The Haunted West

'Twas 4 days before Christmas and all through the house, nothing was stirring, not even a mouse... and me up baking cookies, and the dog looking for handouts, and Mariah watching something strange on Adult Swim, and oh yeah, the stupid cat (she's in heat and making a racket)... Okay then. Let's start this over. It's 12 midnight at the beginning of the Winter Solstice, and I'm up late alternately baking cookies, sipping on hot chocolate and wandering out onto the deck to enjoy the lunar eclipse. The storm blew through, leaving us with a clear and gorgeous night to view this celestial phenomenon. Reminds me that it's the little things in life...cookies, cocoa, a clear winter night, warm furry friends, and all the other little blessings that make me appreciate my wonderful life here on planet Earth. Here's wishing everyone a very happy and safe holiday season.

  This past August, W.I.G.S took a road trip to the annual Goldfield Days celebration. Initially we were planning on pulling Ol’ Kaw Liga (that would be Paula’s pop-up trailer, named after a Hank Williams song), but ended up cruising south in style aboard Mona’s 40-foot motor home. We went without any itinerary, just wanted to visit the town that is home to one of the most famous haunted places in America: The Goldfield Hotel. We knew that there would be other ghost hunters in town, we figured on meeting up with members of R.E.A.L and NNGH from Reno; and during the weekend we also ran into several ghost hunting enthusiasts from Las Vegas. We toured the area with a local historian, met some very interesting townsfolk, watched a parade, ate some great barbeque, joined in a ghost hunt of the Goldfield High School, and hung out at the Santa Fe, the oldest operating saloon in Nevada, where we were treated to karaoke by the local talent (well…local anyway). Goldfield is such an incredi...

One of the most common paranormal phenomena experienced by investigators is unexplained smells. Among the most common scents reported are cigar/cigarette smoke and floral scents; rose, lavender, and jasmine in particular. While sudden odors may be startling at first notice, most can be explained away through analysis of the surrounding environment. Certain odors can linger for a long time: smoke, fuel, urine, oils and certain plant extracts; how long is dependant on the absorption characteristics of the material they are embedded in. Highly absorbent material like wood can radiate residual odors for many years. Some investigators believe that certain aromas exist because of paranormal activity. These individuals believe spirit entities can either manifest these smells from memory or that the energy of the spirit generates the residual scent. Because not everyone in an area may perceive this type of paranormal phenomenon, it is theorized that the odors are not physically present i...

After last year's disappointing attempts to harness my psychic tools, I wasn't expecting too much out of the Spirit to Spirit Communication class in this year's TMCC's paranormal series. In fact, I considered staying home, chilling on the couch and watching a little TV. At the last minute, I lost the - should I stay or should I go - argument with myself, got up off the couch and snuck into class 10 minutes late. I'm glad I went. Pride Hansen's approach to spirit communication is straight forward, easy to understand, and (most important) makes sense. I have a hard time swallowing anything too over the top or New Age-y (Is that even a word? New Age-y?). Anyway. I made it in time to catch his explanation on the difference between clairvoyance and mediumship. As I've mentioned many times before, I have little faith in mediums, that whole idea of a psychic "middle man" conveying messages to and from the spirit world on my behalf  just doesn't...

Today begins the much anticipated TMCC's Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series 2010. As a former participant, I highly recommend these classes to anyone interested in the unknown, the paranormal, local history, and psychic phenomenon. As always, Kathy Berry has put together a great line up. This year's classes include: UFO study, dream analysis, life after death, spirit communication, paranormal photography and videography, researching haunted locations, decoding tombstones, and a ghost hunt field trip to Buckland Station at Fort Churchill State Park. As an added incentive, TMCC offered an extra investigation of the Chism House to those who signed up for the entire series and enrolled early. Unfortunately, due to prior work and school commitments, I was unable to sign up for the entire series this year. However, I did manage to work 3 classes into my schedule and the Buckland Station investigation. The classes I am taking are: Paranormal Photography and Videography wi...

Pictures of the Star Sirius - The Dog Star, Sirius, and its Tiny Companion NASA, H.E. Bond & E. Nelan(STScI); M. Barstow & M. Burleigh(Univ. of Leicester); & J.B. Holberg(UAz)                 It's been quiet around here lately. The entire summer, in fact. I haven't posted a blog since the end of May. It isn't because I haven't been busy, I have. And while I have danced and played and whiled away the days of summer, I simply could not bring myself to sit down at the computer and compose. Even on those days when it's been too hot to get out and do anything, I preferred to spend the time on my couch, watching TV or reading in the cool darkness of my home. Now while there are those that will accuse me of laziness, apathy, and/or procrastination, I have a solid excuse for my nonproductivity. I have been under the celestial influence of Sirius. "Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs): are the hottest, most sultry days...

Back in March of this year, my friend Paul Lindermuth of the Nevada Paranormal Institute was contacted by Chris Cady, a local hypnotist currently performing at the Reno Underground. It seems that Chris and his backstage crew had been experiencing some strange occurrences such as voices, footsteps heard from empty areas of the set and dark figures moving in their peripheral vision. Chris himself experienced the feeling of a presence behind him during one of his performances. These sort of things were happening with enough frequency that Chris wanted a team to come in and rule out paranormal activity.  NPI invited members of the Reno Paranormal Meetup Group to investigate the Underground theatre. The plan was to set up audio and visual surveillance overnight, do some EVP work and then go back and collect the equipment the next day. The Pioneer Theater/Auditorium, now called the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, was built in 1967 and opened in 1968. A quick Inte...