The Legend of the Bardsley Road ghost.
In the small farming community of Exeter, located in Tulare County, there is a rural road that has it's own ghost. The road is called Bardsley Road and supposedly the spirit of a headless motorcycle rider can be seen riding up and down it late at night.
Legend has it that sometime during the 1950's a motorcycle rider was killed on Bardsley Road. A few teenagers wanted to play a prank on one of their classmates. At night time they decided to string a rope across a road they knew he traveled on to get home, at what they estimated to be chest height. As he rode down the road, when he hit the rope he would be knocked off his bike. Or at least that was the plan. Unfortunately they misgauged the height of the rope. When the rider hit it, instead of it coming in contact with his chest, it hit him at the neck decapitating him and killing him instantly.
Apparently the rider never really left the road where he would always ride. Soon after his death, reports of seeing a bright lighting speeding up and down the road were common. Some even said they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine accompanying the light. And a few even said they saw the now headless rider on the road.
When I used to investigate haunted places around the Valley, this story had always peaked my interest and I had talked to a few people about it. One woman told me the story of how she and a few friends were having a bon fire party in one of the vineyards that lined the road. It was about 1:00 am when they saw a bright light coming down the road towards them. Thinking it was the sheriffs trying to break up their party, everyone took off running in separate directions. As the woman is running down one rows of vines, she sees the light following her. As it gets closer she can hear the roar of a motorcycle engine. Having heard of the story of the headless rider, now terrified she ducks under the vines and runs into another row as the ghost rides past her and then disappears.
No one knows why the spirit of the motorcycle rider continues to ride up and down the road. Perhaps he doesn't know he is dead and is trying to find his way home, like he did the night he was killed. Or perhaps he is looking for the people responsible for his death and will ride up and down it until he does.
Legend has it that sometime during the 1950's a motorcycle rider was killed on Bardsley Road. A few teenagers wanted to play a prank on one of their classmates. At night time they decided to string a rope across a road they knew he traveled on to get home, at what they estimated to be chest height. As he rode down the road, when he hit the rope he would be knocked off his bike. Or at least that was the plan. Unfortunately they misgauged the height of the rope. When the rider hit it, instead of it coming in contact with his chest, it hit him at the neck decapitating him and killing him instantly.
Apparently the rider never really left the road where he would always ride. Soon after his death, reports of seeing a bright lighting speeding up and down the road were common. Some even said they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine accompanying the light. And a few even said they saw the now headless rider on the road.
When I used to investigate haunted places around the Valley, this story had always peaked my interest and I had talked to a few people about it. One woman told me the story of how she and a few friends were having a bon fire party in one of the vineyards that lined the road. It was about 1:00 am when they saw a bright light coming down the road towards them. Thinking it was the sheriffs trying to break up their party, everyone took off running in separate directions. As the woman is running down one rows of vines, she sees the light following her. As it gets closer she can hear the roar of a motorcycle engine. Having heard of the story of the headless rider, now terrified she ducks under the vines and runs into another row as the ghost rides past her and then disappears.
No one knows why the spirit of the motorcycle rider continues to ride up and down the road. Perhaps he doesn't know he is dead and is trying to find his way home, like he did the night he was killed. Or perhaps he is looking for the people responsible for his death and will ride up and down it until he does.
Comments
Bardsley Avenue also an east/west road (also called Avenue 224) though it's about five miles south of Exeter. I'd never heard of the story associated with it. In any event it sounds like this motorcycle ghost story is ripe in the Exeter area.
There is also Lizzy's Grave across Hwy. 99 from the old Tagus Ranch. Teens used to go out there and scar each other. There was a ditch and big trees with hanging branches on the way to it.
AND lastly, the Wizards Castle in Tulare off D St(I think). You have to go down a dark alley. It actually looks like an old playhouse, but fun for a scare.
Do I remember the details? No...
Please can anyone else give more info on this.
November, 1974, around 7 at night on a weeknight. My cousins and a friend of theres were standing around talking. Their friend brought up this thing called the motorcycle ghost light in Exeter, California. I had never heard of it. We jumped in his car to investiate. The night was becoming foggy. We drove down Lovers Lane in Visalia, south to Walnut Avenue. Turned left on Walnut and headed east. We drove about 7-8 miles in the darkness on that dark desolate two lane country road. Noting but walnut orchards, oak trees and eeriness, with a home scattered here and there. We were the only car on the road. Got all the way to the Exeter Cemetary on the right, and saw nothing. We turned around to come back. About 1-2 miles coming back on Marinette (Walnut Ave) I turned around to have one last look. I was sitting in the back seat on the drivers side. I looked and saw a large yellowish light at telephone pole level about 100 feet behind us and following us. I yelled at the driver to turn the car around. He did and the chase was on. The light fell away at a rapid speed back towards the east. Lost sight momentarily as we sped down the road to 'chase' it. Saw it again behind us, so turned car around and gave chase. this time it was a reddish tail light sort of light about 3 feet off the ground. The driver was driving at least 80 miles an hour, and the light effortlessly stayed in front of us about 50 ft or so ahead. This went on for about 20 minuts. We chased it up and down the road. Sometimes a yellowish 'motorcyclish' headlight, kind of dim and sometimes a reddish motorcycle 'tailightish' light. Finally, chasing it back to the west again, it winked out. We stopped the car, and it idled as we sat there looking around. Then, I saw it. Off to the left, a reddish tail light sort of ball of light hovering about 3 ft off the ground about 50 ft to our left in a young walnut orchard. We sat there in silence for a few seconds. Then, I said, 'you guys want to get out and go over there?'. Suddenly, my cousin yelled out, 'it's time for dinner!". So, we left.
At later times we came out and saw it, but nothing as dramatic as the first time. Since then, many others have reported seeing it.
I used to believe it was a ghost. But, now, after much study of the subject of ghosts, spirits, the occult and the Bible, I am convinced it was a demon messing with us and others who have seen it and chased it. It is very dangerous to chase it because you can lose sight of your surroundings and other traffic or cross traffic as you chase this thing. And, today, there is a lot of residential development out on that road. It is no longer a lonely, dark two lane country road in the boonies as we called it.
We then went to a cemetery in the middle of nowhere and we were told that if we knocked three times on the tombstone of a young man who had been killed in a motorcycle accident, we would see a blinding light. We all tried it with trepidation but nothing at all happened. We thought it was lame folklore.
We were so wrong. On the drive back to Visalia, I was in the back of a pickup as we approached one of those desolate intersections that had a blinking yellow light hanging from a wire. Out of nowhere, a bright single light came at us from a distance and I could hear the gears changing on a motorcycle as it approached. There was absolutely no one else around and it was otherwise pitch black. As we crossed the intersection, the motorcycle came right at us, and then somehow turned left at full speed. I could see the taillight fade way toward the cemetery from which we left. We were completely shocked, trying to figure how in the world it did not crash on the turn at that speed!
I had never experienced anything before or since. I am a school teacher now and tell my students this story if they ask me if I know any scary stories. I thought I'd look this up and found this page. I am amazed that there are others with similar stories. That really validates things for me.