Penelope: The Sierra Nevada’s Forgotten Specter

Deep within the Sierra Nevada Mountains, tales persist of a haunting figure known as Penelope. Described as a towering, emaciated woman with distorted features and long, unkempt hair, Penelope is said to roam the wilderness, instilling fear in those who encounter her.

Description

Penelope is often depicted as a 7-foot-tall, pale, and skeletal humanoid with elongated limbs and claw-like hands. Witnesses describe her face as twisted and deformed, with long, dirty, light-colored hair. She is typically seen wearing tattered clothing and emitting high-pitched, inhuman screams in the dead of night.

Sightings and Locations

Reports of Penelope span various locations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains:

• Tioga Lake: In 2023, a camper identified as L.R. reported a late-night encounter near Tioga Lake, where they heard blood-curdling screams and saw a tall, pale creature with a deformed face and long hair. 

• Mono Lake: The same witness later relocated to Mono Lake and recounted a similar experience, suggesting Penelope's presence in that area as well.

• Bridgeport (Twin Lakes Resort): In 2014, a couple vacationing at Twin Lakes Resort in Bridgeport reported seeing a crawling, pale humanoid figure early in the morning. The creature's description matched that of Penelope, with the witness emphasizing their familiarity with local wildlife and asserting that this entity was unlike anything they had seen before. 

Origins and Theories

The legend of Penelope includes various origin stories:

• Toxic Transformation: One tale suggests that Penelope was a woman who, after a car accident in the 1960s, sought shelter in a metal drum containing toxic waste. Exposure to the waste transformed her into the monstrous entity described in sightings. 

• Survival and Madness: Another account posits that Penelope became lost during a snowstorm, surviving on berries and insects. Eventually, she found shelter in a toxic waste container, leading to her transformation. 

Have you seen Penelope or experienced anything unusual in the Sierras? I want to hear your story. Email me or reach out through the site. Let’s keep Fresno weird.

Further Reading

• Cryptids of California: Penelope

• Believing the Bizarre: Penelope – The Sierra Nevada Monster

• Phantoms & Monsters: Has 'Penelope' Been Seen Again?

• Weird California: Penelope, Monster of the Sierra Nevada's

Physics teacher reports encounter with UFO

A California college physics teacher watched a triangle-shaped UFO that came within several hundred feet and then silently moved away at 9 p.m. on April 15, 2010, in Ventura, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

The instructor first heard a screech sound, then watched the object move quickly across the sky.

"At first it looked like it was a large bird high in the air as the front and two sides were heavily darkened against the mostly dark sky," the witness stated. "It was moving toward me and over a period of about 2 seconds it became clearer and resembled a hang-glider. It was descending and moving toward the east and seemed to be gliding smoothly, making no sound that I could hear."

The witness then described the object as it reached its closest point.

"It was an equilateral triangle and had three circular areas symmetrically placed near the tips. There was a slight contrast between the gray triangular area and the circular areas, as the circular portions had a very faint glowing quality to them."

The object appeared to be two dimensional during this 8-second sighting.

"As it silently continued moving away from me, the craft seemed to have only 2 dimensions. It looked completely flat like it was a projection. It began to gently ripple with smooth wave patterns and disappeared within a little over a second after doing so. The total event lasted around 8 seconds"

Link to the MUFON report and original story can be found here.

California photography student 'grows tired' of frequent UFO traffic

A California photography student reports UFO activity is so high that "I am growing tired of filming them," according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

The student submitted sample photos from sightings on April 6, 2010.

"I have been woken up to horn like tones coming from two different directions, lasting for hours, and filmed them moving, then stopping, and then moving again," the witness stated. "I have also filmed them dropping lights out the bottom and spinning around the sides."

Apparently, the student has seen many UFOs.

"I have seen so many of these that I am growing tired of filming them. Please feel free to look through my footage, there is a lot of it, and I do not have the time to look through it all. Each one has a gem of weird actions in it. They will be out tonight."

The rest of the story, including the MUFON report can be found here.

If you click on that link you see two photos that were taken by the photographer who claims they are UFO's. I've been studying photography for several years now and it's my personal opinion that the photographer used a long shutter speed (I'd guess at least a second) and was holding it by hand. This would account for the "movement" of the object in the second photograph on the page. As for the first photograph,it looks like lens flare from the streetlights and from the shutter being open for a long time.

Like I said, these are my personal opinions. Take it for what you will.

Searching for alien life in California's Mono Lake

Mono Lake has a bizarre, extraterrestrial beauty. Just east of Yosemite National Park in California, the ancient lake covers about 65 square miles. Above its surface rise the twisted shapes of tufa, formed when freshwater springs bubble up through the alkaline waters.

Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a geobiologist, is interested in the lake not for its scenery but because it may be harbouring alien life forms, or “weird life”. Mono Lake, a basin with no outlet, has built up over many millennia one of the highest natural concentrations of arsenic on Earth. Dr Wolfe-Simon is investigating whether, in the mud around the lake or in the water, there exist microbes whose biological make-up is so fundamentally different from that of any known life on Earth that it may provide proof of a shadow biosphere, a second genesis for life on this planet.

Arsenic is chemically close to phosphorus. While phosphorus is a primary building block of life on Earth — an essential component of DNA and ATP, the energy molecule — arsenic is a deadly poison. In Mono Lake there are micro-organisms that live with arsenic. But they don’t incorporate it into their biology.

Dr Wolfe-Simon has theorised that there may be life that chose an “evolutionary pathway” to utilise arsenic. If such microbes existed, it could suggest that life started on our planet not once but at least twice. In turn this would help to support the idea that life is much more likely to have started elsewhere in the galaxy.

“There is life ‘as we know it’ and there is life ‘as we don’t know it’. What would that look like? I am trying to give us a framework to work with to help us look for what ‘we don’t know’, the particular framework of arsenic,” she says.

Dr Wolfe-Simon has taken samples from the mud and the waters of the lake and is performing a series of multiple dilutions — hugely increasing the levels of arsenic and reducing residual phosphorous to zero. She adds sugar, vitamins and other nutrients to encourage organisms to grow and tests the results.

Her experiments are not yet over but she is quietly pleased with the progress she is making. “We have some very exciting data,” she says. The results should be published by the end of this year.

She points out that Mono Lake arsenic life, if found, may only go as far as proving the extreme adaptability of life on Earth billions of years ago. It is generally agreed that on early Earth the chemical soup was very different because of the material being thrown out of the planet’s depths by volcanoes and hydrothermal vents and the lack of biologically derived oxygen. If arsenic was around in far greater concentrations then, perhaps “arsenolife”, as she calls it, in Mono Lake is evidence of that ancestral life, a finding that would deepen our understanding of how life on Earth got started.

But she hopes that her research may help scientists to reconsider what alien or “weird” life might look like: “It may prove that there are other possibilities that are beyond our imagination. It opens the door for us to think about biology in ways we have never thought. We are going to look for life on other planets and we only know to look for that which we know. This may help us to develop tools to look for something we have never seen.”

Her work is funded by the Nasa Astrobiology Institute and she is based at the laboratories of Professor Ron Oremland, of the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. Does she believe that there are alien life forms out there? “I don’t know how there could not be extraterrestrial life,” she replies.

Original story can be found here.

Werewolf reportedly sighted in Southen California

I recently came across an account of a werewolf sighting down in Newport Beach. Normally I would dismiss the claim as either a hoax or mis-identification, but something struck me about this one. It was just the image the person reported seeing. It intrigued me enough I felt I had to share it.

My sighting took place around 11:30 p.m. on November 4, 2009. I work for the local 73 toll road in Newport Beach, California, and lately we’ve had some construction on the surrounding roads for the past few months. I am a third-shift manager (2 p.m.-11 p.m.), and every night driving home I take the exact same route at pretty much the same time every night.

On this night, I was coming off the exit for the 133 road connector, and I’ll never forget what I saw. While stopped at the stop light, I saw a group of three large, four-legged creatures dash out from the trees along the road. I started second guessing myself and tried to convince myself I was seeing things. I made the left turn at the light, and while the speed limit was still 40 mph at this part, I looked up and almost peed my pants. Those three beasts were running upright! The wolves, which seems to be the most logical guess, were about 6.5 feet tall and looked like they easily weighed 250-275 pounds each. They had snouts and mouths that almost could be expressive (being able to smile/frown) and the fur was dark, although there wasn’t enough light to tell if it was dark brown or black.

My car being a 6-cylinder, it could get going if need be. I was going 45 mph and the giant wolves were keeping up with ease. I then literally put the pedal to the metal and sped up to 70. I was sweating profusely and having a panic attack. As I sped up to 70, the wolves stopped following me, considering I was about to enter a high-traffic part of the road. The wolf in front seemed to stop on a dime and watch me drive off.

I did not hear any howls before or after the sighting. I proceeded to head home ASAP. I told my girlfriend what I saw and she deemed my “imagination was running wild.” I also told my coworkers the next day following the sighting, but nobody believes me to this day. I know I’m not crazy and I know what I saw. I still have been taking the same route home every night and have not run into anything since that night of the sighting. Who knows what they actually were, but all I know is I do not want to run into them again.

This story reminds me of the story of the Watts Valley Wolf Ape, that I had posted when I first started this blog. Yes the description is a bit different, though I wonder if what was seen in Watts Valley was a sick "version" of what was recently seen in the Newport Beach area. Whatever the case may be, one has to wonder what's wandering around late at night.

Link to the original story can be found here.

Strange craft seen flying over Fremont, CA

I came across a video earlier purported to be taken in Fremont, Ca on December 5, 2008. The camera has night vision capabilities which greatly enhanced it's field of view. During the first part of the video, you can see a flashing object moving across the camera from right to left. Unfortuantely this is nothing more than an airplane.

But at around 0:20 is when it gets interesting. The camera zooms in onto a boomerang shaped craft that has five lights on it. It's traveling at a much faster speed than the previous metnioned airplane (which is also in the camera's field of view at the same time). It's height can't be that high, as you can see it passing under a few contrails.



My guess is this is a single craft, and not multiple ones. Given the manuevers it performs, it would be near impossible for individual craft to maintain such a formation with little or no variation. Whatever was filmed here is yet more evidence of triangular shaped aircraft flying in the sky. This video has inspired me to aim my night vision to the sky and see if I can capture anything myself. If I do, I'll post it here.

Ex-Valley nutjob err lawmaker wants to split Calififornia

From the Fresno Bee.


SACRAMENTO -- The revolution will begin in Visalia -- and it will be led by a man named Maze.

As in Bill Maze, a termed-out Assembly member turned rebel who is pushing for California to split in two: the conservative interior as one state and the liberal coast as another.

He's serious.

"We're looking at establishing a breakaway state," he said, with a new government and a new capital. "We'd actually be creating a 51st state."

Maze is a conservative Republican who served Visalia in the Assembly until last year. He is tapping into the anger of Valley farmers and others who say environmental rules and high taxes are sending the state into a tailspin.

"Citizens of our once 'Golden State' are frustrated and desperately concerned about the imposition of burdensome regulations, taxation, fees, fees and more fees, and bureaucratic intrusion into our daily lives and businesses," declares downsizeca.org, the movement's Web site.

Under Maze's plan, 13 coastal counties from Los Angeles to Marin would split from the remaining 45 counties, which the Web site calls "the new revitalized California."

To promote the idea, Maze has established a nonprofit group called Citizens for Saving California Farming Industries. The group is selling sponsorships that run from $1,000 to as much as $10,000 -- for a "California Gold" level. So far, they've raised "a few thousand" dollars, Maze said.

Meanwhile, Maze is selling the plan up and down the state, appearing on television and radio shows. With enough money and momentum, he hopes to put the question before the state's voters. According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress and the state Legislature would have to sign off.

The odds are against the plan, for sure.

Californians have tried to parcel the state 27 times before, with most attempts never getting far off the ground, said former Republican Assembly Member Stan Statham, who made the last serious attempt in the early 1990s.

The most famous secession movement came in 1941 when several counties in Northern California and southern Oregon tried to form the State of Jefferson -- until World War II intervened.

Statham, who represented the Redding area, got a bill passed in the Assembly in 1993 to bring a nonbinding question before voters to split the state in three. But the legislation died in the Senate.

He's still for it: "When you divide something that huge to manage into smaller parts, the problems go down in size."

But to others, "it appears on the surface to be too radical an idea," said Statham, who now heads the California Broadcasters Association. "It becomes too much of a fun thing -- and it was only really good for talk show hosts."

A 1993 Field Poll showed 60% of voters against the idea. That sentiment probably hasn't changed much, despite the state's ongoing woes, said Jim Wunderman. He is president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a business group behind the effort to convene a constitutional convention to fix California's "fundamentally broken" government.

"I strongly suspect that Californians like being Californians and they would reject [Maze's] idea," Wunderman said. "The concept of California collective, I think, is still popular."

Really? This will make things better? Yeah getting rid of most of the tax payers will solve ALL of our problems. Me thinks you just want a way to somehow get back into office. Nice try guy, I don't want to be another West Virginia. Maybe you should either move to someplace like Utah if you don't like things here or think of something that will actually help the State. Not stupid bullshit like this.

Clovis Thanksgiving UFO sighting Update. Possible identification of object.

Two months ago I had posted how my sister and I had seen an orange, glowing light in Clovis at our family's Thanksgiving dinner. At the time I had no explanation for the object. But I think I solved the mystery. And unfortunately it doesn't have anything to do with little green men or secret government projects.

I was watching an episode of UFO Hunters on the History Channel. One of the sightings they were investigating was being debunked by the local authorities as nothing more than a Chinese Paper Lantern. The team team then launched a lattern for the witness to compare (the witness said what they saw was different). But what interested me is that the flight pattern of the lattern was almost exactly what I saw on Thanksgiving.

Basically what the lantern is, is a translucent paper bag (think minature hot air balloon) with a candle suspended inside. The candle heats the air up, ala a hot air balloon) and causes it to rise. Since the material is translucent, the light from the candle can be seen from the inside giving the object it's glow.

Below are two videos I found on YouTube of paper lanterns. You can see their construction before they are launched and as they fly, their flight charastics. Which is exactly the same thing I saw.






Even though I said before the object couldn't have been a balloon, I'm recanting my statement. I had no knowledge of a Chinese Paper Lantern. I though the only way it could have been a balloon was if someone had filled up a helieum balloon and hung a light from below. Given the fact that the night was Thanksgiving, and the lanterns are typically flown on holidays, most likely this was nothing more than someone launching a Chinese Paper Lantern. I'm not upset by this, as I am glad that I know what it was exactly and can now focus on other mysteries in the area.

California's first mass UFO sighting - in Fresno

In 1896, California had it's first mass UFO sighting, and Fresno was part of it.  On the night of November 22, 1896 a massive "airship" was seen in San Francisco, San Jose, & Fresno. 

Hundreds of witnesses described the craft as some sort of airship, moving slowly through the night sky.  Some of the witnesses said they even saw figures through the windows of the craft.  Accounts became wilder as the month passed. A Colonel Shaw of Stockton claimed to have encountered inhuman beings with the airship on a country road. A man in Indio claimed to have gone aboard the craft for a flight.  

No one knows what the craft was.  Balloon flight was still in it's infancy and Germany wouldn't have the zeppelin until around 1899.  Could this have been some sort of secret government project, mirroring the ones of today?  Perhaps it was some sort of private aircraft, but this seems doubtful as if the government didn't have this sort of technology, then a private group or individual couldn't have been behind this.  Maybe, just maybe, this was some sort of E.T. encounter.  Fifty years before the Kenneth Arnold sighting up in Washington in 1947 that started the modern UFO craze.

Fresno's own UFO encounter

With the recent news that Great Britain's National Archives is releasing over 1500 documents regarding UFO sightings over Britain, I thought I would see if I could find anything of interest in regards to Fresno. First I went to the National UFO reporting center, but there were just vague accounts of people seeing bright lights in the sky, etc. Then a bit more digging I found this story, originally found here. The account is as follows:

Location of Sighting: Near Fresno Airport, Fresno, CA.
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of objects: 1
Shape of objects: Round or Diamond Shaped.

Full Description of event/sighting: Hi Brian, my husband and I sent you our sighting report of 12 white orbs that we saw and photographed over Los Banos, CA on August 28, 2005, which you posted. You have asked for older reports so I am attaching a sighting my girlfriend and I had in 1969 which involved two jets chasing after a UFO spotted near the Fresno, CA Airport.

Clovis CA, June, 1969 It was about 10:00 P.M. on a warm clear evening mid - June of 1969. I had just graduated from High School and my best friend and I were sitting outside my home enjoying the clear dark sky and brilliantly shining stars. On a whim, we decided that we wanted to go to a late-night market in Fresno, about five miles away and buy some magazines to read. We got into my car and began to drive south to a shopping center near the Fresno Airport.

Along the way we decided to take a short cut on a small road adjacent to the airport which was flanked by an open field. We turned right onto the small two-lane road and were now driving along side the field and which was several hundred feet away from the fenced area near the end of the airport runway, which we could see clearly, including buildings and planes of the local Air National Guard. There were no street lights and the road was dark with no traffic, except for us. As we drove by we could see that most of the airport activities had stopped for the evening, which was normal, as no aircraft landed or took off from there at that time of night. 'We continued down the road talking, when I noticed my friend leaning forward in the passenger seat staring up at something in the sky. She motioned to me to look out my driver's side window saying "what is that?"

I looked out the window and saw an intense white strobing light hovering above apparently keeping pace with my car. I slowed down and it continued to follow at the same pace. As our windows were down, we most certainly would have heard an engine, was it a plane, but it made no noise at all. Not knowing what we were seeing, I pulled over, stopped the car and we both got out to take a better look. We were mesmerized by the intense white light of the object which now appeared diamond shaped and strobing quickly as it hovered above us. It was hard to estimate its altitude and size, but we guessed at arms length it would have been the size of a basketball. By now two other cars had come up behind us and had pulled off the road to look as well. Within moments the object started to move away from us, and began to pick up speed. All of a sudden we heard the roar of jet engines and looked up to see two military jets lifting off the runway in hot pursuit of this object.

The jets passed directly over us - so close that we could see the landing gear retract. We watched as the jets tried to close on the object. We were in a flat area of land and we could clearly see the object and jets streaking away from us heading due west. As the jets began to close on the object the object slowed and appeared to hover over the jets as if teasing them, and then it made an incredible 90 degree turn with several jerking, zigzag movements and shot off at tremendous speed to the South directly over downtown Fresno. The jets were left in its wake. We immediately jumped back into the car and decided to head home to tell our families what we had just witnessed.

It was about 10:45 PM when we reached the main intersection of town where we were stopped waiting the signal light to change. Suddenly all of the signal lights, and street lights started flashing on and off, including the caution lights at the train tracks which were directly in front of us beyond the intersection. A large bolt of electricity shot down a power line near the road, arcing and snapping till it got to the end and dissipated. We sat there watching these lights flashing on and off around us for about 3 - 4 minutes and then they all stopped and the signal turned green. We looked at each other and I floored it through the intersection and didn't let off the gas till we got to my friends home only a few blocks away.

When we pulled up to her house, some of the neighbors were all outside talking excitedly about what had just happened with the lights in the neighborhood. Of course they asked us if we saw it and we told them that we had witnessed that - and more. Wanting to confirm what we had seen earlier, we ran inside the house to phone the airport. Incredibly, the call was answered by a man in the control tower. I told him we had observed something in the sky close to the airport less than an hour ago and asked him if two National Guard jets had taken off to check it out. I was told point-blank that no planes had taken off at all that night. I asked him again, if he was sure, and he told me once again that no planes had taken off.

We knew we weren't going to get any further with him and we also knew he had to be lying as we saw the jets with our own eyes and had close enough to read the numbers on the planes. We told our families about what we had seen and received polite, yet insincere statements like "wow that must have been something". But we knew they didn't believe us. There was nothing in the local news the next day about a strange object in the sky or equally strange power surge and nothing was ever said about it again - except between my friend and me. We've recounted that night many times over the years, even up to this day. We know what we saw; we know what happened.

Calling the airport was fruitless, this event happened almost forty years ago. And if the National Guard denied anything then, why would the admit to anything now? Still it's an interesting story and makes me wonder how many times the National Guard jets have been scrambled. I had a friend who lived in the flight path of FYI and would sometimes see F-16's taking off at night. It could have been a training mission most likely. But being the only Air Guard base between SF and LA, they could have been scrambled for something else. Hopefully one day our government will divulge what these mysterious lights truely are.

The Sandlady of Pinedale

There is a story told in the north Fresno neighborhood of Pinedale that there is a mischevious spirit wandering the streets at night. She is in the guise of an old Hispanic woman carrying with her a small tote bag. If someone approaches her she will throw sand in their eyes, blinding them. When the person clears the sand from their eyes and regaining their vision, the woman is no where to be seen.

I had some friends who lived in Pinedale for a few years, but they had never heard of this story. I wonder if this is another Hispanic folk story? Something like the lady in white, who wanders river roads mourning her drowned children and drowning anyone who dare approaches them? Or could this just be a cranky woman who enjoys a late night walk and if anyone bothers her, she tosses sand in their eyes (I'm assuming pepperspray wasn't available)?

Sierra Sky Ranch

I was privelaged to be able to accompany a group of students last Saturday, Oct. 4, up to the Sierra Sky Ranch. A friend of mine, Jennifer who took the class two years ago, went with me and we arrived there around 6:30 or so. Most of the students were already there and were wandering the ground taking pictures and getting a feel for the place. I ran into the instructor, Jackie Meador, in the main room and asked her if there was any recent activity. She told me that the security cameras had been picking up balls of light ascending and descending the stairs in the main guest area. They haven't put it on tape yet, but I'm hoping to get a copy soon. Also there was a new night desk person who had a recent encounter. One night he was sighting at the desk doing some paper work when he felt a presence behind him. He called out for it to either show itself, or to "get the hell out of there". As soon as he said that the paper shredder turned on and the lights began to flicker on and off. Frightened he left his post.

After hearing the latest news, I went to the main living area where a group of students were gathered listening to one of the night workers tell some of the things that happen to her.

Phylis the head night person recounts some of her stories. The
decorations are Halloween only, not year round.

The things she has witnessed were voices, movement out of the corner of her eye, nothing extraordinary. But these occurrences are pretty constant.

Unfortunately dinner was pushed back a few hours due to a sudden dinner rush and the staff being down a person. This did allow people to investigate the grounds some more, though nothing worth noting happened. Finally at 11:00 we were ready to meet and go over things for the night.

Meador going over instructions before she sets the groups lose.

The group I was with started off on the outside. We started in the front first and I let the group investigate on their own, not wanting to taint their findings with what I had found in the past. After about ten minutes I got a call that someone's camera batteries were now dead. I noticed the person was in front of the pear tree. This tree has had a lot of weird occurences in the past trips up there. I was with one group and all four of their cameras failed at once at this tree. Three batteries were drained and one just shut off and had to be restarted. Reason I mention this, is that there is a theory that ghosts will sometimes drain batteries for energy to make their presence known. I myself didn't get anything in front of the tree that night, but hopefully someone else did. Also, for what it's worth, there was a sensitive with us and she said she was feeling some sort of energy around the tree.

The pear tree.

After we left the pear tree I took the group around the rest of the front of the grounds. When I was hear last fall there was a guest staying at the Ranch the same time we had the group up. She was interested in the subject and was allowed to tag along. She told me she was sensitive, but as always I'm a bit skeptic. We were in the front by a huge tree with a swing hanging from a branch. She said she was feeling something and to start taking pictures. Few people got some mist in their photos. And no it wasn't breath, we tried to recreate it and couldn't. So the group I was with, I told them what happened and we started taking photos. I myself didn't get anything, but wanted to post a picture of the swing. I can imagine the ghost of a child swinging on this late at night.

The swing.

After the swing, we were done in the front area and proceeded to the back part of the Ranch. The only real area of interest in the back is a tree that has been labeled "Elmer's Tree". The story has been pretty much the same over the years. When the Ranch was still an actual cattle ranch, it began to sell of it's land to pay for debts. Finally the ranch itself was sold and the story goes that a ranch hand by the name of Elmer was distraut over this and was out back by said tree one day chopping wood. Mid swing he slipped and the ax hit his leg, severing the artery. His cries for help were never heard and he died on that spot. In death though, Elmer wanders the ranch, making sure the place is still being kept and everything is in order. Some people have felt a cranky pressence, but nothing bad or ill tempered. Just like someone is wondering who they are. We took photos and did a bit of EVP but I didn't get anything.

Elmer's tree.

Before we headed back inside I took the group back around to the front where the dining room was at. One time a patron said they saw a person peek their head up from underneath the window, then moved back down to hide again. This happened several times, and each time it happened someone would go out to look but never find anything.

Outside the dining room.

Finally we were able to back inside and the group decided to head to Sarah's Room first. The story behind this room is that during the early part of the 20th century when the Ranch was a TB hospital (this was after it had been sold off as a ranch) and there was a nurse by the name of Sarah. In her charge were two children who eventually succumbed to their illness. Soon after Sarah herself passed away. Several people over the years (including my sister), who knew nothing of Sarah, would see a woman peeking out of the window. Was she looking for the children? Or is she watching over who is staying at the Ranch now? It's hard to say really.

Sarah's room, newly renovated.

Most of the spirits at the Sierra Sky Ranch don't stay in one space, and the children are no exception. Several guests have complained over the years of hearing children running up and down the hall in the middle of the night. The guests would complain the next day to the front desk to find out that there were no children staying there that night.

The hallway to most of the rooms at the Ranch.

We then decided to check out the Honeymoon Suite, which is directly under the library. The first time I was at the Ranch, there were two psychics with us and the both picked up a man in the bedroom portion of the suite. He was hiding in the corner and seemed very anxious. Not much else was discovered about him, but over the few times I've been back up there people have felt anxious in the room. When I was there with the group, the sensitive in the group didn't feel anything in the bedroom portion but did feel something in the living area. Perhaps the spirit had decided to move.

The corner where the spirit is supposed to be hiding.

After we were done with the Honeymoon Suite it was about 1:00 in the morning. It was at that time that we were asked to go back up to the front lobby area. Turns out that the kitchen, which is the main hot spot for activity at the Ranch, was still being cleaned up from the long dinner rush. They wouldn't be done until after 1:30. As neither myself nor Jen were staying the night decided to end our part of the investigation at this time. I was a bit dissapointed as I was looking forward to taking the group into the kitchen and seeing what they got.

The first time I was at the Ranch, the group I was with was resting in the dining room when we heard this banging coming from the kitchen. We rushed into the kitchen, where all the equipment had been turned off for the night, to find the deep fryer had somehow been turned on. Apparently this had happened before and the owners had the wiring checked to make sure it wasn't faulty. Even now the equipment sometimes turns itself on at night when no one is around.

The kitchen is an odd area. The first time I went in there, the air was heavy like there was a presence in there. I was soon told there were two spirits in there and it is believed they are two cooks and they do not like each other. One stays in the main kitchen area and is very territorial. The other stays mostly in the pantry area and doesn't like it when anyone goes back there. I went back there once ahead of my group and felt a pressure on my chest as well as losing my balance. It was an odd sensation, but I stayed steady. Others have felt the same there.

The Sierra Sky Ranch is definitely haunted. I didn't get much evidence, though I did get this possible mist photograph which I am posting. The only problem is that it was extremely cold that night and breath was an issue. But I make a conscious effort to hold my breath during shooting to be sure. I even did a photo where I purposely breathed to check and it was different. This shot was taken at the infamous pear tree. Honestly I think it's just breath but wanted to post anyways.

A ghost or just me breathing?

I hope to go back again, I know the next trip is in March. But honestly I would love to investigate with a group of six or so. I always seem to get better results in a small group. The nice thing about this place is they are very open to their paranormal history, and if the staff aren't busy they are more than happy to answer any questions. Plus it's a nice place to have dinner and spend the weekend.

Ufos in the Central Valley

So I'm watching this special on ABC Channel 30 right now called UFO's Seeing Is Believing. It's the usual drivel that the networks air every few years or so. They touch on the modern history of Ufology starting with Kenneth Arnold, the abduction phenoma (whether it's real or just sleep parylis) and of course Roswell. This is stuff I've heard before and nothing really new except for the new SETI installation in Northern California which has been mostly funded by Paul Allen.

I honestly wonder what the network hopes to gain from this besides ratings (and it's not even sweeps yet). They aren't adding anything really except maybe getting a few interested in the subject matter. But honestly who hasn't heard of UFO's, with the widespread of information available on the internet? I could go consipary theory and theorize that this is something put out by the government to confuse people. What better way to hide a secret then by leaking information by people who aren't reputable and are considered "nut jobs"? Honestly I don't believe that though I think the government isn't letting the public know everything. And for good reasons. Imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if the public were made aware that aliens exist? The bible says that man was created in the image of God. Enter a bug eyed alien to through everything into chaos. I'm sure we'll find out one day. I hope.

I did see a UFO once. Not sure what it really was. But that's a story for another day.