Mothman

This coming Thursday, we are headed to the annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, WV.  If our previous trips are any indication, we should have an interesting time.  Here is a quick overview of the story of Mothman:

The McClintic Wildlife Preserve located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia is a designated bird sanctuary. During World War II, the preserve was dug up to bury 100 igloos to hold wartime explosives. The igloos were covered over and made to look like rolling hillsides from the air.

After the war, the underground igloos were sold to several different companies, all of whom dealt with biochemicals. The McClintic Wildlife Preserve is now referred to the TNT area, and has also developed a far more perplexing history: a creature known as Mothman.

November 14, 1966 - A gentleman by the name of Newell Partridge was home watching television one night around 10:30 P.M. when the TV picture turned to static and a loud whining noise started. Bandit, Newell Partridge's German Shepherd, was on the porch when he began howling towards the barn. Partridge shined his flash light towards the barn and picked up the glow of two red pulsating eyes like bike reflectors. The dog ran towards the eyes snarling and Newell went inside and locked his door. He was very shaken and terrified.
The next morning, Newell went outside to find Bandit, but all he saw of the dog were a lot of tracks that looked as if the dog had been chasing his tail, something the dog had never done before. Bandit was never seen again.
November 15, 1966 - Two young couples were parking in the TNT area when they saw the shape of a man 7 ft tall. What they saw had wings folded on its back and large red eyes. Terrified, the young adults took off in the car, only to have the creature shoot straight up in the air and follow them, at speeds up to 100 MPH. Once they had reached the city limits, the creature stopped following.
The two couples contacted Deputy Halstead with the Mason County Sheriff's Department. Halstead returned with the individuals to the spot they had first sighted the creature. The deputy's radio began making high pitched squealing noises and garble. Everyone left and Halstead reported the trouble with the radio.
Several more sightings were reported of the creature flying over cars. The sheriff conducted a press conference. In the time that Mothman as the creature became know, was active, there were over 100 reports. Between November 1966 and December 1967, dog and livestock disappearances and mutilations were common around the TNT area.
When did the Mothman sightings stop? On December 15, 1967 The Silver Bridge spanning from Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH was covered with rush hour traffic when suddenly cables ripped off moorings and the bridge and cars plunged into the water. Of the 46 people killed, most had seen the Mothman. Though Mothman sightings are still reported, the reports aren't of the same frequency as they were those 13 months in 1966-67. The collapse of the bridge put an end to Mothman sightings for the most part.
I personally believe that the biochemical companies were to blame for Mothman. Who knows what sort of things leached into the ground water that an animal could have gotten into. On a trip to the TNT area in Point Pleasant, WV, there were several ponds with signs warning of contamination. One pond in particular had red ooze in it and giant lily pads.

One of the contaminated ponds.

Spray painted sign reads: "Mothman shall return"

Batsquatch....

First let me say that in 30 days, I will be on a plane to Washington State to look for UFO's. Awesome!

In preparing for the big trip, I decided to see if there was anything to be found on the creature known as Batsquatch since it is supposed to live nearby and I am hoping to catch a glimpse of it. I wasn't expecting to find much of anything as I had not heard about this creature before... and believe me when I say I've heard about some crazy creatures! But there are tons of sites dedicated to Batsquatch information.

From what I've read, Batsquatch is reported to have purple colored skin, glowing red eyes, wings like a pterodactyl and a head similar to a primate and/or bat. Though its name is based on Sasquatch, there is no real link between the two creatures. Some believe that it could be a yet unknown type of North American Fruit Bat.... only problem is that Batsquatch seems to like small animals (dogs, goats, hogs...) and last I checked fruit bats ate, well, fruit. Others think that it is another branch of the evolutionary tree and is some type of winged primate. That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, a Flying Monkey! I will be sure to bring my bicycle and broom.

Seriously though, I am a believer in the existence of cryptids, or creatures that have yet to be officially discovered. We are finding new species all the time and have rediscovered species that were long thought to be extinct though sightings were still reported (the Okapi is one example of that). And I want to bring up another thought- Mothman. I have no doubt that Mothman was real and was sighted by people in Point Pleasant, WV. What I am unsure about is what Mothman actually was.... during his brief life in Point Pleasant, there were increased UFO sightings and sightings of MIB (Men in Black) and if memory serves me, there were also livestock mutilations going on at the same time.

Both Batsquatch and Mothman have glowing red eyes and wings. Both have been sighted in areas of increased UFO activity. I will also go so far as to say both are seen in areas where tragedies occured (mothman- Silver Bridge Collapse, Batsquatch- Mt St Helens eruption). Are these cryptids unknown species? or are they something more? Something that fortells traumatic or historic events? Is there something big coming? Isn't it interesting that the Pope and the Vatican recently announced that it's OK to believe in aliens and UFOs?

"I scream from the top of my lungs What's going On?" - 4 Non Blondes "What's Goin On"

Trip to the UFO Ranch

Those of you who follow the A&E show Paranormal State are familiar with James Gilliland's "UFO Ranch" in Trout Lake, WA. The Paranormal State episode entitle First Contact was filmed at the ranch and was full of UFO footage. Between the beauty of the area and the paranormal goings-on, this episode became one of my favorites (First Contact) and I hoped I would one day be able to visit Mr. Gilliland's ranch. As luck (or fate) would have it, Kelly and I came upon the opportunity to go- and we're heading out May 14th.

PRS is hosting a 'field trip' at the ranch for 3 days of paranormal activities. We will be camping. Do you have any idea the amount of creativeness it takes to pack camping gear for a flight across the country? And of course there is the paranormal equipment which must be taken on as carry-on. What do we take??! While we have searched for spirits and the occasional cryptid, I've never been on a UFO expedition (side note- there is a mysterious creature in the woods that we will also be looking for called Batsquatch- I know- love the name). At the moment I believe we have decided on the following: cameras (obviously), recorders, video equipment, tripods, flashlights and the stealth game camera (to catch pics of the Batsquatch).

For those wondering, Batsquatch (sounds like something I wouldn't want to step in) is a large bipedal creature with wings. I assume, based on the name, that it must be similar to Satsquatch with large wings. While this may sound slightly silly, please remember Mothman. For those of you familiar with Mothman, you'll remember that this creature was seen in Point Pleasant, WV during a time of heightened UFO sightings. Coincidence? Maybe. Psychedelic drugs? Can't rule them out, but the whole thing is intriguing.

So... as we countdown the days until our departure (36), let's hope that this trip goes off without a hitch. By that I only mean that Kelly and I always seem to have strange adventures... camping in Gettysburg one year we woke up to it raining inside the tent (3 people in a one man A frame + cold outside temps= rain), traveling to Point Pleasant, WV we drove through 4 tornadoes, torrential rain, extreme fog, detoured by flooded rivers, missed a flash flood by mere minutes, got lost in the hills oh and got shot at, and the last camping trip to Gettysburg involved an odd campground full of what looked like carnies.... and that's all I've got to say about that trip.

Stay tuned....