Rocky Mountain ghost hunting

Andy and I went ghost hunting last week. It was an indescribable experience!

The main building on campus is a combination restaurant, ice cream shop, saloon, ball room and theater. It's also a former site of public executions and a winter storage spot for dead bodies. People have reported hearing gallows sweep open, seeing two children, a headless gunman and others. An American Indian man made a peace offering to the spirits there of tobacco and one spirit followed Andy while he was smoking his pipe. The night after I took this photo, three of my colleagues got a picture of a little girl staring in at them through a window. What you can't see in this photo are the lights that were on inside.

This shot was taken from the balcony of the Crystal Palace. It's looking down the central road and lighted for the Town of Terror. What you can't see is how difficult it was to get this photo: Something or some one kept messing with my camera! The video really shows the problems. Incredible!

There's this wild site about 60 miles from the Springs called Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway. It's right next to the Royal Gorge in Canon City. Anyway, Joseph Higgenbottom was an industrialist and miner known for his eccentricity and the buckskin clothing he always wore. He struck gold in the1860s and a Colorado boom town popped up named, you guessed it, "Buckskin Joe." Like so many mining towns, it died once the gold rush wrapped up; and was more or less left for deserted.

This is a shot of the central road. Those translucent specks on the left hand side and top look like dust, but they're actually energy orbs.

This is the same scene 5 seconds later. Note the absence of specks, making me think those really were orbs.

About 60 years ago, some entrepreneurial spirit got the idea to buy up the old 1800s Wild West-type buildings from across the state and build a tourist destination near the Gorge. The final compilation was named for the illustrious Buckskin Joe and has been an attraction for tourists, residents and Hollywood-types alike ever since. (It's been the set for more than 20 films, including one of my father's faves, "Cat Baloo.")

This is the inside of Rosie's Saloon. It was about 10 degrees warmer in this site than it was outside, even though where I was shooting is open-air and you only go about 3 feet indoors. After getting this shot off my camera froze. I asked 'May I please take another picture' and was able to get off a second. Immediately thereafter, we heard something that sounded like a cough and a bang from inside. We checked in back for bears and cats but no animals there. My conclusion, we weren't welcome.

People flock there every summer for meals, shopping and gun shows. What they may or may not realize is when the different elements of the town were relocated, so were dozens of ghostly spirits who had attached themselves to the buildings.

The set of Conagher. Our tour guides Vicky and Paula tell me the piano will often play even when no one is inside. If you look closely, you can see four of the keys are depressed.

Buckskin Joes puts on an amazing haunted house every October with cast members, costumes and human ghouls working hard to quite literally (or so they say) scare the crap out of you. They're starting it Thursday, but Andy, my friend Coyote and I were able to get in ahead of time for a ghost tour. It's the perk of working for the radio network partnering with Buckskin Joe to spread the word.

This photo was taken on the far-side of their model mine. Andy was at the helm during the walk-through and said he felt like someone was waiting for him. When I passed the same place (I was at the rear of the group), I felt someone following me. Note there is a VERY strong orb just to the left of center. That may be who we felt.

We didn't see any specters, per se, but we got lots of photos of orbs, heard disembodied footsteps, felt temperature fluctuations of 10 or so degrees, got very strong sensations of being watched, and heard one very human-sounding cough followed by what sounded like a beer tankard being slammed on a bar. We also had some serious dissidence with the video camera where the image is super-choppy.

Even if I hadn't been a believer already, I would definitely be now. And I highly recommend taking such a trip whenever the opportunity arises.

Happy haunting ... err, hunting!

At long last ...

I finally got my foot back in the newspaper door, so to speak.

I was picked up last week to freelance at the local paper, the Colorado Springs Gazette. (www.gazette.com) The editor got me my first story on Wednesday of this week, a 25-incher on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the Springs. It was due at noon today.

The verdict? Awesome! The story was delivered on time and as requested. My editor was very impressed with the final story and I guess the copy editors are in love with the fact that I include a CQ box in my copy. Nothing like fanatical attention to detail to warm the spirits of those around you.

Anyway, I have two new assignments, both due at the end of the month, to be working on. I'm hoping something else comes up that they need me on before that.

Nonetheless, yay!

Weekdays with Joanie

There's a lovely older woman in our apartment complex named Joanie. She's 88.

Joanie on her way to Cripple Creek ... for the first time in 40 years!

Joanie is a native of Jamaica who studied in England and who immigrated to the U.S. in her 20s. She still lives alone, walks to the super market with her rolling shopping bag at least twice a week and spends afternoons in the apartment office talking with her friends, who have become something more like family. Needless to say, she's a fascinating woman with great stories to tell.

Anyway, last Friday I happened to stop by the office at the same time Joan was there. I mentioned to my friend Eve how Andy and I went into the mountains for some leaf viewing and hiking to celebrate our anniversary.

Joan casually mentioned that it had been 40-plus years since she took Route 24 west towards the Peak, and how this time of year was always so lovely. It was a genuine surprise to her when I volunteered to drive her up to Cripple Creek on Monday.

Eve was able to join us.

It required four hours and a half tank of gas to take a magnificent woman back half her lifetime ago. While Joanie is healthy as a horse, who knows if the three of us would be in a position to repeat the road trip next October? It touched my heart to get a big hug from this tiny woman at the end of the day and thanks for giving her a "wonderful gift."

The thing is, it was just as much a gift for Eve and me. We got to hear a plethora of stories about life on the island, her marriage and how much things have changed. Our seniors are phenomenal people with rich and interesting stories to tell: I felt so lucky to be able to spend the time with her and make her smile.

If there's a senior citizen in your family, neighborhood or even apartment complex to whom you can reach out for four hours on a sunny afternoon, do it. Not only might it put a long-missing smile on their face, it will enrich your life, too.

When Mother Nature paints ....

... This is what you get. Autumn is unbelievable here. Enough said. Enjoy!

This is one of three tunnels you pass through on a picturesque 30 mile stretch of winding gravel road from the Springs to Victor. I consider it a porthole to some of the most gorgeous roadway ever.

Aspen glow indeed!

This is what I always imagined when I thought of Fall in the mountains.

I can't find words to describe this scene, other than "spectacular."

On a side note, even Jack enjoyed the fall colors ... never mind that he can't see color.

Or maybe all he was looking for was a good nap.