Hunting in Rhyolite

  I never thought I'd ever do something like this and yet here we were.  It was All Hallows Eve and our little group was headed out to Rhyolite, Nevada to do some "hunting".  This was an actual ghost hunt with recorders, cameras and a device with a word data base that spirits can allegedly manipulate to choose the words they want to say and then speak them through said device.  One of our little menagerie is part of a group that logically and scientifically searches for and studies paranormal reports and activity.   I was somewhat sceptical but very interested in seeing his approach to what might or might not be found out there.  Besides, any chance to get back on the road to adventure.....well, you've just got to take it and that's exactly what we did! 

  We arrived on the outskirts of Rhyolite at a little after 8p.m..  This was great because the idea was to be on the hunt when the clock struck midnight and All Hallows Eve turned into Halloween!  About a mile or two away from the actual town site is the Rhyolite cemetery, it was here that our adventure was begun.  After exploring, asking questions at various different graves and getting no results, it was time to hit the "town".  We walked the site and eventually ended up in a small caboose that at one time was used as a school.  another EVP session was begun and although we didn't get any speaking responses, all six of us heard what sounded like old fashioned music playing light, low and faint, somewhere in the distance!  This was very  interesting and we all questioned as to whether the six of us heard the same thing, if anything at all. This strange music lasted between 10 to 15 seconds and as I said before, all of us heard it!

  The music was'nt picked up on our friend's recorder and I thought that was really interesting.  We'd all shared the same experience and yet we had no proof.  This was turning out to be a very intriguing night!  Eventually we arrived at a small house for another round of questions and hopefully......answers.  "Is there anyone here with us?"  Apparently speaking through the "spirit speaking device", someone said "Yes."  "What's your name?"  "Harry."  Our friend then asked if "Harry" wished that someone would fix up and clean the place.  After a short while, we got a response; "Impossible......dirty."  Although I could not be sure, it seemed as if some unseen person was actually conversing with us.  I guess "Harry" left because we didn't get any more conversational responses after this.  But then something else happened.......

  As my wife and 2 other group members exited the small house, they heard music once again!  This time, according to them it was a different tune.......daaa..da...daaa..da.  The music was slow and seemed to last longer, remaining audible for just about 30 seconds.  Once again, even though a recorder was on, nothing was picked up!  They were the only ones to hear the music this time and it occurred to me that this was very weird.  As everyone else left, our friend from the paranormal group and I stayed behind in the front room of the small house and shut off our flashlights.  We sat in complete darkness, asking still more questions and looking for significant temperature drops which may indicate the presence of ghosts.  After getting nothing, it was time leave and continue our exploration. 

  Back on what was once Main street, Rhyolite, we explored a building that was once a bank back in the town's heyday.  My brother sat alone in the vault and began asking questions.  Many, many years ago this actual vault was blown open in a robbery attempt.  My brother knew this and asked if there was ever a fire down there.  He got a response via the communication  device.  It said "Gasoline".  That was all he got.  After several minutes without further response, the intrepid group pressed onward.  We headed to the old train depot.

  I took some pictures 2 of which turned out to be mildly interesting.  While there was no mist on this night, something definitely fog like showed up in the pictures.  While I don't believe this was anything ghostly, it sure was strange and it only showed up in those 2 pictures.  As we walked around the depot, I heard someone yell "Hey" or something like that as if they were trying to get either my or the group's attention.  I looked toward the second floor of the depot because that's were it sounded like the yell may have come from.  Of course I saw nothing!  Even stranger still was the fact that although this "voice" sounded very clear and loud to me, no one else heard it!  And once more it was not picked up on our recorder.  Yet again, another experience with no back up!  Whatever was going on was turning out to be very enigmatic.  

      As we walked down Main street, one of the girls and the paranormal investigator felt that we were being followed!  They stopped because they'd heard what sounded like footsteps in the the desert.  As they looked to the side of the road, they both saw what appeared to be a shadow running through the brush as if trying to avoid being seen.  There was no one else out there!  Four of us were much further down the road and thus completely missed out on the possibility of sharing their experience.  While I can't say for sure just what the heck happened out there, I will say this.......Something definitely did......and I for one would love to go back!     

Night diving and "the neighbors"

  The participants; Mike, Dom and I.  The place; Kingman Wash.  The adventure; Dom's first night dive.  We arrived at just after 9 in the p.m., geared up and got in.  I took the lead as Mike pulled the lighted flag and tailed us with Dom taking the middle.  We were in for just over an hour and dropped to 33 feet.  The awesome thing about night diving is this; The same site turns into something completely different in the dark!  While the change over in fish life from day to night doesn't necessarily differ out here, their behaviors do.  Because they're in a somewhat catatonic state (resting), It's so much easier to get really close to them.  Dom hadn't experienced this before and she thought it was really very cool!   

  She'd also never experienced the sometimes creepy feeling of being able to see only what's caught in the beam of a dive light!  As the dive continued, Mike's light went dead and he saw nothing except for the shine of our beams and the glow sticks hanging on the backs of our tanks, Dom's red, mine green.  He said they'd cast an eerie and almost otherworldly glow.  I showed Dom several Blue gill and juvenile Catfish lazing about on the muddy bottom.  Two large Carp swam slowly just at the edges of our flashlights beams, causing shadowy, ghost like glimpses and staying just beyond us.  We turned our lights off a few times so Dom could have the experience of total and complete darkness beneath the surface.  She loved it!

  As I brought us back to the shallows, I found a spot just about 8 feet deep.  I wanted to show her the moon and stars.  I pointed up and once more, we shut off our lights.  The night was calm and cloudless.  The visibility underwater was great, there was no wind.  The night sky shined in all its starry, moonlit glory and it was beautiful!  The desert was calm and quiet but as we geared down my brother gave out a long and high pitched howl just to see if we had "neighbors".  We did and the short, shrill yips answered in close proximity.  The Coyotes were all around us!  It was as if they filled the wash, staying (much like the Carp on the dive) ethereal and mysterious.  Then Dom caught eye shine in her flashlight's beam. One was closer and on the shore, about fifty feet away.  She pointed him out. He sat there,  watching us for awhile and then sauntered slowly off into the desert darkness.  What an incredible night this was.