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Monday, March 30, 2009

The Zalud House

The Zalud House - Porterville, CA

I don't know too much behind the paranormal history of the Zalud House as I just heard about it recently. I do know there is a group that is planning on giving haunted tours of the house, with all proceeds going to the house which is now a museum. They are still working out the details, but as soon as I hear about them I'll post them in an update.
The Zalud House, which is located in Porterville, was built for John and Mary Jane Zalud in 1891 and through out it's history it was only occupied by the family. The house is listed on both the National Historcial Registry of Old Houses and the National Register of Historic Places.
The house has remained unchanged over the years. The garden, which has not changed since the 1930's, and the mansard style roof is still the same over a century later. Interior-wise, it is one of the few museums in the country to still have it's original furnishings though they are changed seasonally.
As for paranormal activity, there have been reports of people feeling that they were being watched by some unseen presence, footsteps heard in several words, as well as whispering voices. Given the fact that the house still has it's orginal furnishings, I wouldn't be suprised if some of the Zalud family members were still there along with their possessions.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Unknown Craft That Crashed Near Bakersfield in the 1980's Was A Stealth Fighter

I remember in the late 1980's hearing of an aircraft crashing in the Sierra Nevada's in the southern part of the valley. The entire mountain side has been blocked off by the military, which seemed rather odd for a plane crash. There were reports of a black triangle being seen in the vicinity before the crash. But as usual, the military was quiet on what had actually crashed.

After both the stealth fighter and bomber were revealed to the public, there were rumors that the crash had been a stealth aircraft, but nothing was ever proven. Then, while researching black triangles for another post, I came across an web page listing several F-117 crashes. There I found what had actually happened over twenty years ago.


F-117 Nighthawk, like the one that crashed near Bakersfield.

On July 11, 1986, Major Ross Mulhare flew a F-117 into a mountain near Bakersfield. The cause of the crash has never been officially revealed, but fatigue and disorientation during night flight has been theorized as the probable cause of the crash. Unfortunately Major Mulhare died in the crash.

Here's the link to the page. You will have to scroll down a bit to see the entry about the Bakersfield crash.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Possible Bigfoot Expedition in Fresno County This Summer

I had reported in an earlier post about several Bigfoot sightings above Hunnington Lake, near the Florence Lake area. I was talking to Tom a few days ago about it and he is still interested. It would most likely be late summer or even early fall.

What he wants to do is hike in there during the early part of summer and set up a few field cameras (these are cameras that hunters mount to trees and an IR sensor is tripped whenever an object passes in front of it) at spots that we think will get us some good shots. We'll then mark their locations on a GPS device and hike back on out.


A map of the area, Hunnington Lake is on the left, Florence is to the right

After a few weeks then the main expedition can go in there. I'm thinking of a party of six to eight people. This is going to be rough territory so we will definitely need people with experience in camping and perhaps even hiking. The trip to Florence is a long one. It's only 80 miles east of Fresno but takes around three hours to get there (it takes about 90 minutes alone to get from Hunnington to Florence, so that should say something about the terrain there).

Once there we would stay about a week. Armed with cameras, video cameras, and audio recorders we will try to gather any evidence that we can. Also we will be bringing Plaster of Paris in case we find any footprints, that way we can make a copy. In case there is any physical evidence (i.e. hair or scat) we will bring some plastic containers and zip locks to preserve these.


A 3D image of Florence Lake from Google Earth.


After the week is over we will collect the field cameras and head back home to hopefully go over any evidence we may collect. I'm not guaranteeing we get any evidence or even see or hear Bigfoot, but this is something I want to do. As time progresses, expect to hear more about this.


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Want to look for UFOs? Here's what you will need.

Normally I focus on stories and legends around the valley of all things paranormal, but today I thought I would do something different. I thought it would be beneficial to put together a list of equipment that would be useful if one was to either witness a UFO sighting or perhaps investigate a sighting (like the one on I-5).

For starters, I'm going to list the necessary equipment. These can fit in a small case that you can keep in your car and have ready at a moment's notice. Harbor Freight has a good selection and I purchased one there for around $20 and it carries everything except for my DSLR (which I always carry separately anyways).

Now for the necessary equipment. First and foremost, you need a good camera. My favorite is my DSLR, but a regular point and shoot will work fine. Make sure it has a good flash and is at least 6 MP. I also carry a disposable film camera with me for when my digital decides not to work (usually battery drain).

Next is a a video camera. I have a Sony with night shot which is especially useful at night where there is no chance of getting any evidence from your camera. A camera that has a connection to hook up your computer is equally important, but if you don't there are devices that you can purchase (Dazzle is the one that comes to mind) that allow you to upload to your computer. There are other cameras you can purchase for around $150 or so. I know Flip makes a good camera, but no night shot so keep that in mind. Also make sure to have back up media, never know when it will be needed. Also, a mini tripod can be very useful. I don't know how many shaky camera videos I've seen on YouTube that with the use of a tripod, would have been much clearer. Mini tripods do the job and can fit in your kit.

Next piece of equipment that is necessary is very low tech, but very important. Pencil and a notepad. Necessary for note taking and a quick sketch of what you saw. Always use a pencil, never know when you will need to write something down only to find out the ink in your pen has dried up.
A compass can be useful when taking notes and making sketches, noting which direction is what. I purchased one at Wal-Mart for around $5. No need to spend any more. A voice recorder is another option and is great for hands free notes, but as with any piece of equipment make sure to carry extra batteries.

Binoculars are also important. There might be something odd in the sky and a quick look through the binoculars can tell you if it's an airplane or something strange. I purchased a decent pair that is in my glove box for around $20 at Target.

Flashlights are another necessary tool that can be useful besides in any UFO investigation. I'm a fan of the Inova flashlight which you can get at Target from $20 on. It's an LED flashlight and the battery life is much longer as well as the light is cleaner and much brighter. I bought one for $40 and is brighter than a police issued flashlight and a third the size.

Finally, and this is something everyone should already have, is a cellphone. One, if you see something you can call the National UFO Reporting Center at (206) 722-3000. Also, when I would go on a ghost investigation, I would always let someone know where I was going in case something happened. Plus if you get into trouble or are lost you can always call for help.

There are other things you can use as acquire as well, but what I've listed is enough. Some people carry around equipment to register the magnetic field around them (EMF) or geiger counters. This stuff is cool to have, but not needed. Honestly if you have a something that will produce evidence for you, that is all that you need. The rest is just fluff.

Hopefully I've created a good starting point for anyone who may be interested in investigating UFO's. Nice thing is most of these things can be used for other things besides investigating, increasing their usefulness.



Friday, March 13, 2009

Fresno Famous Interview

Now normally I post about the weird shit going on in our lovely San Joaquin Valley, but yesterday I had the honor to be interviewed by Famous Whitewater over at Fresno Famous about this blog. And it went quite well I might add.



I thought about just copying and pasting the article here, but would rather link it to get FF some traffic. Great site for all things Fresno. Here's the link to the original article.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Ghost of Sister Irenita



Downtown Fresno, St. John's Cathedral - present day. Photo courtesy of historicfresno.org

In downtown Fresno, at St. John's Cathedral there is the legend of Sister Irenita. Sister Irenita served the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno in the early 1900's. It was there she passed away, but never really left. For months her spirit could be seen wandering the halls of the rectory.



The interior of St. John's, taken sometime in the 1950's - photo courtesy of Cathedrals of California.

Finally a special mass was done to put her spirit at rest and the sightings stopped. What's really interesting is that a root from a tree had broken into the Sisters grave a few years later. When she was disinterred, her body showed no sign of decay whatsoever and it looked as she had been buried for only a few days.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Man Pulled Car By Eyelids

A Chinese man pulled a car by a rope attached only to his eyelids for more than five meters.

Yang Guanghe performs his magic /Quirky China News

Yang Guanghe, 35, of Guizhou was cheered and applauded at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Guangzhou as he towed the VW car.

Yang, who weighs only seven stone, said he had been practicing the stunt for more than 10 years.

"At the beginning it was a bit painful, but gradually I got used to it," he told the Guangzhou Daily newspaper.

"I just want to know what the limit is of the weakest link in the human body."


Ok, I know this has nothing to do with Fresno, but I had to share this story. The picture of the guy pulling the car by his eyebrows makes me cringe. You can find the original story here.