the 4: Dictionary, Draw, True/False, Phonetic, Proximity, Energy and Motion. The Ovilus 4 is 12 x 10 x 6.5 in and 3.75lbs and the Ovilus 5b is 7 x 5 x 3 in and 0.6875lbs. This makes the most recent model lighter and easier to stand upright on is own. With a touch screen on one side, the speaker, the rest of the features remain the same except two. The Ovilus 5b is rechargeable (as I mentioned before) and has on internal SD memory card (no need to remove the card, just plug the device into your PC) and this will allow you to download the dictionary log from a session before you clear the memory of what was said in dictionary mode (it will not wipe the dictionary that was programmed into the device).

The Ovilus 5b Mode Review:

Dictionary ~ (most used) the words are clear in female and male, and clear in English and Spanish. Best results come not holding the device as where holding it tends to feed off of our personal naturally occurring energies.

Draw ~ (still testing) tends to lend to the pareidolia effect (when you brain tries to make seance of the shapes it sees in order to form a picture). the lines being drawn can be adjusted in the settings to move faster, draw bigger, draw smaller...yet it is all done through pixilation. 

Energy ~ (still testing) it works similar to that of an oscilloscope ( an instrument in which the variations in a fluctuating electrical quantity appear temporarily as a visible wave form on a display screen). best when not held.

Motion ~ (used on occasion) this simply picks up vibrations. best used when not held. 

Phonetic ~ (used on occasion) parts of speech to be used to help form whole words, but using it while being held works great to generate random white noise. for better results to spit out whole words, let the device be placed on a flat hard surface. 

True/False ~ (hardly used) hard to tell if it is feeding off of naturally occurring static or an entity. results have been too random to be used for any feedback as actual answers.

Proximity ~ (still testing) responds to static and emf fields that are generated around the device. looking for spikes in its sonar like display.

My Total Review:

The Ovilus 5b, when used correctly can be an effective paranormal investigation tool. Where I do prefer to use the Dictionary mode the most, I have learned that once it is turned on, one must let it sit for a couple of minutes due to the device responding randomly. Patience is required when using this device. Rushing or assuming answers from the device, and/or any mode will lead to false positive conclusions. I recommend the use of the Ovilus 5b, like any other Ovilus, to not be the only device used to gather information during a paranormal investigation. The length of time to be used during an investigation will depend on the investigator. I have been using it between 15 and 30 mins, but no more than an hour in any one mode. When switching modes, allow the device to sit for another minute and try not to touch any part of the Ovilus unless you need to reset or turn it off. This device is not cheep by any means, so I do not recommend going out to buy one unless you have researched the device yourself, listen to many reviews, and if you are lucky enough to be able to use one before buying. My point: learn about the gear you tend to use before you buy. Not all paranormal equipment is for everyone. For me, I tend to like gadgets and love to test them in the paranormal field. 

I give the Ovilus 5b... a complete thumbs up!

Check out Digital Dowsing website for more information

Digital Dowsing

Was that the past??...a paranormal experience

Photo courtesy from the web page of the USS Hornet museum

A year ago fellow teammate Scott Wolf and I (Jennifer Furgerson) experienced a phenomena neither one of us could fully explain away. Each year our team, or sometimes only a few team mates attend the paranormal conference Grey Ghost in Alameda aboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. The conference is your typical meet and greet, along with speakers from TV shows and other paranormal areas and then an investigation later that evening of all areas of the ship. Many have had their share of paranormal experiences ranging from having their hair messed with, being poked, and even seeing full body apparitions. After a long night of roaming the ship, we go to the bunks/cots/bedding we have been assigned to. The area we were in was on the second deck aft(rear) and port(left) side of the ship. Among our area were an array of men and women almost taking up every bed. Some had gone to sleep early (2 am) where others climbed into bed somewhere around 4 am. The lights are turned off and its not very quiet with all the different people snoring, or mumbling in their sleep. After awhile one tend to get used to the ambient sounds and eventually drifts off to sleep. 

This is where our story begins.

Scott's Experience
  "Strange experiences are common when you are a paranormal investigator. Many cases leave you with something that you can't quite explain. Most times you try to think through it logically and move on. Sometimes, like the experience Jennifer and I had aboard the USS Hornet, there is just no logical explanation for what transpired and the experience is one that is etched in your memory forever.

  After a long day of enjoying the conference and a long night of investigating, I decided it was time to head down to my bunk to get some sleep. My team mates were still investigating, but I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open.

  I made my way, through the dark, to my bunk. All lights were off and everyone around me was asleep. A few die-hard investigators were still up, but they were in other areas of the ship. Except for the snoring, it was quiet.

  The bunks were three high and there was very little room in-between. For some strange reason I chose to sleep in a middle bunk. Since I am extremely claustrophobic, this was a terrible choice! I figured I was so tired that I would just fall asleep and sleep the few hours I had left before they woke us up to depart the ship. Things didn't quite work out that way.

  I fell asleep and woke up probably about 30 minutes later, in a full panic from the closeness of the bunk above me. I tried the best I could to block it out of my mind and soon fell back asleep. As soon as I would fall asleep I would wake in a panic. It was a cycle that repeated throughout the rest of the night.

  At one point I awoke, but not from the panic I experienced before. I heard a strange commotion happening around me. As I opened my eyes I noticed something strange. The lights, which were off when I went to sleep, were all on. I looked around and there was no one sleeping in the bunks around me. My first thought was that it was morning time, everyone had already left the area, and some how I slept through it. I sat and thought about it and knew there was no way that could happen because the others I was there with would have woke me.

  The commotion grew louder. The sound of heavy footsteps were all around me. As I listened to what sounded like people running in all directions, my first thought was how rude it was for people to be coming back from investigating, turning on all the lights, and running around like a bunch of fools! It made no sense!

  I turned my head to look at the bunks across from me. Since I was in the middle bunk, I could only see what was in-between the top and bottom bunk. I could see what looked like the torsos of dark figures as they ran back and forth in the open walkway. They never shouted or spoke, they just ran frantically. All you could hear were their footsteps.

  As soon as it began, it was over. I looked around and the lights were off. There was no more running. All I could hear was the sounds of the people sleeping around me. I was tired and at the time I just figured it was a bunch of rude people trying to get back to their bunks to go to sleep. I drifted off to sleep unable to fully process what I had just witnessed, but also too tired to care.

  The morning came, the loud speaker blared that it was time to get up, and the lights came on. I gathered my things and made my way up to the hanger deck where everyone would gather for breakfast. I was still dead tired from not sleeping very much. What happened never even crossed my mind. The only thing on my mind was getting on the road so I could get back home and take a nap.

  Jennifer was already on the hanger deck. She was full of energy. She told me about the rest of their time investigating. Then, she told me about this crazy experience she had during the night. I was listening, but what she was saying didn't really kick in. It wasn't until I had exited the ship and started walking to my car that what had happened to me started coming back.

  I thought about it the entire drive home. It consumed me. I wished I would have been able to talk to Jennifer about because it seemed like we experienced the same thing. One person's personal experience ends up being just a great story, if you don't have anything to back it up. Two people experiencing the same thing, is much harder to ignore. Later that night I would send Jennifer a message and we talked about our experiences.

  It's now been a year since that experience. I still think about it all the time. Jennifer and I still talk about what happened and try to figure out what the heck we experienced. Our team mate, Faye, was there and she didn't experience it. In fact, she had a recorder running the entire time and didn't capture anything that sounded like what we experienced. The only thing that could be heard was snoring.

  Did we somehow travel back in time? Did only two of us experience a residual haunting?  I guess our experience, much like many things in the paranormal field itself and the strange happenings on-board the USS Hornet, will remain a mystery!"

Jennifer's Experience
  "I honestly thought I had experienced this phenomenon alone... I was out investigating on the second deck of the Hornet when I realized that it would probably be a good idea to get some sleep. It was after 4 am and I decided to head back to the assigned berthing area. Not to long after I closed my eyes and attempted to settle into slumber, the room we were in began to sound of a low murmur of voices and feet walking fast and hard on the metal floor. There was metal clanking, and loud banging. All I could think was "what the hell are the people doing while so many of us are sleeping".  It began to irritate me, I rolled to my left side (since I was against the wall). Upon opening my eyes, I see the lights were on, but instead of the normal brightness of the lights, it was an odd glow of pale yellow.

  I was puzzled about the lights being on and from where I was laying I could see people walking very fast heading from one end of the room to the other. Who ever these people were, they needed to get into the next room quickly then back out again. All I could see from where I was laying were people from the waist down. The row of beds obscured the rest of their bodies. I could see that each person wore dark blue high water pants and dark shoes. In what seemed like a mater of minutes, the lights went out and the people that were running were just gone. They had vanished and the room went dark again. I turned on my back and closed my eyes trying to make sense of what I just saw. Moments later while laying there with eyes closed attempting to relax, I hear foot steps approaching. They stopped right in-front of where I was laying. At this point I just wanted sleep, and I was ready to roll over and tell whom ever it was to please leave me alone. I rolled, opened my eyes to find that it was still dark, andno one was there.

  Come morning, everyone received that lovely wake up call of reveille and then the announcement of sweeping your bunk area. In other words, wake up, clean up your area, pack up your gear because you are all heading to the mess for breakfast.

  My teammates Faye and Scott  joined up with me in the hanger bay and we all started to recant our experiences, our irritations, and especially what I had witnessed. I was very excited about what I saw, and I kept repeating that I know I was not dreaming. Faye was quick to point out that the light switch was right next to where she was sleeping, and was the only one who asked how to turn on an off the lights. We continued on to breakfast with those images still fresh in my mind.

  It was not till later that day, on my way home, that I remembered something crucial to this odd event. I received a message from Scott asking what I remembered, and the realization that we both recalled that everyone who had been sleeping in this berthing area were no longer there to be seen. I do not know why I had not thought about it before. It baffles the mind to think that maybe I was pulled into the past, or perhaps the past was repeating at that moment. Either way it does not explain why we did not see the people who were sleeping in the same area.

  Faye was recording audio that night while the room slept, but told Scott and I that none of the noises we heard or from what we saw ended up on her recorder. Once again Scott and I are baffled. So what really happened to us? We both experienced it at the same time, but did not know it till the next day. We both could describe what the people looked like, yet I saw the bottom half, while he saw the top.

  This has stayed fresh in my mind, as I am sure it has with Scott. We both have talked about it over the year. We have looked at pictures from different time periods to see if we could pin point the time of the past we had seen. I have asked docents and other people who have stayed aboard, if they ever experienced anything like this. So far our phenomenon is currently unique to the ship."

For more information click on the links below...

USS Hornet Muesum

USS Hornet overnights

The Queen Is Elegant

When you are an enthusiast for paranormal places and happen to be visiting Southern California, pretty much the main hotspot you will find in any online search is the Queen Mary- a luxury ship that has been docked in Long Beach for decades. Now a hotel and museum with classy rooms, timeless hallways, and so many exhibits to see, there is plenty of room to get lost and find yourself... or something else.
Music from an older era plays in the lobbies, helping to lend an antique feel to the environment. Stairways and corridors go on for hours, and one can easily find themselves in places they did not expect.

Some of us leave with fantastic experiences to store in the memory banks. Others leave in the middle of the night.




The lights of Long Beach are incredible from the bow. There is plenty on the surface to discover.  Preserved quarters of the captain and his mates, along with old communication rooms can be found in random places along the deck. There are perfect locations to watch sunset, smell a cool ocean breeze, and see where past ceremonies have occurred- such as this pavilion near the rear of the ship.

But upon further searching, I found that the room in which I had the least interest became the spot where I felt the most overwhelming energy.
A sense of fear pervaded my mind and body the moment I stepped into that darkness. A dim, greenish light shined in water down below where you could see the large propeller at rest. Around it were coins and floating dollar bills, as if people considered the room to be a wishing well. Perhaps it was my phobia of enclosed areas filled with water, or perhaps the stories of men who died in the propeller's grinding twist are not legends after all.
The moment I went around to the next entryway and exited back into the museum, I felt immediate relief.

Although the entire ship is said to be haunted in one way or another, the area where most evidence has been recorded would be the first class pool- said by some to be a gateway for entities. Now off limits for safety reasons, it was saddening to not be granted access and witness this area in all its eerie glory. The pool is currently under renovations to be returned to its original state and may open some time in the next year. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, all we have to indulge our fascination is the locked doors leading inside.

I explored all night and could not decide if I should be happy or worried that people seemed to disappear after 1AM. When I finally did retire to the room I woke up hours later in one of the most chilling cold spells I have ever suffered. My travel companion had to wrap around me to stop the shivering, and even she became frozen trying to warm me.

What an amazing feeling when it subsided.

The next day we were allowed access to the infamous B340- a room surrounded by rumors and no shortage of paranormal tales involving death, poltergeist tampering, and activity so prominent that guests are no longer privileged to stay. We found a gutted, empty room. And we were not allowed to hang around long.

The paranormal tour was intriguing. It included the tale of a security guard who still works his shift there, even after a small child held up its arms then walked right through him.  The tour guide also mentioned ghosts in a front lobby area, the aforementioned propeller room, and the spirit of a man who was crushed in the engine room #13 door.

  It wasn't just the comfy accommodations and their cool portholes that allowed me to leave smiling the next day. It was not the surreal experience of a place that has long been on my bucket list. It was the thought and further realization of this strange world that, many times, the most elegant and gorgeous places also have plenty of ghosts to hide.

Have you visited the Queen Mary? We'd love to hear your experience.  Comment below to tell us all about it....

Odd Noise

        So, the USS Hornet, huh?

A place of afterlife legends atop the water, where certain sections are still closed for asbestos removal.  Many areas are flat-out off limits, and there are plenty of living bodies around to tell you where not to go.  Of course those sectors always make me most curious. :)

It was early August, 2015.  The ALPS team took me to the ship.  It started on a top level, the museum full of aircrafts and other era artillery.  A fantastic place to see familiar faces that all seemed to start with the Spirits of the Old West event at the Washoe Club back in 2012.

The ship was packed with different exhibits that appeared around winding corners and in unexpected rooms.

Many people coming and going, much merchandise on display from vendors and our current paranormal generation of grinders.
Early on, a tour guide briefly led the team down to an engine room where unexplained things were heard by naked ears and also recorded on audio.  Off to a good start.
My next question... where will I crash?
At first I was worried to have to rest my head surrounded by many people on the top level.  Couples, strangers, snorers!  But then we were shown down to the bunks that were yet another level below the busy and packed area of the others.  A less-occupied level that Faye had mentioned earlier.
Indeed, it was dark.  So I paid attention to the guide when he flipped switches for lighting.  When I saw Faye ask him the procedure a moment later, I knew there was backup as usual.
In the evening they served us dinner.  A filling meal that made me just right for a smoke.  I stepped back above, where the dark museum opened up to the rear of the ship– and this sight hit me.

The sunset was far beyond the bridges, the ships, and the water, far beyond the buildings of San Francisco.  It made plenty of colors as we socialized, smoked, discussed, then prepared for when the sun went down behind the city.

Many people were assigned in different groups that explored separate areas.  We passed by each other and BSed.

Sommer took us up to the control room, a fantastic display of blue radars and yellow charts.  How many emotions and energies from important decisions had made their way through that place over the years?

We explored lonely rooms that branched off shadowed hallways.  Supernatural experiments with different strangers. The hallways were ominous at all times.  Several people later found EVP’s in their archives.  One from Scott seemed to mention me by name, and it touched on a major past nerve. 

And who knows what else was found by the many investigators who were there?  Do share your evidence if your eyes reach this post.

We were guided to some of the most notorious spots, and it was easy to feel uneasy in most of them.  Being surrounded by so many people made the areas easy to face.

But the night got quiet, and other groups seemed to fade off like souls in time.  The USS Hornet is not a place you want to be stranded in the dark.  Odd noises from all directions is enough to make the mind wonder– but the things that are really there?

Four of us were on the grind latest into twilight hours. Myself, Faye, Scott Litaea, and some guy who followed us, said nothing, and crunched on vending machine snacks that made me envious.  Everything seemed quiet, except for the hum of the ship.  Time came to call it quits around five in the morning.

I was tired enough that the bunk felt like a bed.

The alarm in the morning, a surprising siren that blasted like the good old military days.  It was a sound meant to rise you from that bunk and be ready for plans in store for you.  I can’t say, after maybe an hour of deep sleep, that I was entirely annoyed when I reached a lower deck.  The kitchen area!  It was an awesome breakfast.

The experience felt like a camping trip aboard a haunted and historic American vessel.  It was a mixture of so many different people with goals that revolve around a similar subject.  What can ever go wrong there?

How amazing it was to see so many familiar faces who are currently working hard on the grind for their passions and for the future.  Here’s links to some of their Facebook accounts where you can find further links to their projects:

Josh Heard:    https://www.facebook.com/josh.heard.9 

Conner Hopkins:     https://www.facebook.com/connor.hopkins.9

Scott Litaea:     https://www.facebook.com/scottdlitaea

Sommer Jonez:     https://www.facebook.com/sommer.jonez

Jessie Garcia:     https://www.facebook.com/JessiePGarcia

.... and so many more. 

Halloween... The night of ghosts, ghouls, and most things that go bump in the night.

It is no surprise that many paranormal investigators love Halloween, or at least this time of year. Many believe that it is the one time of the year that the veil between the dead and the living is at its weakest. Many others believe that its a night of evil rather than good. So, who is right, who is wrong? To better answer this let's look at where the idea of where Halloween came from.

The Origins of Halloween

In ancient times, Celtic speaking countries  many had pagan (Middle English, from late Latin 'paganus' country dweller)  roots and belief system that marked the end of the harvest time and the beginning of winter. The festival known at Samhain (pronounced 'sah-win') was the time where they would honor their ancestors, have a great feast, dance, play games, and give offerings from the last of the harvests to their goddesses and gods. They would hollow out turnips, pumpkins or what ever they could carve a face on in hopes that the eerie face would ward of an evil that may be lurking near. This was considered the best time to contact the dead. The celebration would be an all day event, and by the night fall, candles were lit and rituals preformed to help honor the memory of their loved ones that had passed during the year and those before. 

It was not until 609 AD that the celebration of All Saints Day was moved to November 1st from May 13th  by Pope Gregory IV. Scholars believe that he moved the day to help counter the pagan festival. There would be a Mass that would honor the saints who did not have their own day, so that all that were considered 'hallowed' (regarded as holy; venerated; sacred) would be honored. The day before became known as All Hallows Eve. During this time, it was felt by many Christians the pagan festival was bringing forth evil spirits, and the devil. It is thought that in the 12th century,  people would put on masks and costumes so that they would not be spirited away or influenced by the dead. They hope it would conceal their identity long enough till midnight, where they felt the dangers were over and unmask themselves to prove that they were truly one of the living.

By the time the twentieth century was in full bloom both celebrations were practiced, but mostly by the Irish and Scottish immigrant communities. People were dressing in costumes, wearing masks, carving pumpkins, holding dances, going to church, and still honoring the dead.

From Samhain, to All Hallows Eve, to Halloween, started with pagan roots, re-routed by Christians, and then settled into the holiday of Halloween as we know it today. This Halloween many of all ages will dress up in costume and either trick or treat, go to parties, go to a harvest festival put on by a local church, or participates at a haunted house or maze. There are some that just stay at home and hand out candy to the trick or treaters perhaps while watching a scary movie.

Halloween has also been the theme for movies over the years. The theme varies from the gruesome to the light at heart. Many take the Halloween traditions to the extreme, and some follow the traditions of both Samhain. Very few follow the theme of All Saints Day.

Movies for the adults:

Halloween

The Houses October Built

House of 1000 Corpses

Trick r' Treat

                  Some movies are for the young at heart or just for kids:

                                                 Nightmare Before Christmas

                                                 Halloween Town

                                                 The Halloween Tree

                                                  Hocus Pocus

Even television stations have Halloween specials or Halloween themed shows. 

So who is right and who is wrong? Nobody.

It is up for the individual to decide what they believe about Halloween. There is only one question left to ask: What will you be doing this O' Hallow's Eve?

For more information about Halloween and its traditions feel free to visit these sites.

The History Channel

Wikipedia on Halloween

Samhain

All Saints Day