Jack and I took in a triple play of horror movies last night and I thought I would discuss them herein.
1) Drag Me to Hell- This just came out earlier in the year and is already on DVD. I got the unrated version (of course) but there is probably just more grossness here than anything else. This movie is all about the slapstick horror and bodily fluids. If you like Sam Raimi's style of grossout horror in the Evil Dead movies, you should dig this. A young loan officer in a bank (Alison Lohman) is cursed by a gypsy who is denied an extension on her mortgage payments. Kind of topical for a bit but really, this is just an excuse to terrorize Ms. Lohman with all manner of indignity. She puts up with even more than Johnny Depp did in Sleepy Hollow. This is just plain fun and not especially scary. You could spend your money in worse ways is what I'm saying.
2) Trick R Treat- Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, X-Men) produced this movie set in a small Ohio town that takes Halloween very seriously. Four stories intertwine and help each other pay off. You can't really remove one story from the others or the impact sort of falls apart so, in that way, it is a pretty clever movie. Dylan Baker has a story about a high school Principal who is also a serial killer. Some kids visit a maybe-haunted quarry. Anna Paquin is out looking for Mr. Right in all the wrong places. Brian Cox is an old man haunted by the ghost of Halloween. This is a nifty flick with some good creepy moments but nothing especially awesome. Again, there are worse ways to spend your time.
3) Rec- This is a Spanish Language picture that was the basis for Quarantine. Now, I have not seen Quarantine but this had some good chills. Like Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch, this is based on the idea of found footage. A reporter and her camera man follow a Fire crew around for a late night show and end up locked inside a building with some 28 Days Later zombies inside. The movie drags for the first 15 minutes, screams and runs like crazy for the next 30, and then settles into a much better pace once the frantic action slows down a bit. Still, exposition is rushed through, characters a roughly sketched and motivations are shaky at best. However, the movie doesn't really give you time to ponder these things before things are going from bad to worse to apocalyptic. The small set, the restricted point of view and the darkness of the building add to the creepy feel. The final night vision sequence is also pretty freaking awesome. I would recommend this.
Josh
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Day 16: FL to SC, The End!
I woke up at my usual 8:30 in Florida without an alarm, got dressed and hit the road (wishing a fond farewell to my awesome hosts). The drive up to Athens took some pretty bizarre back roads (eventually I was on I-75?) and ended up with the GPS not really knowing what was up. Thanks to some directions from Katie, I found the art building and parked in a visitor's garage beside it. A quick walk later and I was in the Athens Cemetery. They had lots of it roped off to preserve it but you could tell the graves had seen better days...
I took some pictures of that and some art projects (totem polls depicting the events of Alice in Wonderland) then got ready for the final push home. I got to Greenville in mid-afternoon and changed up my final destination to the graveyard behind the gas station up the hill from my house. I waited patiently for the customers to wane a bit and then made a dash behind the building. Sure enough, there is a little graveyard back there with more graves than I imagined. Lots of people have been asking me how the whole experience was and I think I can sum it up with one gravestone. It was a...
I know, bad joke. So, on average I drove about 600 miles per day. On total, I drove 9,550 miles in my 16 day journey through all 48 contiguous states. Now, I only have to get to Alaska and I am golden.
Some awards: The friendliest state...Wyoming. The most disappointing state...Oregon (what I saw). State that angered me the most (toll division)...New York. State that angered me the most (useless people division)...Arkansas. Scariest place I visited...Montana's Prison Museum. Best orb photo taken in...Kentucky.
I have opened a photobucket account and started loading all the photos from the trip (I only posted a fraction of the total on this blog). I am trying to share the album to this blog soon. I will load more photos as time permits.
Also, I will keep reviewing horror movies on here for the time being. Thanks for reading! Any questions?
Josh
I took some pictures of that and some art projects (totem polls depicting the events of Alice in Wonderland) then got ready for the final push home. I got to Greenville in mid-afternoon and changed up my final destination to the graveyard behind the gas station up the hill from my house. I waited patiently for the customers to wane a bit and then made a dash behind the building. Sure enough, there is a little graveyard back there with more graves than I imagined. Lots of people have been asking me how the whole experience was and I think I can sum it up with one gravestone. It was a...
I know, bad joke. So, on average I drove about 600 miles per day. On total, I drove 9,550 miles in my 16 day journey through all 48 contiguous states. Now, I only have to get to Alaska and I am golden.
Some awards: The friendliest state...Wyoming. The most disappointing state...Oregon (what I saw). State that angered me the most (toll division)...New York. State that angered me the most (useless people division)...Arkansas. Scariest place I visited...Montana's Prison Museum. Best orb photo taken in...Kentucky.
I have opened a photobucket account and started loading all the photos from the trip (I only posted a fraction of the total on this blog). I am trying to share the album to this blog soon. I will load more photos as time permits.
Also, I will keep reviewing horror movies on here for the time being. Thanks for reading! Any questions?
Josh
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Day 15: LA to FL
Ok, finally got the rest of the pics loaded into my computer. I am starting a photobucket page where you can see all 200 or so pics from my trip. More details later...
I woke up well rested in New Orleans and drove back through Mississippi into Alabama. I pretty found the Church street cemetery easily and I was looking for the Boyington Oak. This is supposedly a tree that grew out of the grave of a man who was lynched (or something). The problem is, there are about five oaks growing out of graves. I took a bunch of pictures and left when a family of little brats came stomping through the graveyard screaming. Here is a pic...
I packed it in and realized I was way ahead of schedule. I drove at a very relaxed pace to Florida where I also located the Velda Mound with no trouble. I was eaten up with mosquitos but this old Indian Village site was pretty cool...If not teeny tiny...
I got to Katie and Chris's abode early and hung out with them for awhile. We all went out to eat at a place called Cabo Island where I had a good burger. Then, we returned to the apartment for a very fun session of Rock Band (my first time playing it ever). We stayed up late watching SNL and then I spent a restless night trying not to be excited about finishing up my trip.
Josh
I woke up well rested in New Orleans and drove back through Mississippi into Alabama. I pretty found the Church street cemetery easily and I was looking for the Boyington Oak. This is supposedly a tree that grew out of the grave of a man who was lynched (or something). The problem is, there are about five oaks growing out of graves. I took a bunch of pictures and left when a family of little brats came stomping through the graveyard screaming. Here is a pic...
I packed it in and realized I was way ahead of schedule. I drove at a very relaxed pace to Florida where I also located the Velda Mound with no trouble. I was eaten up with mosquitos but this old Indian Village site was pretty cool...If not teeny tiny...
I got to Katie and Chris's abode early and hung out with them for awhile. We all went out to eat at a place called Cabo Island where I had a good burger. Then, we returned to the apartment for a very fun session of Rock Band (my first time playing it ever). We stayed up late watching SNL and then I spent a restless night trying not to be excited about finishing up my trip.
Josh
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Horrorthon 09: Paranormal Activity and some complaints
I am probably going to make some folks mad with this review but I promise no spoilers. First of all, let me just say that I really enjoyed this movie and completely dug what the filmmakers were aiming for. There are solid scares, subtle special effects and (maybe the best compliment I can give a horror movie) it really stabs at the reptilian part of the brain that is scared of dark corners and empty spaces. Now then I have to say, don't go see this in the theater.
If you watch this, watch it on DVD/blu-ray/whatever, in your house with the lights off in the middle of the night. I can almost promise you will have a better time. In a completely unscientific poll, I have concluded that audiences all over America are made up of a good percentage of idiots. Total morons, in fact. I understand that scary movies can cause nervous laughter and even some inane babbling but, for the love of all that is good and holy, shut the **** up. Everyone I know who has seen the movie (including myself) has had the experience partially to largely ruined by rude audiences who believe they are in their living room. Thus, if you read this and are one of the talker types, watch this at home where you can dialogue freely with the characters on screen who can't hear you. If you aren't a talker, still watch this at home to avoid the talkers.
The rant isn't quite over either. Besides rude people in theaters, this movie brings out the other lamest group of theater patrons: those who hate to use their brains (the Venn diagram for these two groups is pretty much one solid circle). Besides the premise of the movie, there was another way in which my experience echoed that of seeing the Blair Witch Project in the theater...as I walked out I heard about half the audience complain that they didn't understand and thought the movie wasn't scary. I guess if a little transvestite doll on a tricycle isn't taunting you into cutting your own spleen out, the movie is operating on too subtle a level for most people. People want gore and viscera and to be spoon fed every little bit of information. Well, guess what? This movie requires you to use your imagination. I was wondering if the people walking out disappointed with this movie were the same ones walking out of Blair Witch ten years ago complaining about that and then I realized, nope, these people would have been 9 years old when Blair Witch came out. It isn't their fault that their brains can't wrap themselves around the idea that there is true horror in what you can't see.
One of my favorite horror movies from the past few years, the Orphanage, figured out that our minds can conjure horrors beyond anything CGI can show us. The best moments of this movie, the Orphanage, and Blair Witch are the moments when we don't want to look into that dark hallway, over that shoulder or into those woods but we do anyway...terrified but thrilled at what we might see. If that sounds boring to you, keep your dumb ass at home.
Josh
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day 14: AR to LA
Now that I am back home, I am hoping to wrap all this up.
When last I posted, I had made it through a night of horrible dreams and sweltering heat. I left the hotel in Blytheville and, due to my first apparent failing in my planning, I had to back track to Jonesboro, AR. I found the cemetery at Keller's Chapel easily enough. The legend goes that you can hear a baby crying at this location along with some other weird things. I could have sworn I heard something like a cry but...
I don't know if you can make it out in that picture, there was a house under construction behind the cemetery property. I think I heard the whine of a saw or some workers talking. At any rate, I stayed perfectly still but never heard the sound again.
Getting back on the road, I drove down into Mississippi to visit the town of...er, ok, I have forgotten the town name but the church in question was the Church of Christ beside a daycare. Luckily, all the kids were gone for the day or I wouldn't have been able to get so close. I took all sorts of shots but nothing creepy happened. Check out the iron work on this fence...
Pretty cool, I think. Getting done there, I drove straight down to New Orleans, getting stuck in some mild traffic (nothing like the Chicago fiasco). I checked into my hotel and walked over to the French quarter (trying and failing to find the statue of Ignatius Reilly). I took some shots that didn't come out so well but here is a poorly lit shot of a church from which a woman threw herself on her wedding day...
I wandered into a place called the Corner Bar and Oyster House (I think) and ate some Jambalaya. My bill came out to $42 dollars. I decided to walk over to the local casino and see if they were having any poker tournaments. When I got there, I decided to check my account balance and found I had $38 to my name! I had a flash of the hotel claiming they would place a hold on accounts for incidentals but they never asked me which account I wanted to do that with. I rushed back to my hotel and got online just to discover, yep, I really did only have 38 dollars. By the time I updated my accounts and moved some money around, I was pretty exhausted (also from lack of sleep the night before). I meant to go back down to the French Quarter and take more pictures but I fell asleep before that could be done. At least I had a solid 9 hours that night.
The final two days are coming soon...
Josh
When last I posted, I had made it through a night of horrible dreams and sweltering heat. I left the hotel in Blytheville and, due to my first apparent failing in my planning, I had to back track to Jonesboro, AR. I found the cemetery at Keller's Chapel easily enough. The legend goes that you can hear a baby crying at this location along with some other weird things. I could have sworn I heard something like a cry but...
I don't know if you can make it out in that picture, there was a house under construction behind the cemetery property. I think I heard the whine of a saw or some workers talking. At any rate, I stayed perfectly still but never heard the sound again.
Getting back on the road, I drove down into Mississippi to visit the town of...er, ok, I have forgotten the town name but the church in question was the Church of Christ beside a daycare. Luckily, all the kids were gone for the day or I wouldn't have been able to get so close. I took all sorts of shots but nothing creepy happened. Check out the iron work on this fence...
Pretty cool, I think. Getting done there, I drove straight down to New Orleans, getting stuck in some mild traffic (nothing like the Chicago fiasco). I checked into my hotel and walked over to the French quarter (trying and failing to find the statue of Ignatius Reilly). I took some shots that didn't come out so well but here is a poorly lit shot of a church from which a woman threw herself on her wedding day...
I wandered into a place called the Corner Bar and Oyster House (I think) and ate some Jambalaya. My bill came out to $42 dollars. I decided to walk over to the local casino and see if they were having any poker tournaments. When I got there, I decided to check my account balance and found I had $38 to my name! I had a flash of the hotel claiming they would place a hold on accounts for incidentals but they never asked me which account I wanted to do that with. I rushed back to my hotel and got online just to discover, yep, I really did only have 38 dollars. By the time I updated my accounts and moved some money around, I was pretty exhausted (also from lack of sleep the night before). I meant to go back down to the French Quarter and take more pictures but I fell asleep before that could be done. At least I had a solid 9 hours that night.
The final two days are coming soon...
Josh
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day 13: OK to AR
Pretty much caught up now. I left Oklahoma in the rain and drove North towards Kansas (passing briefly through Arkansas). My target was the Witches Grave in Galena, KS. I found the graveyard in question but couldn't tell which witch was which. So I just took a bunch of pics...
I journeyed on to M Highway in Van Buren, Missouri (after a tragically comic incident with a one armed man at a bathroom nearby). There was an old, abandoned house on the road (one that would give me pause if I were a kid) but you can't really see it in this photo...
At any rate, it was spooky, but the locals were getting a little nervous about my presence, so I left. I made it into Kentucky right around sundown and went to the graveyard I thought was the dumbest idea of the whole trip. I found the angel that supposedly drops a rock on your head at midnight and took a picture. Looky looky what came out...
Yep, another orb. The best yet. I am pretty stoked about this one. I drove out of the cemetery and, with help from mom, found my way to my hotel in Blytheville, Arkansas. The room had exposed brick in it and actually got hotter as the night went on. I watched Rob Zombie's Halloween and then proceeded to have nightmares involving Thom Yorke, Hudson and Isobel, a zombie and waves so high they blocked out the sun. I need to quit listening to so much HP Lovecraft while I am driving.
Josh
I journeyed on to M Highway in Van Buren, Missouri (after a tragically comic incident with a one armed man at a bathroom nearby). There was an old, abandoned house on the road (one that would give me pause if I were a kid) but you can't really see it in this photo...
At any rate, it was spooky, but the locals were getting a little nervous about my presence, so I left. I made it into Kentucky right around sundown and went to the graveyard I thought was the dumbest idea of the whole trip. I found the angel that supposedly drops a rock on your head at midnight and took a picture. Looky looky what came out...
Yep, another orb. The best yet. I am pretty stoked about this one. I drove out of the cemetery and, with help from mom, found my way to my hotel in Blytheville, Arkansas. The room had exposed brick in it and actually got hotter as the night went on. I watched Rob Zombie's Halloween and then proceeded to have nightmares involving Thom Yorke, Hudson and Isobel, a zombie and waves so high they blocked out the sun. I need to quit listening to so much HP Lovecraft while I am driving.
Josh
Day 12: NM to OK
After leaving the 'Querque (as the kids call it), I decided I would hold off on eating until I got to Texas. As I entered the lone star state, a state trooper pulled up behind me. I was going about 77 in a 70 and reduced my speed without breaking. I got over and they pulled beside me for about five minutes. After awhile, they drove off and I later saw they had someone pulled over. I breathed a sigh of relief but it always makes me a little shaky...plus, the warning light was still on.
I pulled up to the Natatorium in Amarillo and parked at a liquor store nearby. There were no signs on the building besides a faded and obscured "Antique Store" sign on one side and a banner that read "wrestling thursday night" in front of the main door. I tried the main door and heard a dog barking like a hellhound inside (I have no doubt said dog was 5 lbs at most) and the door locked. I decided to high tail it before whoever was inside decided to see who was breaking into their...house? I took some pics and ran...
Pulling back onto the interstate, I passed another trooper who had pulled some poor soul over. As is the custom, I moved over a lane in case the cop needed to walk in the road. Now, if any of you have been my passenger, you know I am an exceedingly safe driver. I have never been pulled over. I signal lane changes automatically and rarely forget. Well, I was a few miles down the road when the cop I had just passed sped up behind me. I was only doing 72 in a 70 at this point. I signaled, pulled into the slow lane and he did that same move the other trooper did where he pulled beside me for a few miles. Finally, he pulled in behind me and pulled me over. At 31 years of age, I had finally been pulled over for (in his words) failing to signal my lane change. This is, excuse my french, a load of crap. His name was Officer Dollar (in my imagination, his first name is Bill). He asked me a bunch of stupid questions (Did you buy anything illegal lately?) and then let me go with a warning. I now hate Northern Texas. They wanted to pull me over from the second I entered the state. Bah.
I was so angry/nervous after that, I didn't feel like eating. I decided I would not give Texas a dime of my money so I drove on into Oklahoma. Did you know that only Subway and McDonalds can legally be sold at highway offramps in Oklahoma? Neither did I. I was in the mood for neither so, long story short, I didn't eat or drink anything until 9pm.
Anyway, I was looking for Kitchen Lake Bridge in Oklahoma City. I found the two roads it was supposed to connect but never found the bridge. There weer plenty of creepy sights but none I took pictures of. It was dark and rainy and I just wanted to get to Tulsa. Another toll road (and rain so hard I couldn't see) later, and I made it to the hotel. Another complete failure of a day. The only upside? When I got back into my car after Dollar Bill harassed me, my malfunction light was off. As of Friday night (tonight), it has not come back on.
Josh
I pulled up to the Natatorium in Amarillo and parked at a liquor store nearby. There were no signs on the building besides a faded and obscured "Antique Store" sign on one side and a banner that read "wrestling thursday night" in front of the main door. I tried the main door and heard a dog barking like a hellhound inside (I have no doubt said dog was 5 lbs at most) and the door locked. I decided to high tail it before whoever was inside decided to see who was breaking into their...house? I took some pics and ran...
Pulling back onto the interstate, I passed another trooper who had pulled some poor soul over. As is the custom, I moved over a lane in case the cop needed to walk in the road. Now, if any of you have been my passenger, you know I am an exceedingly safe driver. I have never been pulled over. I signal lane changes automatically and rarely forget. Well, I was a few miles down the road when the cop I had just passed sped up behind me. I was only doing 72 in a 70 at this point. I signaled, pulled into the slow lane and he did that same move the other trooper did where he pulled beside me for a few miles. Finally, he pulled in behind me and pulled me over. At 31 years of age, I had finally been pulled over for (in his words) failing to signal my lane change. This is, excuse my french, a load of crap. His name was Officer Dollar (in my imagination, his first name is Bill). He asked me a bunch of stupid questions (Did you buy anything illegal lately?) and then let me go with a warning. I now hate Northern Texas. They wanted to pull me over from the second I entered the state. Bah.
I was so angry/nervous after that, I didn't feel like eating. I decided I would not give Texas a dime of my money so I drove on into Oklahoma. Did you know that only Subway and McDonalds can legally be sold at highway offramps in Oklahoma? Neither did I. I was in the mood for neither so, long story short, I didn't eat or drink anything until 9pm.
Anyway, I was looking for Kitchen Lake Bridge in Oklahoma City. I found the two roads it was supposed to connect but never found the bridge. There weer plenty of creepy sights but none I took pictures of. It was dark and rainy and I just wanted to get to Tulsa. Another toll road (and rain so hard I couldn't see) later, and I made it to the hotel. Another complete failure of a day. The only upside? When I got back into my car after Dollar Bill harassed me, my malfunction light was off. As of Friday night (tonight), it has not come back on.
Josh
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day 11: NV to NM
Got up and out of the casino, driving into California. I have to say, the Mojave Desert is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I got off the highway onto Cima Road, which runs parallel to a train track skirting the Providence Mountain range. There was a forest of Joshua trees and the road was filled with those bouncing dips that make your stomach lurch a bit. It was a ton of fun to drive those at 60 mph. My warning light was still on but I was choosing to hope it would go away with some higher quality gasoline. I made it to Kelso, CA, to discover that the haunted rail station had been turned into a National Park center with rangers and a working lunch counter inside. Here is the outside...
I got some hot dogs and toured the place. The only creepy feeling I got was in the basement by myself but that soon passed. I really enjoyed my time there and it was an unexpected highlight of the trip to date. I drove on into Arizona and, after much roaming, found the graveyard "beside the Best Western" (actually a mile down the road). You are supposed to get weird stuff in your pictures when you take them there. Maybe it is only at night...
Tell me if you spot anything untoward. Next up, I drove into New Mexico and found Albuquerque crawling with cops. I mean just tons, everywhere. This would be foreshadowing for my next day. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I was trying to get to Maria Teresa's haunted Mexican restaurant and found it had changed names and was closed at 9pm. What is up with the damn haunted Mexican restaurants? One doesn't open until 4pm and the other is long closed by 9pm? I am beginning to think I will never know the taste of a haunted burrito. I snapped a pic and headed off to my hotel, to try and get a little shut eye.
Josh
I got some hot dogs and toured the place. The only creepy feeling I got was in the basement by myself but that soon passed. I really enjoyed my time there and it was an unexpected highlight of the trip to date. I drove on into Arizona and, after much roaming, found the graveyard "beside the Best Western" (actually a mile down the road). You are supposed to get weird stuff in your pictures when you take them there. Maybe it is only at night...
Tell me if you spot anything untoward. Next up, I drove into New Mexico and found Albuquerque crawling with cops. I mean just tons, everywhere. This would be foreshadowing for my next day. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I was trying to get to Maria Teresa's haunted Mexican restaurant and found it had changed names and was closed at 9pm. What is up with the damn haunted Mexican restaurants? One doesn't open until 4pm and the other is long closed by 9pm? I am beginning to think I will never know the taste of a haunted burrito. I snapped a pic and headed off to my hotel, to try and get a little shut eye.
Josh
Day 10: ID to NV
"KT" thanks for the heads up about Saturday. This will be the third homecoming I have blundered into so far. Well, this should be fun. On with the story...
I woke up super, super early (6am) on Monday to get to Utah in time to see my best friend, Eric. There were a bunch of crows on the road but no road kill, anyone know why? Anyway, I got to E's high school right at 9:30. He took me out to brunch at Johanna's Kitchen (or something). A good visit later and I was heading to Barnes and Noble to reload my reading material. Due to extreme sleep deprivation, I forgot to take pictures of E or his school. Also, due to exhaustion, I misread the time on the GPS (my tomtom doesn't change the time depending on the time zone so I thought it was much later than it was). I decided to not even try to find the Salt Lake City haunted spot. Also, I was eager to get to Vegas.
Heading down the road, my warning light came back on. Of course, I had just used crappy gasoline again but that didn't help my nerves. I hit heavy traffic in Vegas but got there in time to check in. They upgraded me to the grand suite for the
night...
Note the bathtub in the middle of the raised platform...classy. Now, Bally's is supposedly haunted but I never saw anything weird except my money vanish. I couldn't take pictures in the gaming floor but I communed with some dead presidents at the poker table and caught the worst hands you could ever imagine.
This is a paragraph for poker players. I won one hand all night...one! I had a pair of jacks and also made a straight on the turn, so that paid off nicely (almost back to my starting money). Otherwise, it was all low pairs and Ace King hands that kept going nowhere. I lost on three Big Slicks in a row and folded the fourth won when I would have won with it. The worst of the night was when I had Jack Queen in the pocket and the flop came out Jack, Ace, Four (the Ace and Four were both diamonds). Three other players were betting heavy and I couldn't trust my jacks to hold up against aces or a flush draw. I folded right before the turn came out a Queen. Now, two pairs still would have made me a little shaky. The real pain was when the river came out another Jack. I would have had a boat, jacks over queens. The winning hand was Jacks over fours. ARGGHH!!! So, I left the table down a hundred.
I got to sleep late, still thinking about my terrible poker playing and thus ended a mixed bag of day 10.
Josh
I woke up super, super early (6am) on Monday to get to Utah in time to see my best friend, Eric. There were a bunch of crows on the road but no road kill, anyone know why? Anyway, I got to E's high school right at 9:30. He took me out to brunch at Johanna's Kitchen (or something). A good visit later and I was heading to Barnes and Noble to reload my reading material. Due to extreme sleep deprivation, I forgot to take pictures of E or his school. Also, due to exhaustion, I misread the time on the GPS (my tomtom doesn't change the time depending on the time zone so I thought it was much later than it was). I decided to not even try to find the Salt Lake City haunted spot. Also, I was eager to get to Vegas.
Heading down the road, my warning light came back on. Of course, I had just used crappy gasoline again but that didn't help my nerves. I hit heavy traffic in Vegas but got there in time to check in. They upgraded me to the grand suite for the
night...
Note the bathtub in the middle of the raised platform...classy. Now, Bally's is supposedly haunted but I never saw anything weird except my money vanish. I couldn't take pictures in the gaming floor but I communed with some dead presidents at the poker table and caught the worst hands you could ever imagine.
This is a paragraph for poker players. I won one hand all night...one! I had a pair of jacks and also made a straight on the turn, so that paid off nicely (almost back to my starting money). Otherwise, it was all low pairs and Ace King hands that kept going nowhere. I lost on three Big Slicks in a row and folded the fourth won when I would have won with it. The worst of the night was when I had Jack Queen in the pocket and the flop came out Jack, Ace, Four (the Ace and Four were both diamonds). Three other players were betting heavy and I couldn't trust my jacks to hold up against aces or a flush draw. I folded right before the turn came out a Queen. Now, two pairs still would have made me a little shaky. The real pain was when the river came out another Jack. I would have had a boat, jacks over queens. The winning hand was Jacks over fours. ARGGHH!!! So, I left the table down a hundred.
I got to sleep late, still thinking about my terrible poker playing and thus ended a mixed bag of day 10.
Josh
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Day 9: ID to ID, trust me
I woke up early again and left my hotel in Idaho. Keeping one eye on the malfunction light, I drove through Lewiston, Idaho, and into Clarkston, Washington (get it?). I knew my target would probably not be open on a Sunday and I was right...
Still, I wish it had been as this was a haunted bowling alley/casino/putt-putt course. How awesome would that have been? I pulled into a car wash across the street and opted for the bug blaster (not that the effect lasted long). I felt better after having my car washed. My GPS recommended a kind of roundabout way to Oregon and I agreed.
When I stopped there for gas I discovered that Oregon and New Jersey are the two states that absolutely will not let you pump your own gas. Boo. Also, the lady at the station was kind of a jerk.
I made it to Ontario, Oregon and kind of guessed my way towards the Malheur Butte (apparently it means bad luck in French). This is as close as I got...
I just couldn't figure out how to get up to it. Plus, it is just a butte, not sure what I could have done there anyway. I wasn't convinced I should count that as a failure but I did.
Then I drove back through Idaho, passing Twin Falls (for all you Built to Spill fans) and (for maybe the only time on the trip) making it to my hotel before I made it to my last destination. I checked in and then drove to the "ghost town" of Albion. Now, I had to pass through a town called Declo first that had 338 people in it. Albion has 236. Why is Declo not considered a ghost town also? Albion had a post office and shops with electric lights working. There were houses and cars parked beside churches. It seemed like a normal town, is what I'm saying. Just not a booming metropolis. I was picturing weeds overtaking the streets and shop fronts abandoned. No such luck. I took many pics but only this one came out decently...
I drove back to the hotel, picking up some food on the way, updated my blog and fell asleep.
Josh
Still, I wish it had been as this was a haunted bowling alley/casino/putt-putt course. How awesome would that have been? I pulled into a car wash across the street and opted for the bug blaster (not that the effect lasted long). I felt better after having my car washed. My GPS recommended a kind of roundabout way to Oregon and I agreed.
When I stopped there for gas I discovered that Oregon and New Jersey are the two states that absolutely will not let you pump your own gas. Boo. Also, the lady at the station was kind of a jerk.
I made it to Ontario, Oregon and kind of guessed my way towards the Malheur Butte (apparently it means bad luck in French). This is as close as I got...
I just couldn't figure out how to get up to it. Plus, it is just a butte, not sure what I could have done there anyway. I wasn't convinced I should count that as a failure but I did.
Then I drove back through Idaho, passing Twin Falls (for all you Built to Spill fans) and (for maybe the only time on the trip) making it to my hotel before I made it to my last destination. I checked in and then drove to the "ghost town" of Albion. Now, I had to pass through a town called Declo first that had 338 people in it. Albion has 236. Why is Declo not considered a ghost town also? Albion had a post office and shops with electric lights working. There were houses and cars parked beside churches. It seemed like a normal town, is what I'm saying. Just not a booming metropolis. I was picturing weeds overtaking the streets and shop fronts abandoned. No such luck. I took many pics but only this one came out decently...
I drove back to the hotel, picking up some food on the way, updated my blog and fell asleep.
Josh
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Day 8: WY to ID
Day 8 was a day of extremes for me. I woke up in Wyoming and walked across the street to a Hardee's for a biscuit (I thought these were called Carl's Jr out west?). On the way through Montana, I stopped and filled up with gas. Now, one thing I noticed is that, out west, the lowest octane is 85. Since I am using my company's gas card, I have to get whatever the cheapest octane is. Well, as I pulled away from the service station, my engine malfunction light came on. As this was the halfway point of the trip and I was about as far from home as I could get, this worried me. I pulled over and read the manual. It said the light could come on due to poor quality gasoline. However, if the light starts flashing, I am about to be royally screwed.
I drove it about 200 miles to Deer Lodge (my next stop), never taking my eyes off the warning light for more than 5 seconds. Every garage in Deer Lodge was closed. I parked and walked to the Montana Prison Museum and proceeded to have the creepiest experience of the trip.
Unlike Eastern State, where employees were thick as flies throughout the prison, I had the entire grounds to myself. There was a couple with their small child leaving the last building as I came in but, otherwise, no one. Every building gave off a creepy vibe but when I went into the cell house from the 1910s, things got weird. I was looking into the cells and I heard someone walking on the tier above me. I stepped away from the cells so I could look above me, and no one was there. The footsteps stopped as well. I figured these were just my footsteps echoing but I never heard them again as I resumed my course around the cells. Here they are...
The wind was howling outside and, somewhere, a loose door was banging steadily...working on my nerves. Finally, I turned a corner and saw a face staring back at me from one of the locked cells. I almost crapped...is what I'm saying. It was dark in the cell but I quickly figured out what I was looking at. Here is the fellow who almost made me mess my pants...
Yes, I am a goober. The rest of the prison was very cool to check out. There were many cells that had only their feeding slot open, so I would reach my hand into the darkness with my camera and take a pic. A few of the cells radiated such bad juju that I refused to stick my hands near them at all, sure a hand would reach out from the darkness and grab my own. I left that museum very pleased and moved on.
Driving through Missoula, MT, I saw a Jiffy Lube open. Since I needed an oil change anyway (yes, I put 6,000 miles on the car in one week), I had them run an auto scan on the malfunction. They said it was my torque converter and I would be without a car if it went out. But, they stressed that they are not mechanics, only oil changers and didn't know for sure. I deliberated but pressed on. One way or the other both that car and I have to be back in Greenville by this coming weekend. The manager told me to keep the car on paved roads no matter what. As I pulled away, I noticed the malfunction light had gone off. It stayed off the rest of the night but I kept waiting for it to return.
I drove next into a National Forest in Idaho. It was mostly unpaved and completely downhill, so I was filled with terror and happy that I could coast without using my gas. When I arrived in Koosia, ID, I filled up with gas and noticed that the front of my car was so covered in dead bugs that it looked like it hadn't shaved. Speaking of which, here is a pic of my on Day 8...
I made it to my hotel in Grangeville and slept like a rock after the tension-filled day.
Josh
I drove it about 200 miles to Deer Lodge (my next stop), never taking my eyes off the warning light for more than 5 seconds. Every garage in Deer Lodge was closed. I parked and walked to the Montana Prison Museum and proceeded to have the creepiest experience of the trip.
Unlike Eastern State, where employees were thick as flies throughout the prison, I had the entire grounds to myself. There was a couple with their small child leaving the last building as I came in but, otherwise, no one. Every building gave off a creepy vibe but when I went into the cell house from the 1910s, things got weird. I was looking into the cells and I heard someone walking on the tier above me. I stepped away from the cells so I could look above me, and no one was there. The footsteps stopped as well. I figured these were just my footsteps echoing but I never heard them again as I resumed my course around the cells. Here they are...
The wind was howling outside and, somewhere, a loose door was banging steadily...working on my nerves. Finally, I turned a corner and saw a face staring back at me from one of the locked cells. I almost crapped...is what I'm saying. It was dark in the cell but I quickly figured out what I was looking at. Here is the fellow who almost made me mess my pants...
Yes, I am a goober. The rest of the prison was very cool to check out. There were many cells that had only their feeding slot open, so I would reach my hand into the darkness with my camera and take a pic. A few of the cells radiated such bad juju that I refused to stick my hands near them at all, sure a hand would reach out from the darkness and grab my own. I left that museum very pleased and moved on.
Driving through Missoula, MT, I saw a Jiffy Lube open. Since I needed an oil change anyway (yes, I put 6,000 miles on the car in one week), I had them run an auto scan on the malfunction. They said it was my torque converter and I would be without a car if it went out. But, they stressed that they are not mechanics, only oil changers and didn't know for sure. I deliberated but pressed on. One way or the other both that car and I have to be back in Greenville by this coming weekend. The manager told me to keep the car on paved roads no matter what. As I pulled away, I noticed the malfunction light had gone off. It stayed off the rest of the night but I kept waiting for it to return.
I drove next into a National Forest in Idaho. It was mostly unpaved and completely downhill, so I was filled with terror and happy that I could coast without using my gas. When I arrived in Koosia, ID, I filled up with gas and noticed that the front of my car was so covered in dead bugs that it looked like it hadn't shaved. Speaking of which, here is a pic of my on Day 8...
I made it to my hotel in Grangeville and slept like a rock after the tension-filled day.
Josh
Day 7: NE to WY
And I am behind again. I will try to get two up tonight.
I woke up and drove from Grand Island, NE, to Atwood, CO. There was some gorgeous scenery and the beginning of my directions to the Summit Springs battlefield were accurate. After reaching the Atwood turn-off, the directions went very wrong and I ended up lost on some back roads for awhile. Finally, I just followed my spider-sense until I came upon a dirt road with the following sign...
There was also barbed wire fencing blocking the path to the battlefield. With only two pairs of pants on me, I decided to press on. I was on unpaved roads in the middle of nowhere for a solid 45 minutes. I was getting panicked a bit as I hadn't seen another living soul until my GPS dumped me out at a prison (yeah?).
I then drove into one of my favorite states of the trip, Wyoming. The scenery was outstanding and everyone there is super nice. I pulled in Casper, Wyoming (the friendly ghost indeed) and found the Wonder Bar...
Inside, I had their Road House burger with cracked peppercorns, cheese and bacon. It was delicious but I paid for it later. Also, I had their home brewed pale ale that was okay (pales are usually a bit bitter for me). No sign of the place's ghost but all of Casper was there. The parking attendant at the garage across the street hipped me to the fact that the Wonder Bar validates and I didn't even have to pay for parking.
I drove on another hour or so to Buffalo, WY, and stopped at an Econolodge that had serious construction going on outside. The owner was the first person to ask me why I was travelling. When I told him I was visiting haunted places, he started acting weird. Regardless, I got some shut eye until the peppercorns began burning their way through my body.
Josh
I woke up and drove from Grand Island, NE, to Atwood, CO. There was some gorgeous scenery and the beginning of my directions to the Summit Springs battlefield were accurate. After reaching the Atwood turn-off, the directions went very wrong and I ended up lost on some back roads for awhile. Finally, I just followed my spider-sense until I came upon a dirt road with the following sign...
There was also barbed wire fencing blocking the path to the battlefield. With only two pairs of pants on me, I decided to press on. I was on unpaved roads in the middle of nowhere for a solid 45 minutes. I was getting panicked a bit as I hadn't seen another living soul until my GPS dumped me out at a prison (yeah?).
I then drove into one of my favorite states of the trip, Wyoming. The scenery was outstanding and everyone there is super nice. I pulled in Casper, Wyoming (the friendly ghost indeed) and found the Wonder Bar...
Inside, I had their Road House burger with cracked peppercorns, cheese and bacon. It was delicious but I paid for it later. Also, I had their home brewed pale ale that was okay (pales are usually a bit bitter for me). No sign of the place's ghost but all of Casper was there. The parking attendant at the garage across the street hipped me to the fact that the Wonder Bar validates and I didn't even have to pay for parking.
I drove on another hour or so to Buffalo, WY, and stopped at an Econolodge that had serious construction going on outside. The owner was the first person to ask me why I was travelling. When I told him I was visiting haunted places, he started acting weird. Regardless, I got some shut eye until the peppercorns began burning their way through my body.
Josh
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Day 6: MN to NE
I woke up feeling good about my last day in Minnesota (and maybe, finally, some ghost stuff going down). I drove quickly to Fargo, ND. There I found the cemetery I needed to find which was supposed to have a crypt in it where you can hear knocking coming from the inside. I saw no crypts of any kind. There was a mausoleum but no above ground burial of any sort. I took some photos and headed off...
After a bit of a haul down to Sioux Falls, SD, I (as if by instinct) found the Judge Amidon monument. There are no orbs in my photos (although it is rather dusty). I took some pics of the great view of the city. Like Greenville, they have a Falls Park, too. I think ours is nicer. Here is the monument...
I popped over to Sioux City, IA, and found the cemetery I needed at the end of another unpaved road (this becomes a theme in the west, apparently). I found it to be locked up and gated so, I took what photos I could and hit the trail...
Homer, NE, is very close to IA and I found myself on completely unpaved roads of black mud. I was very scared that my car would get stuck out in some Nebraska corn field and I would be screwed. However, if you drive really quickly, you avoid sinking. I made it to within a mile of Lottie's Grave (one of the places I was most excited about) but found a bridge in the middle of a cornfield with barricades on it. I had to turn back empty handed. The rest of the drive was uneventful except that I now have 18 pounds of black Nebraska mud coating the underside of my car. Of course, that was a walk in the park compared to Colorado but that is a story for the next entry.
Josh
After a bit of a haul down to Sioux Falls, SD, I (as if by instinct) found the Judge Amidon monument. There are no orbs in my photos (although it is rather dusty). I took some pics of the great view of the city. Like Greenville, they have a Falls Park, too. I think ours is nicer. Here is the monument...
I popped over to Sioux City, IA, and found the cemetery I needed at the end of another unpaved road (this becomes a theme in the west, apparently). I found it to be locked up and gated so, I took what photos I could and hit the trail...
Homer, NE, is very close to IA and I found myself on completely unpaved roads of black mud. I was very scared that my car would get stuck out in some Nebraska corn field and I would be screwed. However, if you drive really quickly, you avoid sinking. I made it to within a mile of Lottie's Grave (one of the places I was most excited about) but found a bridge in the middle of a cornfield with barricades on it. I had to turn back empty handed. The rest of the drive was uneventful except that I now have 18 pounds of black Nebraska mud coating the underside of my car. Of course, that was a walk in the park compared to Colorado but that is a story for the next entry.
Josh
Friday, October 16, 2009
Day 5: IL to MN
Day Five began horribly but ended up being one of the best days of the trip yet. I got stuck in a mind numbing traffic jam in Chicago. I went 40 miles in 2 hours (not even moving for about 45 minutes). I couldn't find Archer Cemetery and finally gave up and took Lake Shore Drive around the freeway and out of town. Running majorly behind and having failed at yet another haunted location (my score, at that point, was 11 failures and 8 successes) I was in a dark mood. I found the old TB sanitarium in Madison, WI. The woods behind it were a public park, so I explored them for the better part of an hour. In the graveyard that was my target, a deer came out of the woods and let me get really close. This is a picture I took when I first noticed it (note that it looks fake)...
I felt really calm and happy leaving Madison and drove on to Minnesota. I showed up at Forepaugh's Restaurant and immediately noticed a large group of women dressed in mink stoles, long tweed dresses and those hats from the 1930s that are black, round and have veils. I was rocking about a week's worth of beard and had on a wrinkled, untucked shirt. I felt very under dressed. The staff sat me in a dining room that was once a bedroom in the old lodge. Once the other diners and wait staff left, I took some pics in the room. My waitress let me look all around and I went upstairs into empty rooms where the lights were off and took photos. She also explained to me that the women in fancy outfits were part of a mystery club that meets once a month to do a How to Host a Murder thing. I ate an 8 ounce ribeye, Dauphined potatoes (quite tasty) and seared scallions. For desert, a blueberry and key lime cheesecake (I know, right?). It was all great. When I got to the hotel that night in Fergus Falls (my favorite hotel so far) I looked at my photos from Forepaugh's and found...
Orbs! That's right, all you Ghost Hunter fans, orbs usually indicate either ghosts or dust. However I can attest that there was no source for floating dust in the air in that dining room. Did I capture my first ghost photo? I remain skeptical.
Josh
I felt really calm and happy leaving Madison and drove on to Minnesota. I showed up at Forepaugh's Restaurant and immediately noticed a large group of women dressed in mink stoles, long tweed dresses and those hats from the 1930s that are black, round and have veils. I was rocking about a week's worth of beard and had on a wrinkled, untucked shirt. I felt very under dressed. The staff sat me in a dining room that was once a bedroom in the old lodge. Once the other diners and wait staff left, I took some pics in the room. My waitress let me look all around and I went upstairs into empty rooms where the lights were off and took photos. She also explained to me that the women in fancy outfits were part of a mystery club that meets once a month to do a How to Host a Murder thing. I ate an 8 ounce ribeye, Dauphined potatoes (quite tasty) and seared scallions. For desert, a blueberry and key lime cheesecake (I know, right?). It was all great. When I got to the hotel that night in Fergus Falls (my favorite hotel so far) I looked at my photos from Forepaugh's and found...
Orbs! That's right, all you Ghost Hunter fans, orbs usually indicate either ghosts or dust. However I can attest that there was no source for floating dust in the air in that dining room. Did I capture my first ghost photo? I remain skeptical.
Josh
Day 4: NY to IL
Woke up and got a move on in NY. The tolls, my God the tolls! I paid so much money to New York that I vowed not to buy breakfast or gas up until I was out. As soon as I hit Pennsylvania again (just outside of Erie) I stopped at a Wendy's where they got my order wrong (is grilled chicken so rare a beast?). I drove on into Ohio and found Ft. Meig in Perrysburg easily enough. Here is a shot from the outside...
Why the outside you ask? Good question. It seems the fort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. After the complete failure of the day before I began to think someone was messing with me. Who opens on Wednesday to Friday only? At any rate, I left Ohio and entered Indiana. From there, I popped up into Niles, Michigan (just right on the state line) and found the cemetery I wanted. I walked about and looked for a haunted structure in the center but the cemetery wasn't really laid out with a center. There were some structures but, I think they were restrooms. Hoping to avoid the fabled farting ghost of Michigan, I took some general snaps and left...
When I got to my car, the GPS was refusing to find an "Old Rollercoaster Road" in South Bend, Indiana. I failed to account for the idea that this was probably a nickname and not the real name of a street. No amount of GPS could help this and South Bend is too large to wander around. I had to just call Indiana quits and drive on to Chicago. I got there in good time and ordered a Chicago style pizza...
It was so friggin' good. I then played Silent Hill 3 until I got good and scared and went to bed.
Josh
Why the outside you ask? Good question. It seems the fort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. After the complete failure of the day before I began to think someone was messing with me. Who opens on Wednesday to Friday only? At any rate, I left Ohio and entered Indiana. From there, I popped up into Niles, Michigan (just right on the state line) and found the cemetery I wanted. I walked about and looked for a haunted structure in the center but the cemetery wasn't really laid out with a center. There were some structures but, I think they were restrooms. Hoping to avoid the fabled farting ghost of Michigan, I took some general snaps and left...
When I got to my car, the GPS was refusing to find an "Old Rollercoaster Road" in South Bend, Indiana. I failed to account for the idea that this was probably a nickname and not the real name of a street. No amount of GPS could help this and South Bend is too large to wander around. I had to just call Indiana quits and drive on to Chicago. I got there in good time and ordered a Chicago style pizza...
It was so friggin' good. I then played Silent Hill 3 until I got good and scared and went to bed.
Josh
Day 3: MA to NY
Day three was a day full of fail. I woke up at my friends' house in Mass and got out early (by 8). I drove into Salem and found that the Witches Dungeon (not to be confused with the Witch Museum, which I had seen in middle school) does not open until 10:00 am. I couldn't wait around, but I did grab a super omelet at this place called the Lynde Street Cafe. It was great. Here is a pic of the sign outside the Dungeon...
Next, I drove through New Hampshire and into Maine. I knew the Ogunquit playhouse would be closed but I took a pic anyway...
They are hosting a Sally Struthers play...so that is kind of scary. Next, I drove to what I thought was a sure thing, Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Concord, NH. It is part of a chain of Mexican restaurants and this one was built in an old jail. You may be able to tell from this pic of the building...
The catch was, it doesn't open until 4pm!!! What kind of restaurant doesn't open until 4? So, I had to be content with some outside pics and I took off for my first official new state of the trip...Vermont. Somehow, all those years in New England and I never got to Vermont before. I drove into this town called Bennington that is supposed to be near Glastonberry Mountain to ask for directions. Here is my exchange with the woman from the chamber of commerce (spoken in thick New England accent):
Me: Am I anywhere near Glastonberry Mountain?
Her: Why would you want to go up there for? There's nothing up there.
Me: I hear it is really pretty, there isn't a park or anything?
Her: The whole thing is in a national forest but, I'm warning you, there is nothing there but trees.
Me: Ok.
Her: There used to be a town up there but the businesses all closed and now there are only a few residents. They don't even live there all year...
Me: Sounds great, thanks.
Her: If you go there, you'll be doomed...doomed!!!
Ok, she didn't say the last part. So I start heading towards the mountain on this map she provided and I am having trouble finding it. I was talking to Jack for awhile and then my cell phone lost all reception. Nada. Ok, creepy warning from local plus no cell phone reception, got it. Then, I realized that a landmark near the mountain came up on my GPS (a monument to Daniel Webster of "The Devil and" fame). My GPS said, "Be aware, the route you have chosen requires an all terrain vehicle." Strike three! I have seen enough horror movies to know how this one ends. I abandoned my route but vowed to return with help. No pics.
I popped into Troy, New York, and eventually found the graveyard I was looking for. As you can see, it was locked up...
So having been thwarted five times in one day, I drove on to my hotel in Rochester (another crappy Motel 6) and watched Secret Window (lots of Johnny Depp movies on this trip). I have decided to include stories on CD as part of my horrorthon, otherwise, I will never get in 31 stories. Keep an eye out for days 4 to 6. Right now, I must get out of bed for Day 7.
Josh
Next, I drove through New Hampshire and into Maine. I knew the Ogunquit playhouse would be closed but I took a pic anyway...
They are hosting a Sally Struthers play...so that is kind of scary. Next, I drove to what I thought was a sure thing, Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Concord, NH. It is part of a chain of Mexican restaurants and this one was built in an old jail. You may be able to tell from this pic of the building...
The catch was, it doesn't open until 4pm!!! What kind of restaurant doesn't open until 4? So, I had to be content with some outside pics and I took off for my first official new state of the trip...Vermont. Somehow, all those years in New England and I never got to Vermont before. I drove into this town called Bennington that is supposed to be near Glastonberry Mountain to ask for directions. Here is my exchange with the woman from the chamber of commerce (spoken in thick New England accent):
Me: Am I anywhere near Glastonberry Mountain?
Her: Why would you want to go up there for? There's nothing up there.
Me: I hear it is really pretty, there isn't a park or anything?
Her: The whole thing is in a national forest but, I'm warning you, there is nothing there but trees.
Me: Ok.
Her: There used to be a town up there but the businesses all closed and now there are only a few residents. They don't even live there all year...
Me: Sounds great, thanks.
Her: If you go there, you'll be doomed...doomed!!!
Ok, she didn't say the last part. So I start heading towards the mountain on this map she provided and I am having trouble finding it. I was talking to Jack for awhile and then my cell phone lost all reception. Nada. Ok, creepy warning from local plus no cell phone reception, got it. Then, I realized that a landmark near the mountain came up on my GPS (a monument to Daniel Webster of "The Devil and" fame). My GPS said, "Be aware, the route you have chosen requires an all terrain vehicle." Strike three! I have seen enough horror movies to know how this one ends. I abandoned my route but vowed to return with help. No pics.
I popped into Troy, New York, and eventually found the graveyard I was looking for. As you can see, it was locked up...
So having been thwarted five times in one day, I drove on to my hotel in Rochester (another crappy Motel 6) and watched Secret Window (lots of Johnny Depp movies on this trip). I have decided to include stories on CD as part of my horrorthon, otherwise, I will never get in 31 stories. Keep an eye out for days 4 to 6. Right now, I must get out of bed for Day 7.
Josh
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 2: DE to MA
I am hoping that with a second night of internet access I can really rock and roll with these updates.
I got up and out in Delaware, stopping at a McDonalds across the street for breakfast. I drove directly to Eastern State Penitentiary inside Philly. I took a ton of pictures but here is one of the inside of Al Capone's cell from this time there..
Also, here is a shot of a cell where the roots of a tree grew down into the cell...
Steve Buscemi narrates the audio tour and it was very fascinating. I never really felt spooked at any time but the prison was well worth a visit.
Next, I drove to Old River Road in Edgewater, NJ. This was a boring old road...
Maybe at night, this place is a real horrorshow but I was not moved. I find it cool how built up the town was, though. It is right on the other side of a river from Manhattan so you could see NY just across the way. The streets were super crowded but, otherwise, it looked like a nice place to live.
I got caught in horrible traffic in New York City and finally made it to Connecticut. The cemetery I needed was open and I parked at a bank across the street to take pictures. Supposedly, a lady in white haunts this place but I am wondering if people just see this...
at night and get the wrong idea? While in CT, I saw a local Wendy's all decked out for Halloween...
It was pretty cool.
Next, I arrived in Providence just in time to see the caretaker driving away from where he secured the fence at HP Lovecraft's grave. I did not get to gain entrance but booked it on up to Boston. There, I had a wonderful time with some old friends and their 20 month old, who made me read to him quite a bit. I didn't much sleep but it was worth it to catch up with three very cool people.
Josh
I got up and out in Delaware, stopping at a McDonalds across the street for breakfast. I drove directly to Eastern State Penitentiary inside Philly. I took a ton of pictures but here is one of the inside of Al Capone's cell from this time there..
Also, here is a shot of a cell where the roots of a tree grew down into the cell...
Steve Buscemi narrates the audio tour and it was very fascinating. I never really felt spooked at any time but the prison was well worth a visit.
Next, I drove to Old River Road in Edgewater, NJ. This was a boring old road...
Maybe at night, this place is a real horrorshow but I was not moved. I find it cool how built up the town was, though. It is right on the other side of a river from Manhattan so you could see NY just across the way. The streets were super crowded but, otherwise, it looked like a nice place to live.
I got caught in horrible traffic in New York City and finally made it to Connecticut. The cemetery I needed was open and I parked at a bank across the street to take pictures. Supposedly, a lady in white haunts this place but I am wondering if people just see this...
at night and get the wrong idea? While in CT, I saw a local Wendy's all decked out for Halloween...
It was pretty cool.
Next, I arrived in Providence just in time to see the caretaker driving away from where he secured the fence at HP Lovecraft's grave. I did not get to gain entrance but booked it on up to Boston. There, I had a wonderful time with some old friends and their 20 month old, who made me read to him quite a bit. I didn't much sleep but it was worth it to catch up with three very cool people.
Josh
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day One: NC to DE
This is Chicken Alley in Asheville. I got up and apparently forgot how long it took me to get ready because I was behind right off the bat. I gassed up the car, grabbed an OJ and hit downtown Asheville. I found Chicken Alley easily enough and the only thing that creeped me out was the complete lack of other humans on the streets of Asheville at 9:15 on a Saturday morning. I snapped a couple of pics and jumped in the car to continue. Day one was my most ambitious day in terms of states attempted.
It was a short, easy drive to Johnson City, TN. At Okolona Road I pulled to the side of the exit and placed my car in neutral, waiting for it to move. Nothing happened. I realized I might be on the wrong side of the exit and circled around to the other on ramp. That one was more steeply downhill and, at the bottom of the hill, I set my car in neutral and found my car being rolled uphill faster and faster. I have no illusions that this was due to a ghost but it was cool nonetheless. I videotaped the incident from inside the car. That was the first and last time I used the video camera, in fact. Above is a pic of the exit.
With two successes under my belt, it was time for a long drive to Harrisonburg, VA, where James Madison University is. I pulled up to the elementary school above and saw that the woods behind it were set very far back from the road. Also, there were kids playing in the playground. I figured a grown man lurking in the woods with a camera behind the school was a bad idea and I left. My first failure but far from my last.
I drove next to Harper's Ferry, WV. As you can see, no photos. I had no idea the place was a historic recreation village like Williamsburg or Plymouth. The streets were narrow and there was zero parking. In order to see the town, you had to park 20 minutes away and ride a shuttle in. I had no time for that crap and decided to press on with my score now at 2-2.
I raced like crazy to get to Baltimore before sunset caused the cemetery in which Poe is buried to be locked. I had listened to the entire 6 tales of horror audio book I bought and The Fall of the House of Usher was on there. I was ready to respect the Poe and got lost as the sun winked out below the horizon. I finally found the church, parked, and rushed to the gate to find it still open. I wondered "how do I find Poe's grave?" Asked and answered as I turned to my right and it is the first grave inside the gate. I snapped some pics, contemplated Poe and then headed off to eat in Delaware.
I found the Dead President's Tavern easily and went inside to find a very sporty sports bar. The mischief making ghost of the place may have caused the men's room to be out of paper towels but I can't be sure. Otherwise, nothing spooky. Just the delicious Chicken Nixon sandwich (juicy, marinated chicken cut with cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce on a slightly toasted bun...yummers). I had a beer and skipped out to my very scary Motel 6 (with no internet). I had to show my ID and give all my info to a rent-a-cop who had been hired to watch over the Motel 6 since so much shady stuff goes down there. Oy. I survived the night with all my stuff and my person intact. More later, now it is time to sleep and hope I am not snowed in when I wake up.
Josh
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