Haunt Jaunts

Moving Day for Haunt Jaunts

2009-08-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

In my HauntJaunts.net update I hinted that there might be a moving day ahead for Haunt Jaunts. Little did I know then that I'd get bitten hard by the WordPress bug and retool my entire blog!

But that's exactly what happened so Haunt Jaunts now has a new address and what I think is a very cool new look.

NEW ADDY

The new address for Haunt Jaunts, which now also has the new name of HauntJaunts.net Blog, is http://hauntjaunts.net/blog/. Please be sure to pop on over and give a gander. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

FEED INFO FOR BLOGROLLS

That's one thing the WordPress theme I chose didn't have built in: automatic feeds. And if you're like me and have certain blogs you like to follow on your blogroll, you know how handy those feeds can be!

But never fear. If you want to continue following along, we still have feed access. You can either get it when you visit our site. (Look for the Subscribe to Our Feeds section at the top of the middle column.) Or you can use the following links to manually update your blogrolls:

Thanks so much for bearing with me as I make this transition.

Update on HauntJaunts.net's Progress

2009-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Logo by

I thought I'd give you a quick update on HauntJaunts.net's progress. I know some of you are interested when it'll finally be launched. (Especially those of you whose stories I accepted. I know you want to know when you'll get paid!)

Hopefully by September 1.

I got a bit off track last month and didn't make the kind of progress I'd hoped. There's still Jaunts to be added (more than I care to admit). The web site's still undergoing some technical tweaking. The only thing I kind of have a handle on is story submissions. I only have one left in the queue to read.

Hopefully I'll make more progress this month so I can keep on track.

Also, as an FYI, Haunt Jaunts the blog may be moving to a new address also. I'll of course be sure to let you know if it does!

Mere Bulles: Sunday Brunch Haunt Jaunt

2009-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I discovered an unexpected Eerie Eatery Haunt Jaunt when Wayne took me to Sunday Brunch at Mere Bulles.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE PLACE...

We had eaten at Mere Bulles before. Wayne took me there for lunch once. I didn't "feel" anything then, so I wasn't expecting to this time either. But I did. I know you sensitives out there will know what I'm talking about when I say that, but for those who've never experienced such a sensation I'll try and explain.

When we were standing in the entrance before the hostess seated us, something about the stairs leading up to the second level struck me. Yes, they are beautiful. (Mere Bulles occupies what used to be a home that went by the name Maryland Manor.) They curve and have wooden railings and the walls are painted a fabulous dark color. (But my mind isn't cooperating with me, and I didn't think to snap a picture. I can't remember if the paint was blue or green!) At any rate, it's very elegant.

I hadn't noticed them the other time we ate there. In fact, all I remember was that my food was good, it was around Christmastime, and the other tables were crowded with people enjoying the holidays.

But this time...this time was different. We weren't seated in one of the main rooms, but out in the sunroom. It was while I was sitting there enjoying every morsel of my eggs Benedict that I looked first at the bar area, then over to the room where the brunch buffet serving tables were set up and felt...something. Something different.

It was that same feeling I had in St. Augustine the first time, especially in the bathroom at Harry's: here there be ghosts.

"EXCUSE ME, DO YOU SERVE GHOSTS HERE?"

After our meal I worked up my nerve and approached the hostess.

"Excuse me, I have a rather weird question for you. I don't know how to ask it exactly without coming off as crazy, but I was wondering if you have ghosts here?"

"As a matter of fact," she diverted her attention from me to where the remaining brunch-goers were still seated. "I don't see any of them now, but some of the servers who have been here for a while swear there's a ghost here. I would have one come talk to you and tell you about their experience, but I don't see the ones I'm thinking of."

But she did give me a sheet that explained the history of Maryland Farms (the area in Brentwood where Mere Bulles is located). It's how I found out the restaurant was once a home called Maryland Manor, which was built by the Ward family in 1942.

I'll have to give Mere Bulles a call and see if they'll talk to me about their ghost. Mostly I was just excited to have stumbled across another potential Haunt Jaunt and wantes to hurriedly share it.

One other thing I'd like to note: whatever that different energy was that I felt, it was warm and kindly, not scary at all. Inviting is even a word that comes to mind.

On the sheet the hostess gave me it said that the Ward family enjoyed entertaining in their home and did so often. I'm wondering if maybe that's why I felt something. Our server had mentioned there'd been a party there the night before. Maybe the ghost was still basking in the fun of that?

Or maybe it had something to do with Sunday Brunch. That might make for a different vibe, one that either the ghost likes, is attracted to, or feeds off of. (Can't say as I blame him/her either. That was one of the best brunches I've been to in a while. There was a chocolate fountain and everything!)

MERE BULLES: LOCATION

If you live in Nashville or ever come for a visit, in addition to Sunday Brunch Mere Bulles also serves lunch and dinner. Here's their address, phone number and website:

5201 Maryland Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-467-1945
http://www.merebulles.com/

The Hitchhiker and the Hood to Coast Race

2009-08-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me up front. This is not a Haunt Jaunts related post...not exactly. There are no spooky places to tell of, no ghosts to mention, but a haunting of sorts is involved.

THE HAUNTING HITCHHIKER

If you've read my profile or checked out the About section on HauntJaunts.net, you know about my hitchhiker. You also know that it's the reason I'm alive. Creating the blog and website was my "get off the couch" motivator. I believe it kept me going and played a huge part in my recovery.

If you don't know about my hitchhiker, I'll give you the quickie synopsis: "hitchhiker" is my euphemism for my cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on December 31, 2008. On May 19, 2009 I was told I was in remission. On June 18, 2009 I finally finished all my treatments.

PLEASE HELP

At the end of August my husband is going to participate in the 197-mile Nike Hood to Coast Relay. As part of this he's also raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

His target amount to raise is $1,500. We're nearly there. As of this posting, we're at just over $1,200.

That's why I'm asking for your help. He's doing this race (a) because he's nuts and has always wanted to, but also (b) because when he found out there was some way he could actively participate in finding a cure for cancer after what we've been through this past year (we also lost my mom to lung cancer last July), he didn't hesitate to sign up.

I say Haunt Jaunts has been my get off the couch motivator, but Wayne is the reason I'm alive. I never could have gotten through the tests or treatments without him being there for me every step of the way. Getting cancer was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me. I sure found out just how deep and true Wayne's love for me runs!

Now I want to help him.

Please help support him if you can, if you've ever been touched by cancer, or if you're just looking for a good cause to support. It doesn't have to be much. Just a $5 contribution would be HUGE! (All contributions go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.)

And if you donate online you can add your name to the Honor Roll (or remain anonymous if you wish) and even specify that your donation is in honor of a certain friend or loved one you know who has been affected by this disease.

CONTRIBUTE HERE

Here's the link for his LAF page: Wayne & Courtney's Fundraising Page.

Thank you for your consideration.

America's Haunted Roadtrip Ghostwriting Contest

2009-08-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here's a contest for you Haunt Jaunting writers out there: America's Haunted Roadtrip Ghostwriting Contest. If you have a ghost story encounter you've always wanted to share, here's your chance!

Download guidelines and an entry form on their site. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 15, 2009.

MORE THAN A GHOSTWRITING CONTEST

But it's not just limited to stories. If you have any spooky photos, they're looking for those too.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Christine Verstraete (Candid Canine) for tipping me off about the America's Haunted Roadtrip site and books.

Five Things to Consider When Choosing a Ghost Tour

2009-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Anytime is a good time to take a ghost tour, but ghost tours aren't always offered year round. Soon the high season of ghost tours (October) will be upon us. After that many of them go on hiatus during winter before reemerging in spring.

Technically we have about three months of good ghost touring opportunities left in most places. (Less as some tours start filling up and selling out in advance here shortly.) If you're wanting to take one and haven't before (or have but didn't enjoy it), here's five things to consider when choosing a ghost tour to make it the best experience possible:

Walking or riding: This one is key. How mobile are you? How much standing and walking can you endure? Most tours last anywhere from one to three hours. Are you up to three hours on your feet for a walking tour? Or would you be more comfortable on a driven tour? (It may seem like a given, but people sometimes overestimate their physical abilities. The point is to enjoy your ghost tour experience, not hurt yourself.)
Age appropriateness: Are you hoping to take the kids along? Some tours aren't kid-friendly. Most are pretty good about including disclaimers or setting age limits if they cover mature themes, but if you're not sure it's always a good idea to ask first.
Physical exertion: This sort of relates to the first one. If you're going to take a walking tour, how far will you be walking? Are there hills? Steps? Will there be places to sit and rest along the way? Keep in mind your physical limitations, and that of any little ones you may be bringing along.
Bathrooms: Do you foresee anyone in your group needing one during the tour? If so, ask ahead of time if bathroom facilities will be accessible during your tour.
Weather: Inclement weather often cancels some tours, but not always. And sometimes it's not inclement enough to warrant canceling, but it also might not be ideal. Make sure you dress appropriately and have whatever paraphernalia you may need. Be that water bottles during hot weather, umbrellas and rain coats during wet weather, or hats and mittens for cold weather.

FIND A GHOST TOUR NEAR YOU

These sites list ghost tours by state:

Paranormal Parties

2009-07-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

A paranormal pal of mine, Donna Marsh, recently let me know about a new business venture she's embarking on: Fun with Donna, which among other things hosts paranormal parties.

Photo by Michael Pohl from stock.xchng

HOW I KNOW DONNA

Fueled in part by, I admit it, watching Ghost Hunters, I met Donna when I attended one of her Basic Ghost Hunting Workshops a couple of years ago. I dragged Wayne with me, who thinks I'm a bit cuckoo about all this ghost stuff but humors me anyway, and even he had a great time. Donna's very warm, personable, and entertaining. I imagine attending one of her parties would be quite the blast!

WHAT KIND OF FUN DONNA OFFERS

The main crux of her business is actually adult toy and goody sales. She caters to every kind of setup you can imagine:

Ladies Night Out
Bachelorette parties
Wedding showers
"Divorced Diva" parties (for the divorced woman who wants to celebrate her freedom)
Couples
Romance (learn tips and tricks for enriching your sex life)

However, as any good business person would, she's also added her own unique spin. Since she is a sensitive and a ghost hunter and understands people enjoy exploring this aspect of life, she also offers the following for paranormal parties:

Ghost hunting (in your home or at an off-site location of your choosing)
Seances
Psychic and medium readings
Spell crafting

For more info on the specifics of each, visit the "Parties" link on her site.

FUNDRAISING WITH DONNA

I think using haunt jaunts as fundraisers is an extremely clever and fun way for organizations or clubs to raise money, but Donna's putting a twist on it. She'll put her talent to work in a gallery-style psychic reading for your guests.

I see a lot of possibilities here. Including perhaps pairing this up with a ghost hunt too. All you'd need is a hotel or bar (or some other place with purported activity) to donate the space, sell a few tickets, maybe serve some food and drinks and voila! A really unique fundraising event people are sure to talk about long after.

For more info on fundraising parties with Donna, visit the "Fundraising" link on her site.

REPORT BACK

And of course if you do attend one of her paranormal parties, I'd love to hear all about it.

Where to Find Ghost Hunting Tours

2009-07-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

On my post about ghost tours, Autumnforest (from Ghost Hunting Theories) made a comment about how she advises people interested in ghost hunting to try a tour on for size first. She even stated how her group, MVD Ghostchasers, conducts ghost hunting workshops four times a year.

This is a wonderful idea. More and more I'm seeing such groups offer opportunities like this. Sometimes you have to join the group (usually it's a modest annual fee to do so), but other times you only need make a reservation for the night of the hunt. (Again, usually there's a nominal cost involved, about equal to what a dinner and/or movie out might cost you.)

Another nice thing about ghost hunting with an established group is they often provide access to equipment it might otherwise cost you a small fortune to buy. That way you're not pouring money out for a hobby you discover you have no interest in.

WHERE TO FIND A GHOST HUNTING GROUP NEAR YOU

Try the Shadowlands List of Local Ghost Hunters, Investigators and Researchers
Check out the Society for Paranormal Investigation's list of ghost groups
Scan Ghostvillage.com's list of Paranormal Investigators
Search for ghost hunting meetup groups in your area on Meetup.com (Alternately, you can find ghost tracking groups on Meetup.com also)

However, some haunted sites that draw tourists on their own also offer ghost hunting. Sometimes it's in conjunction with a paranormal group, sometimes it's with a ghost tour company. Sometimes it's just offered by the place itself.

PLACES THAT OFFER GHOST HUNTING TOURS

One Feather Productions - Spirit Adventure Tours (conducted in a variety of areas, including Sedona, Tombstone, Santa Fe, the Oregon Trail, Gettysburg, St. Augustine, and Great Britain).
Preston Castle - Overnight ghost tours conducted in conjunction with Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group (Tour offered June-November).
The Whaley House - A 90 minute investigation led by the San Diego Ghost Hunters.
Walking Ghost Tour and Ghost Hunt - Look for ghosts in Old Town San Diego.
Queen Mary Paranormal Investigation Tour - Try your hand at hunting for ghosts aboard this famed ship.
Lizzie Borden B&B Weekend Paranormal Retreats - These are offered in conjunction with Haunted Times and there's only one weekend left for 2009, September 4-5. (Click here to read a blog I wrote about other locations where Haunted Times holds ghost hunts.)
Haunted Tours at Historic Fort Wayne - Take a tour of the fort, learn its history, then stay and search the grounds for evidence of what still lingers.
Copper Queen Hotel - Every Thursday night the hotel offers guests to do more than stay the night in Bisbee.
Old Montana Territorial Prison - It's a tour where they turn the lights out and take you to five of the hottest of the prison's hot spots. They encourage you to bring your camera, video recorders and other ghost hunting devices to see what evidence you might capture.
Haunted Detroit Tours - The tour guides come equipped with digital camera, infra-red thermometers, and EMF detectors for your three hour ghost hunting adventure of Metro Detroit.

Make Reservations Now for October Ghost Tours

2009-07-27T09:53:00.001-07:00

The time to make reservations for ghost tours in October is now. I discovered this thanks to my friend Amy. She thought it'd be fun to do a ghost tour with a group so she started asking people if they'd be interested.

I think initially she had in mind to do one any old time, but many people (including myself) said, "Oh, you mean around Halloween? Sure, that'd be fun."

But Amy wasn't so sure we could reserve places now for sometime in October. Nashville Ghost Tours was ranked #5 by the South China Morning Post. She thought they might already be booked up. However, she made a call and was told if she booked now she'd be guaranteed a spot for October.

Great!

I'm not sure exactly when we're going yet, but I'm looking forward to it. However, if you're also interested in gathering a group of friends to do a ghost tour in October around Halloween, might not be a bad idea to make your reservations now.

LINKS TO LISTINGS OF GHOST TOURS

Haunted America Tours Top Ten - the ten best tours in the country as voted by the people who've taken them.
Ghostvillage.com's List of Ghost Tours - One of the most complete listings of ghost tours on the web.
Ghosttour.com - This might be the first chain ghost tour operation. It operates tours in Gettysburg, Philadelphia and Lancaster, PA; Ocean City, NJ; and St. Petersburg, FL.
Angels & Ghosts - This one is also a pretty comprehensive listing source. Also includes not just U.S. tours but international ones as well.

LINKS TO GHOST TOURS IN SOME OF AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED CITIES

A Ghostly Experience (presented by Ghost Tours of St. Augustine)
Chicago Supernatural Tours (guided by Richard Crowe)
The Original Ghosts of Gettysburg
Baltimore Ghost Tours
The Original New Orleans Ghost & Vampire Tour
Eureka Springs Ghost Tour
Savannah Ghost Tour
Bulldog Tours (Charleston, SC)
Salem's Best Ghost Tours
Candlelight Ghost Tours of Frederick (MD)
San Francisco Ghost Hunt
Haunted Texas (Austin area)
San Antonio Ghost Tours
Ghost Tours of Galveston
Old Towns Most Haunted (San Diego)

Become a Ghost Tour Beta Tester

2009-07-26T19:20:00.001-07:00

Here's an interesting opportunity for some of you Haunt Jaunters out there: a start-up company specializing in ghost tourism is looking for ghost tour beta testers.

This opportunity came to my attention because of a comment left on one of my postings about paranormal tourism. My interest was piqued and my curiosity prompted me to contact the poster.

Which I'm glad I did because she made me aware of a new company she's launching. I'm sure it'll be profiled more later, but for now I can write about how she needs beta testers to test her product.

WHAT YOU'LL BE BETA TESTING

It's a self-guided tour package which will be going up for sale in southeast Wisconsin. From what I gather, it's a collection of Haunt Jaunts you follow at your leisure. (See why I was intrigued?)

WHERE YOU'LL BE BETA TESTING

The southeast Wisconsin area.

WHEN BETA TESTERS ARE NEEDED

Between July 26 and August 8.

WHO TO CONTACT TO BECOME A BETA TESTER

Susan Scot Fry of the Caper Company susanscotfry@yahoo.com.

TALK ABOUT YOUR BETA TESTING EXPERIENCE

If you do this, I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know how it went.

Or, better yet, if you'd like to guest blog about your experience, I'd love to have you do that too. Just drop me an email at admin@hauntjaunts.net or leave a comment here so I can get in touch with you about it.

Improving Ghost Hunting Investigation Techniques

2009-07-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Autumnforest left some wonderful comments on yesterday's post that of course got me thinking about other ways to improve ghost hunting investigation techniques.

JOB ASSIGNMENTS

Autumnforest brought up the very astute point that just as people are assigned certain duties within a ghost hunting group (such as lead investigator, case manager or tech manager), investigators should be assigned certain tasks when out in the field.

It seems so obvious, but I know of very few groups where one person is in charge of taking EMF readings all night, another in charge of monitoring temperature fluctuations, yet another is responsible for EVP work.

But other scientific studies do this, break out the work and have people dedicated to specific tasks. Very good observation on her part. Leads to less contamination of evidence.

BETTER WAYS TO VERIFY EVIDENCE

Another thing she brought up was the EVP she'd captured of a kid. It was of bootsteps I believe, yet the kids at school didn't believe her. Even now many grownups would be hard pressed to.

Even though I've never heard the evidence myself, I'm 99% certain she didn't fake it. I think Autumnforest was ahead of her time even back then. She might not ever be able to convince the doubters but I think there's a crucial clue to legitimizing EVPs from her experience.

I believe I read before that she caught the EVP by sitting on the top of the stairs of the home she was growing up in at the time. This memory was triggered by something else Autumnforest said in her comment on yesterday's post. About how even GH, as much as they strive to be credible, still potentially contaminate a lot of evidence by moving around too much. They operative word is sit.

Now many times I have seen GH and GHI members sit while conducting EVP sessions. But I've also seen them start them while walking or while standing. I think a way to produce better, less contaminated results would be to (a) conduct them while sitting and staying as still as possible, and (b) conduct them in front of a video camera.

That means if a two-partner team is in the room during the EVP session, both people are accounted for on screen. That way no one can say it was the person behind the camera murmuring something and "creating" the EVP.

This can be accomplished a couple of ways:

Either both investigators wield cameras and keep them trained on each other the while time, or
If they're sharing a camera, placing it somewhere and then positioning themselves in front of it together.

Also, I hate to say it, but if it truly is an EVP, it should show up on both the voice recorder and the video camera. However, I also agree if the ghost only approaches the voice recorder and speaks softly into it and the video camera isn't close enough, I could see how the camera might not get it.

Still, I think evidence is the most legit when you have more than one source capturing it and too often it seems opportunities to do this (or try and do it) are missed.

A MATTER OF CONTROL

Another thing Autumnforest's comment made me think about is something from my college days: every experiment always has to have a control group. I have yet to see or read about any ghost hunting group using control methods to help verify results.

What made me think this was Autumnforest has a theory (well, a bunch of them really, that's why she blogs about them at Ghost Hunting Theories), that people can influence an investigation as much as the weather, time of day, or the moon's phase. It's an interesting theory, and I'm hoping she'll find a way to test it if she hasn't already, but it made me think of something else from my college science course experiment days. People themselves can corrupt data.

How to correct for corrupted data? Why, you set up a control group of course!

But how do you set up a controlled environment when ghost hunting? I'm sure there are other ways, but here's two I came up with:

The knowledge and background investigators have about each location should be minimized as much as possible. The case manager and the lead investigator(s) should know the hot spots and reports of activity, but the rest of the team members shouldn't. The lead investigator should assign the other investigators to certain areas but shouldn't tell them what to look for. Why? Because if you think about it, there's already a kind of corruption factor to begin with. It's called the expectancy factor. Investigators who know about a location will have preconceived notions of what they expect to experience and thus up the chances of doing so through self-fulfilling prophecy.
Investigators should not discuss experiences as they're happening. I've seen Jason and Grant do this from time to time on GH, but there's definitely room for improvement. Say a team of investigators hears something, like a voice. It's okay to say, "Did you hear that?" but instead of saying, "I thought I heard X" both should write it down on separate pieces of paper and then compare results during evidence review. (Or, in GH's case, for entertainment value the investigators could hold up their papers for the camera.) And to up the credibility factor, both investigators should be visible on camera, their backs to each other (or somehow make it obvious they can't see what the other's writing), and then hold up the paper. This would help validate experiences when investigators hear knocking, bangs, voices, etc. And in the case of voices the gender, whether they heard them laughing, screaming, moaning, or saying a word should be noted. (Example: I remember an episode Jason and Grant were investigating a tunnel, I think at the Stanley Hotel. Even the cameraman's camera picked up the voice of a little girl. It would really make such an experience even more credible if Jason and Grant wrote down separately what they thought they heard. In this case if they'd both written little girl laughing there'd be no denying it.)

A Movie for Zombie Fans: Dead Snow

2009-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

This post has nothing to do with Haunt Jaunting, but I came across a movie zombie fans might like to know about: Dead Snow. (I'm a sucker for zombie movies, so I was excited when I ran across this one.)

PREMISE OF DEAD SNOW

It's about eight medical students who spend Easter break at a mountain cabin in an area they learn was occupied by Nazi soldiers during World War II. The Nazis tortured the locals and stole their gold, which was put in a box the medical students find. The Nazis were chased into the forest where it was presumed they froze to death, but guess what? They're not dead. They're the living dead and they've come back to claim their gold.

MORE ABOUT DEAD SNOW

It made its American debut at this year's Sundance Film Fest. As horror movies go this one got decent reviews for being a good blend of camp, humor, and gore.

Oh, and you might have picked up on the "American debut" part. Dead Snow is a foreign film. Not sure if it's Swedish or Norwegian, though. Fandango says it's presented in Swedish with English subtitles. But on the Sundance site it says it's from Norway. (Do they speak Swedish in Norway? I thought they spoke Norwegian? Or am I showing off my international ignorance again? Wouldn't be the first time...probably won't be the last...)

At any rate, it was released in June. If it's not still showing at a theater near you, it'll likely be available for rental very soon. I just added it to my Netflix queue.

Ghost Adventures: Moon River Brewing Company

2009-07-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to watch Zak and crew's investigation of Moon River Brewing Company last week. (Or, rather, the episode of it that was aired last week.)

SAVANNAH: THE MOST HAUNTED CITY?

I was sort of put off when Zak said something about Savannah being one of the most haunted cities and the guy he was talking with corrected him and said, "No, Savannah's the most haunted city."

Savannah's beautiful and I'm not going to bag on it, but I'm not convinced it's the most haunted city. What about Charleston? St. Augustine? Boston? Salem? New Orleans? Gettysburg?

However, I did some research. Savannah does have the right to make such a claim since the American Institute of Parapsychology named it America's Most Haunted City in 2002.

(However, I'm wondering if the organization's biased at all. I tried to figure out where it might be located. The "contact us" page lists a P.O. Box for somewhere in Georgia. Not to discredit the AIP. I'm just always skeptical about who's behind what.)

HOKEY: POSSESSION AND WORD-DATABASE GUN

I was sorry to see them utilizing that word gun again like they did in the Castillo de San Marcos episode. Hokey, hokey, hokey.

And as far as Nick's so called possession...maybe more a matter of acting for effect. (Which is also why I think they use the word gun.)

Which is a shame. They'd probably have a decent shot of coming up with some good evidence if they played it straight. When TAPS investigated there I remember the creepy shadow figure they caught down in the basement behind the pool table. I was really hoping the Ghost Adventures guys wold get something like that too.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Click here to read a great recap of the show by Julie for Ghost Hunters Investigations.

Click on the clip below to watch a scene with the hokey word-database gun.

Questioning Convincing Evidence

2009-07-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about convincing evidence when it comes to definitive proof that ghosts exist. Sure the TAPS team of Ghost Hunters fame have captured a lot of interesting and thought-provoking evidence, but have they captured actual proof? Have any ghost hunter groups, whether on TV or otherwise?

THE TAMPERING FACTOR

The trouble with so much of what's on TV is the trust factor. Especially when the guys of Ghost Adventures start using things like that word box of theirs. (I'm sorry, but their explanation of how it works --"spirits manipulate their energy to pick out relevant words to communicate with"-- just doesn't cut it. And then they have the gall to claim that's scientific evidence? I don't think so.)

But gimmicky instruments aside, can we really trust what we're seeing? Or hearing as is more often the case? How do we know that they're really catching EVPs? How can we trust that it's not tampered with in some fashion or that the evidence isn't manufactured or staged somehow?

I WANT TO BELIEVE

I want to believe in ghosts. After a couple of the experiences I had at both the Shilo Inn in Utah and then down in St. Augustine, I believe something paranormal happened.

I also know others have had similar experiences in other places. (Or even at the same locations in some instances.) The trouble is capturing the proof of what our mind's have experienced.

I know that's what paranormal groups are trying to do. Or debunk what happened. I get that. And while I commend Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and all of the other paranormal investigation groups out there who have brought a more scientific element to the quest, I see room for improvement.

MY SUGGESTIONS FOR CAPTURING MORE CONVINCING EVIDENCE

More and more as I'm watching the various ghost hunting shows or evidence presented by paranormal groups, I find myself wanting to believe but instead donning a skeptic's hat. Here's ways I think would help legitimize evidence and make it more convincing:

COLD SPOTS: When cold spots are felt, thermometers should be immediately wielded and the incident documented with some kind of camera, either digital still or camcorder. I get so frustrated when I hear someone say, "Ooh, I feel a cold spot!" but don't do anything about it. That's the perfect time to break out equipment and see if you get anything. (I've seen some of the investigators on Ghost Hunters do it every now and then, but even they don't do it as consistently as they should. Or if they do it's being edited out before airing.)
DOUBLE SHOT APPROACH: I realize orbs, mist, and the like isn't always visible to the naked eye and oftentimes only shows up in evidence review. However, I have a hard time buying any of it as evidence if only one camera catches it. Theoretically, if something's really there and two cameras are taking pictures of it (be they both still cameras or video or a combo thereof), the evidence should show up on both cameras, right? But time and again I see evidence being claimed as real when only one camera caught it. Like perhaps a digital still camera caught something, even when video cameras were rolling but nothing came up on that. If it's really there, more than one camera should be capturing it. (If you take a picture of a landscape with two different cameras, both will capture the same trees, grass, flowers, et cetera, right? So why should different standards apply for ghosts or orbs?)
EXTENDED INVESTIGATIONS: For entertainment sake I understand many of the TV show investigations can only take place on one night. But for scientific research sake that's not really legit. It's kind of like an archaeological dig. You wouldn't send a team of archaeologists out to a sight and expect them to recover artifacts in 12 hours. Sure they'll dig up some things, but it's doubtful they'd find the true prizes or insights into the place in that time. Ghost hunting is no different. It takes patience, repeated visits, perhaps even lengthy stays to really have a chance at digging up anything. I'd be interested in following the progress of an extended investigation at one location rather than these quickie one-night-stands where they hope and pray it'll be an active night and they'll catch something.
IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION OF MANIFESTATION TIMES: I'd like to see better documentation of when things actually happen. This one falls more on the shoulders of the people who live, work or play at the haunted sights. Rather than just relating stories of experiences, they need to note times and dates of when activity occurs. If investigators knew when something was likely to manifest it would up their chances of capturing convincing evidence. (I liken it to the geysers at Yellowstone. Take Old Faithful for instance. As noted on the Geysers of Yellowstone site, it erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for one and a half to five minutes. People have a fair idea of when to stop by to see it blow. The same should apply to residual hauntings. Theoretically they should happen with more predictability than an intelligent haunting, and thus should render quantifiable "viewing" times.)

Haunt Jaunts: Ghost Tour de France

2009-07-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

Haunt Jaunts: Ghost Tour de France

Ghost Adventures: Eastern State Penitentiary

2009-07-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Ghost Adventures team had pretty big shoes to fill when they headed to investigate Eastern State Penitentiary. That was one of Ghost Hunters best shows. (The first visit. I don't know if I was as impressed with the evidence from their second visit.)

One thing I'm coming to notice about the Ghost Adventures guys is something AutumnForest related in one of her posts at Ghost Hunting Theories: Zak, and Aaron and Nick thrive on taunting spirits. But that wasn't all I noticed.

OBSERVATION #1: PROVOKING EVIL SPIRITS

It was the thing that stood out at me the most though. And what really stood out to me in this episode was that Zak seems to want to provoke evil spirits in particular. (Although, this is the first episode I've been able to watch in a couple of weeks. I've missed shows since the Castillo de San Marcos thanks to hiccups with our DVR. Maybe he's emphasized his desire to rile up the evil ones in those too. It just hit me from this episode though.)

I know taunting is a technique used to provoke spirits into responding, but Zak made it clear this go around he's not just hoping to capture evidence of any old ghosts. He's looking for the evil, mean ones.

I'm not sure why, though. Is he trying to make that his thing? Like his way of making the show stand out and that be his niche in the business? Or is he hoping it'll make the best entertainment?

Who knows. Maybe all will be revealed in future episodes.

OBSERVATION #2: HOW MANY TIME CAN YOU SAY "HUNDREDS?"

Zak was talking with Sean Kelley, Eastern State Program Director, about how many deaths had occured in the prison. Kelley said he could show him a death ledger with hundreds of deaths.

That's when "hundreds" got repeated in a back and forth "Hundreds?" "Hundreds." "Hundreds?" "Hundreds." volley that just cracked me up.

Yes, Zak. It's completely plausible in a jail that had been around since 1829 that hundreds could have died there.

OBSERVATION #3: THE DEATH LEDGER

Speaking of that death ledger, Zak reading through it made for another of the show's more humorous moments. He was reading the causes of deaths and came across one he just couldn't help but comment on: death by masturbation. (Actually, it might have been suicide by masturbation. I can't quite recall how it was phrased.)

Zak then went on to say he'd never heard of death by that before. Hmmm...must not watch the news. I don't know about suicide by masturbation, but I've seen reports on accidental death by masturbation. (Wasn't David Carradine's death thought to be because of that?)

OBSERVATION #4: ZAK, THE "BRUNO" OF GHOST HUNTERS?

I'm not gay, nor am I offended by gay jokes, but I am sensitive about making them. (Or not making them.)

I couldn't help but wonder how any gay ghost enthusiasts watching would feel about comments Zak made about the shower. One of the witnesses they interviewed talked about how she'd been in the shower area and soap had slipped, she'd made a comment, and that's when she'd felt a slap on her butt.

Zak said something to the effect that a place where being touched on the butt happened would be the perfect place for Aaron to investigate on his own later that night. Which reminded me of another jail they'd visited where an inmate had been ganged raped to death and he'd placed Aaron in there alone, too.

At any rate, both times he made cracks that might not be appreciated by some. And poor Aaron's the butt of the jokes, but he seems to take Zak's haranguing in stride.

Ghost Tour de France

2009-07-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

With the Tour de France well underway, I thought it'd be interesting to take a ghost tour of France. The trouble is, I had a hard time finding ghost stories from France!

LOST IN TRANSLATION?

I figured finding ghost tours in France, or ghost stories from France, would be as easy as finding them for England. It doesn't seem that the French have embraced the concept of ghost tours in all their historic places as readily as the English have, though.

Paris had one, but the rest of France seems like an untapped market for anyone looking for a place to branch out into paranormal tourism.

Still, I did find a few places that would make fun Haunt Jaunts if you happen to make it to France. (Not to mention they just look like neat places you might like to visit period, ghost enthusiast or no, if you're ever over there.)

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL HAUNTED PLACES DIRECTORY

Disneyland Paris - The children's section has had reports of "mysterious vortex of energy" haunting the area.
Monts d'Arree - The locals have a spot they deemed the Gates of Hell because of all the ghost sightings. Legend has it a little girl was sacrificed by devil worshippers there. Her ghost, along with a demon dog, are the ones most frequently reported. (Interesting to note: A nuclear reactor was built on the site, so if you find that start looking for ghosts!)
Basilica at Domremy - Joan of Arc's ghost is thought to haunt here.
Versailles - Marie Antoinette's entire court is said to haunt the gardens of Trianon.

FROM SHADOWLANDS HAUNTED PLACES IN FRANCE

Best Western Bretagne Montparnasse - Stay in Paris and have a hauntingly good time with a ghost said to wake you from your dreams to find a bright, wispy blue hand and arm over your face.
Paris Catacombs - On the Shadowlands site it says there was a video camera found with footage showing a terrified man running from something unseen, but the man was never found. Sounds like the Blair Witch Project to me. But of course with so many bones, all of which were transplanted from other cemeteries, there might be a restless spirit or two lurking down there...
The Eiffel Tower - Did an angry boyfriend throw his girlfriend to her death after she refused to say yes to his proposal of marriage? Her ghost is said to be heard first laughing, then saying no, then screaming as she falls to her death.

FROM GHOSTS AND THE PARANORMAL

Brissac Castle - This is one of the castles in the famed, fairytale land of the Loire Valley. It's dubbed "The Giant of the Loire Valley" because its seven stories make it the tallest of France's castles. Said to be haunted by Jacques de Breze's wife, Charlotte and her lover, who were killed together.

FROM GHOSTVILLAGE.COM

Mysteries of Paris Ghost Tour - I wasn't kidding when I started off saying the French haven't caught on to the boon of paranormal tourism yet. The cities first ever ghost tour just opened this past Spring. That blows me away given all of its history. I think of all the ghost tours in our oldest cities, which are just babies compared to Paris. But it was comforting because it explains why I had such a hard time finding ghost tour info for other French cities --they likely don't have ghost tours yet! (I smell opportunity for any of you ex-pats or wannabe ex-pats.)

State Tourism Offices Realize Haunt Jaunts Boost Revenue

2009-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I wrote about how some historical organizations are using haunt jaunts as fundraisers. Now I've come across an article about how state tourism departments are realizing haunt jaunts as revenue streams.

ALABAMA'S "GHOST TRAIL"

Yesterday I read a great article by Marty Roney on MontgomeryAdvertiser.com called "Alabama's 'ghost trail' may scare up tourism dollars." It was about how the Southwest Alabama Regional Tourism and Film Office plans to promote Alabama's Black Belt with a "ghost trail."

It's going to be set up as a driving, self-guided kind of tour. They'll have a website featuring ghost tales starting with stories from Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties. More stories will be added as they're gathered.

They're hoping it encourages people to frequent this part of the state, which is more economically depressed than other areas of the state. (Not sure if that means it's more economically depressed overall, or if it's just not attracting tourists. That may be about to change.)

MORE CITIES EMBRACING PARANORMAL TOURISM

The Southwest Alabama Regional Tourism and Film Office took its cue from other cities that have realized that a good ghost business brings in tourism bucks. Some of the cities listed in the article that enthusiastically promote ghost/paranormal tourism included:

Mansfield, Ohio (Specifically mentioning the Ohio State Reformatory, which you might have seen in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" or on an episode of Ghost Hunters.)

Richmond, Virginia

Cape Fear area of North Carolina

Long Beach Island, New Jersey

Houston, Texas

It'll be interesting to see if more and more tourism offices start promoting haunt jaunts or ghost trails or the like to attract visitors to their states. If not, they should seriously consider it. If there's one thing us ghost enthusiasts like to do, it's travelling to track down ghosts.

That means spending on gas, food, and sometimes even lodging at our destination. Not to mention if the haunt jaunt itself charges a fee, like many museums, prisons, and historic homes do. Oh yes, there's definitely revenue to be realized by catering to us haunt jaunters.

Recap of Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida

2009-07-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

We're back from our Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida, otherwise known as Florida's Forgotten Coast. All I can say is, I don't know what was harder to find: a place to eat or a ghost.

WHERE WE STAYED

Actually, finding a place to eat wasn't all that hard. It just seemed that way because we stayed on Cape San Blas. The nearest food was in Port St. Joe, 20 miles away. (With the exception of a couple of smaller restaurants, one right across from where we stayed and the other in Indian Pass, maybe 10 miles away. But both were closed when we tried to frequent them.)

After swimming, body surfing, scalloping, snorkeling, and walking on the beach working up an appetite, driving 20 miles on a hungry belly made it feel like there was no food to be found.

WHAT WE DID, SAW, AND ATE

There isn't a whole lot to see and do in Gulf County. That's part of its appeal. If you want a nice, relaxed, laid back beach atmosphere, it doesn't get much more laid back than Gulf County.

In fact, on Cape San Blas it was even hard for us to get cell phone reception. (Wayne got better than I did. I could sometimes get one bar, but I couldn't really get a connection.)

However, besides just enjoying the beach, we did take in some sights.

ON CAPE SAN BLAS

We checked out the Cape San Blas Lighthouse (pictured above). I was really hoping for some ghosts there, but the woman (who's name I unfortunately did not get) who sort of stays out there and runs it and the adjoining Sleeping Beauty Gift Shop assured me there are no ghosts out there.

"I've heard all the legends but I can definitely say I've spent enough nights out here to know ain't nothing haunting this place."

IN PORT ST. JOE

We strolled around Port St. Joe's historic downtown area. Reid Avenue is akin to a Main Street area with shops and such. It's kind of in the process of being revived. There was an old theater that might have had some promising ghost stories, but it was all closed up and for sale.

However, we haunted Joe Mama's Wood Fired Pizza. (406 Reid Ave, Port St. Joe, FL) Man, that pizza was grub! We made sure to eat there twice during our visit.

IN APALACHICOLA

Also twice we headed over to Apalachicola. Dumb dumb me could've had a Haunt Jaunt t write about there if only I'd thought to check out another haunted travel site first, the Shadowlands Haunted Places Index.

I saw the Gibson Inn when we were walking around the town and had said to Wayne, "Maybe I should get a picture of that place and go inside and ask if they have any ghosts."

But it was hot, we were both thirsty, and Wayne wasn't much in the mood for my "ghost shenanigans" as he calls them. All he wanted to find at that moment was a cold drink.

The next day I checked that index and saw that, yep, the Gibson Inn was listed. Apparently a ghost of a captain haunts room 309 and a lady ghost (thought to be one of the Gibson sister's who ran the hotel in the 1920s) haunts the second floor. As well as sometimes messes with the phones.

Oh well, missed out on that one.

But I can recommend Up the Creek Raw Bar for delicious, fresh seafood. Not to mention it was very reasonably priced. We ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell, a pound of steamed shrimp, a cup of crab soup and a dozen clams in a butter/wine/garlic sauce all for $30. (And that included two teas, sweet of course!)

Also, there were two other big pluses about Up the Creek: (1) it was a doggie-friendly dining establishment, and (2) it boasted an amazing view. We had left Murph back at our digs on Cape San Blas, but had we brought him he would've been welcome to enjoy the view of the water with us on the back deck. And they would've even provided him a fresh bowl of water if he was so inclined.

IN MEXICO BEACH

I would've haunted the volleyball courts they had here if we'd known about them earlier. Sadly, we didn't discover the much more happening St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach scenes until the end of our visit when we headed to Toucan's our second-to-the-last night for dinner.

Again, no ghosts here. But Toucan's made for a great place to eat. We were seated at a table right next to the beach. (On their outside covered patio. We enjoyed the sea breeze keeping the temps mild, laughed at the sea gulls begging for scraps, and our entertainment was watching the surfers ride the waves.)

If we were more the drinking/bar types, their upper deck is apparently the hip hoppening place to hang at nights.

THE FORGOTTEN COAST IS NOT THE MOST HAUNTED COAST

After having been to more active haunted beach jaunts like St. Augustine or even Charleston, I can safely say Gulf County and the Forgotten Coast is not a happening haunted destination.

However, if you want great fresh seafood, in particular oysters, or if you're looking for uncrowded, unspoiled beaches that also happen to be pet friendly, Gulf County is the place for you.

Flashes in the Dark Publishes "My Nightmare"

2009-07-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to share that Flashes in the Dark published my flash "My Nightmare" yesterday.

Yep, I'm still away but I hijacked my husband's computer really quick this morning to make sure my story had been published. Then I figured why not share it here. That way I could still publish something while we take this little vacation of ours. (We haven't had much luck finding any Haunt Jaunts I hate to admit or I'd surely be sharing that instead!)

THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THE STORY

"My Nightmare" is the first story I've had accepted for publication in about two years now. I hadn't had much time to write fiction there for a while, or submit, so this is a big deal for me.

It started about two years ago, I was both writing for Families.com and working with an agent to find a publisher for my manuscript, The Ghost of Laurie Floyd. That left me little time for short fiction.

Then, a little over a year ago, my mom got sick and I moved her to live with me so I could care for her in her final days. And then there was my hitchhiker...

Those things not only ate up my time, but they devoured my psychic energy. I just didn't have it in me to sit down and write.

But when I did feel better and had time, this was one of the first stories I banged out.

IRONY OF IT ALL

The ironic thing is, this story is based on a real recurring nightmare I was having about my mom, who died last year on July 3.

The editors didn't know that part. They just randomly selected the publication date.

I haven't had the dream in a while, so I'm hoping that means my mom is now finally resting in peace.

Still thinking of you, Mom.
In Memoriam of Dorothy Mroch October 4, 1931-July 3, 2008

Haunt Jaunts at the Movies: Trailers for Upcoming Releases

2009-07-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best kind of Haunt Jaunt (especially in the heat of summer) is to an air-conditioned movie theater.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm supposed to be on vacation. I am. But before I left I decided I didn't want to totally abandon my blog so...I thought I'd post something a bit different than my usual fare.

Growing up, I loved summers not only because I was out of school, but also because it seemed I went to see more movies. The scarier the better. Always have liked horror movies, probably always will!

Here's some trailers for a few upcoming releases I'm looking forward to: Orphan, Zombieland, and one I found thanks to a post on Above the Norm, Shutter Island.

Not all of them will be out this summer, but they'll all be out soon enough. And hopefully they'll all be as good as they look in their trailers! (That always sucks doesn't it? When the trailer really gets you hyped up for the movie, but the actual movie stinks. Hopefully these won't do that!)

Haunt Jaunts on Vacation

2009-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I wrote last week, we're heading out on a Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida.

For those who have been following me, I just wanted to give you the heads up that my posts may be sporadic, or even nil, until we get back. (Sort of depends on if we really have an Internet connection where we're staying. I'm not sure I'll make a trip somewhere just to find one if not...)

Hopefully if I don't relate any Jaunt info from the road, I'll have some good entries for when we return!

P.S.

There will be one post, either Friday or Saturday, relating to ghosts that I'll make. But it's not a Haunt Jaunt...just something neat I want to share.

Haunt Jaunts as Fundraising Venues

2009-06-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Increasingly I'm noticing a trend in some of my Google Alerts: stories about Haunt Jaunts as fundraising venues. Especially for historical societies and foundations.

This weekend I came across another one. How the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum in Alabama recently did a ghost hunt as a fundraiser. Specifically, The Friends of the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum held a Paranormal Weekend in conjunction with Southern Paranormal Researchers.

HOW IT WORKS

Oftentimes the venue's historical society (or preservation society, whatever name they might give it) teams up with the local paranormal investigation group. The paranormal investigators, along with members of the historical society, offer a night (or sometimes a weekend) of ghost hunting.

Both groups advertise the event, and usually so does the venue. As you might imagine, it generates a lot of local press. Which is great for all involved.

Also, experienced and novice ghost hunters are usually both welcomed (and encouraged) to attend the events. This offers a really great DIY opportunity for fans of shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures to experience the action for themselves.

RECENT AND UPCOMING HAUNT JAUNT FUNDRAISING EVENTS

I think the first one I came across was a dinner at a restaurant where the money would benefit something. Trouble is, I don't remember either the restaurant or the cause... (Sorry!)

But I do remember the Haunt Jaunt that would benefit Historic Fort Wayne's preservation society, which I wrote about in a previous article. Their next events will be on these dates: 8/16, 9/19, and 10/31.

Most recently I wrote about PARA's upcoming event at Fort Mifflin on 9/5. I went to their website today and saw their May 16 and 17 events raised over $6,000 for the fort. That just goes to show if you pair a great location with a ghost hunting fundraising event, you can raise some pretty decent money!

And here's another one I stumbled across: The Preston Castle Foundation (yes, as in the Preston Castle that was recently the focus of an investigation on Ghost Adventures), in conjunction with Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group, offers Overnight Ghost Tours. The cost is $100 per person and can be attended on the following dates: 7/25, 9/26, and 11/28. (There was also one for 8/22 but it's sold out.)

Don't be surprised if you see me post more of these as they come up. I think it's a pretty neat idea.

Roadside America: A Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions

2009-06-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

After I posted my entry about haunted travel sites yesterday, I came across yet another travel site: Roadside America, an online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.

Its focus isn't necessarily restricted to haunted places, though. It's a smorgasboard of things.

WHAT YOU CAN FIND ON ROADSIDE
AMERICA

As travel sites go, they have pretty standard features, such as a listing of hotels & motels. But of course they put their own unique spin on it.

When you click on a state, it takes you to a page with a listing of links to hotels & motels by city. In the sidebar on the right, it also lists "Quirky Tourist Attractions" within the state.

But then they've compiled some very bizarre attractions. This is defiitely the site to visit if you've ever wanted to map out a route to see Muffler Men, Smiley Water Towers, Two-Story Outhouses, or Tiny Churches.

PARANORMAL LISTINGS ON ROADSIDE AMERICA

This is what caught my attention about Roadside America: their Mystery Spots and Roadside Creatures sections.

I didn't find anything really amazing I didn't already know about, but it is a neat concept.

OTHER NOTABLE ROADSIDE AMERICA FEATURES

Two other things I liked about the site were their Sight of the Week and their My Sights Route Planner (you can "create your own bizarre road trips" and save them on the site).

HauntJaunts.net & Other Haunted Travel Sites

2009-06-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's post I mentioned how HauntJaunts.net is not a one-of-a-kind, there are other haunted travel sites out there. What are they?

I listed them yesterday, but they're worth noting again:

THE OTHER HAUNTED TRAVEL SITES

NOT SUCH A NOVEL CONCEPT

It was in late 2007 when I first thought instead of doing Haunt Jaunts: A Travel Guide for Restless Spirits as a book like I'd initially seen it as that I'd set it up as a website.

One of the first things I did was check out the Internet for any similar sites already in existence. That's how I found A Ghost in My Suitcase.

At first I was bummed. "Someone else has already had this idea? Drat."

But as I cruised around on the site, I realized his vision and mine were two different things. He was using the website to promote his book of the same name. His shtick was 50 haunted places in 50 states.

My vision was bigger than that. I wanted to be a sort of paranormal yellow pages. A place people could turn to when looking for restaurants, hotels, or attractions with ghost stories attached to them. If the allegedly haunted place had a website, I'd link to it, as well as include its physical address and phone number.

Also, I liked the idea of not only breaking Jaunts down by state, but also by venue and giving them catchy names. (Hence, Apparition Attractions, Eerie Eateries & Pubs, Spooky Stays, etc...)

"There might just be room on the web for both of us!" I realized.

COMPETITION OR...?

Then this year as I've set about getting things set up in earnest I stumbled across the other two sites: The Haunted Traveler and TravelParanormal.com.

My first reaction was similar to the one I'd had upon discovering A Ghost in My Suitcase. Then I checked them out.

Each offers something unique. The Haunted Traveler's site does list some Haunt Jaunts and gives a history behind some of them, but his main deal is his spirit photography. (Which is amazing, I must say. I haven't checked into how much his work costs, but talk about hauntingly beautiful...)

And then TravelParanormal.com lists all the 50 states, but it's more of a compilation of news and articles related to cities within the state.

ONE MORE HAUNTED TRAVEL SITE

There's one more haunted listing site that my friend Brenda sent me not too long ago: The Shadowlands Haunted Places Index.

This has the most thorough listings of all of them. Not only does it have all 50 states, but also includes listings for haunted places outside of America.

However, it still isn't the vision I had. If I''m not mistaken, it would (and I think does) list somewhere like Waverly, whereas I wouldn't.

I only want to list Jaunts where people can go freely. (You may have to pay for a room or something like that to stay at a Jaunt, but it's accessible to the public.) I didn't want to get into listing abandoned places and all that, no matter how good the ghost story.

COMMON THEME + DIFFERENT APPROACHES = MORE CHOICES

As I see it, we each offer a different flavor. It's kind of like pizza: not all of them taste the same. Some people like the sauce at one place better than another. Or the crust. Or the way the meat is sliced. Everyone has their favorite based on how it suits their palate.

I think the same applies for finding ghosts via haunted travel sites: one might appeal to one ghost enthusiast more than another. At least there's some choice.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from hoping HauntJaunts.net will explode. I can see it now: the Domino's or the Pizza Hut of the ghost community.

Okay, okay, it may sound crazy.But it doesn't hurt to wish big, does it?

Planning a Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida

2009-06-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm planning a Haunt Jaunt to Florida's Gulf County for July. When I was blogging at Families.com I wrote about Cape San Blas, a dog-friendly city in Gulf County. I've wanted to go ever since (and so has my pooch, Murphy). Wayne finally agreed that's where we can take our next family vacation! Sort of a getaway to celebrate the end of my hitchhiker haunting me. Yes!

I'm now in the planning stages. I have to find us a place to stay. (Would be nice if it'd be a Spooky Stay, but I don't think Murph would appreciate it that much.)

I'd also like to check out some haunted places, if there are any, while I'm there. (Naturally. I couldn't very well call myself a Haunt Jaunter if I didn't, could I? Plus, it's more material for the blog and the website.)

Speaking of the website, since I don't have all the Jaunts loaded into HauntJaunts.net yet, I can't turn there for help. So what do I do? Why, research of course.

While I'm at it, I thought it'd make a fun blog entry, too. A step-by-step look at how I plan a Haunt Jaunt.

STEP 1: CONSULT MY TRUSTY TRAVEL BOOKS

There might be newer Florida books out dealing with ghosts, but I've trusted and enjoyed these two for many years now: Haunting Sunshine and Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida. Whenever I go somewhere in Florida, I first consult them to see if there any haunts in the area I'll be.

In Haunting Sunshine I found a story about Magnolia Hall in Apalachicola. In the book it was noted at one time it was a B&B, but that the state was going to turn it into a historic site. I found a Magnolia Hall Guest House at 177 5th St on a list of Apalachicola hotels online, but no link to a website.

So is it a Spooky Stay still? A Historic Haunt? I don't know. It'll be a mystery for me to solve when I get there...

The Haunt Hunter's Guide didn't list anything in the area. The closest would be Shell Mound down in Cedar Key and the Island Hotel, also in Cedar Key. That's too far from where will be to scope out,though. (Over 4 hours.)

Okay, those didn't turn up much. On to the next step...

STEP 2: SEARCH THE WEB

Alas, Haunt Jaunts is not a one-of-a-kind idea. There are other similar sites, we all just present it a bit differently. Which is great, because I can still benefit from something they might have listed that I don't know about. Like now.

These are the sites I checked out to see if they had any info on haunted places in Gulf County, Florida:

A Ghost in My Suitcase

The Haunted Traveler

TravelParanormal.com

A Ghost in My Suitcase and The Haunted Traveler didn't even have any listings for Florida. TravelParanormal.com had a Florida button, but it didn't have any articles relating to Gulf County.

Drat. But all is not lost. There's still one more step.

STEP 3: ASK WHEN I GET THERE

There are several lighthouses in the area we plan on touring. Don't know if any have any ghost stories attached to them, but, much to Wayne's chagrin, it's a question I always ask whenever we're out sightseeing.

I'll also do the same when we go to dinner or hit the shops. The locals always the scoop...and I just may turn up some new Haunt Jaunts that haven't been covered to death yet!

The Othersiders: Too Young To Hunt Ghosts?

2009-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

While I was watching Cartoon Network's "The Othersiders" investigation of the Queen Mary, I found myself thinking, "Perhaps these kids aren't too young to hunt ghosts after all."

With that said, I guess it's a good time to admit that I shared the sentiments fellow blogger AutumnForest expressed in one of her posts about "The Othersiders." Kids hunting ghosts? (Or as she put it, "drape climbers," which just cracked me up.) Come on, be serious. Someone's really trying to make a mockery of ghost hunting now.

However, the Queen Mary investigation made me stop and go "Hmmm...."

RELATE-ABILITY FACTOR

Personally, I think "The Othersiders" is kind of boring as ghost hunting shows go. (Although, maybe if I was a kid I'd think it was great.)

I also have a hard time believing the five were friends before the show and weren't "casted" for it. However, I have to admit a ghost hunting team comprised of teens might allow for different results than a team of just adults.

For instance, any children ghosts might be more inclined to make contact with someone nearer their own age. Likewise, older spirits may find younger ghost hunters more approachable and less threatening than an adult.

But on the converse of that, people who didn't much care for kids in life might be irritated by the presence of younger ghost hunters. (Talk about a new method of provocation!) Older ghosts (or, rather, people who were older when they passed) might relate more to someone their own age.

DID SHE SING BECAUSE THEY DID?

That's what I wondered when the Othersiders played the EVP of the little girl singing in the pool area. Perhaps they caught that EVP based on something they did during the investigation.

They tried to cajole the girl ghost said to haunt the pool area into singing, as its reported she does, by singing themselves. They picked "Ring around the Rosy." A simple song, a common enough one, but it impressed me nonetheless. Why?

I don't have kids and it's been a while since I was one. When they made the decision to sing period my first thought was, "What on earth song would I have sung if that was me investigating?"

When they went with "Ring around the Rosy" it was both obvious and genius. Of course I knew it. What person didn't sing it at some point in their own youth? But it never would have occurred to me to pick that one.

Now if they truly came up with it on their own or had some help from a producer, who knows. And who knows if they would have caught the EVP anyway without singing, but it was a pretty good EVP...perhaps because of what they did.

GHOST HUNTING TEAMS: THE ADVANTAGE OF DIVERSITY

It was because of the song they picked that I reconsidered my stance on teenage ghost hunters. Instead I thought, "What an advantage it is for those teams that are as diverse as possible."

Think about it. If you have good coverage of the age spectrum (youngsters on up to senior citizens), as well as a mix of males and females plus people from a variety of walks of life, you cover the gamut. The age/gender/ethnicity/etc might be as much of a factor or influence of the type of results your investigations turn up as anything else.

Yahoo! Groups Provide Haunt Jaunts Galore

2009-06-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today I finally had some time to skim the posts on the Yahoo! Groups I belong to and ended up stumbling across Haunt Jaunts galore! (I didn't have much time to lurk around these groups before, but I do now that I'm done with radiation. After what I came across today, I'm stoked because what a great additional resource for me to find new Haunt Jaunt activities!)

All except one I found via the Haunted Times Yahoo! Group. (The other was via The Paranormal Research Society group.) I listed them by event date.

1. LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST WEEKEND RETREAT: JUNE 26-27, 2009

I know this doesn't give you much heads up since this event starts tomorrow. I don't even know if there's space still available. But I thought I'd list it anyway.

It's a Haunted Times event. On Friday June 26, Christopher Moon will give his Ghost Hunting 101 Seminar, followed by dinner which includes telling of the haunted history of of the B&B plus a tour. Then the night concludes with an investigation. On Saturday June 27, Moon goes more in-depth with his Ghost Hunting 102 class, and then dinner plus more investigations follow. (And, yes, Moon will be using his Telephone to the Dead during the investigations.)

Cost: $150 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, investigation, room and breakfast) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call the Lizzie Borden B&B at 508-675-7333 to register.

2. AUDUBON COTTAGES - DAUPHINE ORLEANS WEEKEND RETREAT: JULY 24-25, 2009

Another Haunted Times event. Same kind of thing as described above, just the location and costs are a bit different.

Cost: $99 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, and investigation...room is extra but discounted rates are available) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 877-880-6232 to register for the event.

To book a room at the event site, Call Dawn Ledet of the Dauphine Orleans at 504-586-1800.

NOTE: HT says space is limited for this one so if you're interested book sooner rather than later.

3. VILLISCA AXE MURDER HOUSE - SPIRIT COMMUNICATION 101: AUGUST 7, 2009

Another HT event. This time the focus of the class is on communicating with the dead, followed by a dinner and an investigation. Moon and his HT staff will leave at midnight, but the house will be open for further investigations until 2 a.m.

Cost: $99 per person (class, investigation and dinner only, you have to make your own room reservations)

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 720-344-6150 to make reservations for this event.

4. MASON HOUSE INN BED AND BREAKFAST: AUGUST 8-9, 2009

Yep, another HT event consisting of Ghost Hunting 101 and 102 classes.

Cost: $75 per person per event (Rooms are extra, but if you stay both nights you get $5 off your room the second night.)

Call 1-800-592-3133 to register.

5. FORT MIFFLIN PARA EVENT: SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

This is not an HT event. Rather, it's put on by Paranormal Association of Research & Assistance (PARA) in association with PARA-X Radio (who will be broadcasting live during the event).

Looks like they have some neat things lined up: presentations at each of the buildings, an EVP lab where you can listen to EVPs captured there, a photography lab teaching spirit photography techniques, and even an auction where one of the prizes will be a private investigation with investigators Shannon and Jeff Sylvia (who will also be there).

Cost: $75

Contact Lorraine Irby at 215.685.4167 to pre-register or visit PARA's website for more info.

ABOUT THE YAHOO! GROUPS IN THIS POST

If you're not a member of them but are interested in checking them out and maybe joining yourself, I posted their links below:

TheParanormalResearchSociety

Haunted_Times_Magazine_Public_group

Haunted Cruise Tour of New England and Canada October 17-22, 2009

2009-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Recently one of my Google Alerts included a press release that caught my eye for three reasons: (1) it was about a cruise (something I love to do), (2) it was about a cruise in New England and Canada (places on my Bucket List), and (3) it involved ghosts.

Mark Nesbitt, who's penned quite a few ghost books (most notably his "Ghosts of Gettysburg" series), will "headline this unique cruise of New England and Canada October 17 -22, 2009" aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas.

Cruisers can expect to be treated to spooky stories from Nesbitt while onboard, but the main draw is sure to be his port excursions.

What are the ports? There are three: Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, and Halifax Nova Scotia.

Nesbitt will lead a spooky tour of Portland, a haunted trolley tour in Bar Harbor, and a ghost walk in Halifax.

But the ghost touring doesn't end when the cruise does. Nesbitt is also offering a ghost tour of Boston followed by an overnight in Boston's haunted Park Plaza Hotel.

And what does all of this ghost touring, haunt jaunting New England cruise fun cost?

Cruise rates: $514.39 (interior cabin), $664.39 (ocean view cabin), $794.39 (balcony cabin).
Port excursions in Portland, Bar Harbor, and Halifax: $65 (for all three, which is not too shabby as far as excursion rates go).
The extension in Boston with the ghost tour and stay at the Park Plaza: $120.

Interested in signing up? You have to book through Cruise Holidays of Alexandria, 866-368-7327, and put down a $250 deposit (refundable up to one day before final payment is due).

Haunting sailing!

Is There a Law for Becoming a Ghost?

2009-06-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Haunted Formula AutumnForest is working on over at Ghost Hunting Theories and Lisa Logan's Where Would YOU Haunt guest blog, I can't stop wondering: is there a law to becoming a ghost?

You know, like the Law of Gravity, the Law of Attraction...is there a Law of Lingering? (For lack of something else to call it.)

PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS

In a previous post I wrote about how AutumnForest is using six criteria to determine whether some places may be more predisposed to hauntings than others. Basically, she's trying to figure out if certain conditions must exist before a person's spirit could remain behind somewhere.

I've thought this is a very interesting way to examine haunted places, but now it really has me wondering some things. Especially after Lisa's post yesterday.

ASSUMING GHOSTS EXISTS

Maybe you can pick where you'd like to haunt. Maybe you don't have to die there necessarily. But can you only haunt places where the conditions will allow you to? (This is assuming you need certain conditions, such as proximity to water, sand/granite/limestone/or other such "conductors" that seem to appear in many environments where ghosts "live"...basically the criteria AutumnForest proposes in her Haunted Formula.)

So now I'm starting to think about how it is ghosts come to be differently than I was before. All of this has raised a whole new batch of questions, such as:

If there's something to the Haunted Formula, can ghosts still haunt places that don't have conditions conducive to letting them "live" there? (For instance, if someone dies in a place without the necesaary elements, can a ghost still manifest, or do they "feed" off certain elements to live?)
Why is it some people's spirits remain behind at all? I guess this is the question most ghost enthusiasts want the answer to, but now I'm thinking about it in a different way than I used to. I used to think you either died suddenly, or tragically, or with unfinished business, or just so much love for a place you wanted to stay there forever. But now I'm wondering if maybe there's physical properties about places that make it easier for people's spirits to remain behind...if they want to stay behind. But what if they don't want to stay behind? Which brings me to the next question...
Are ghosts made by choice or by circumstance? Meaning, when we die, do we have the option to become a ghost if we so choose? Or is it the place, specifically elements about the place, that sort of "trap" them and don't let people's spirits leave? (Maybe there's something about places with residual hauntings in particular that act as "recorders" instead of traps, but with intelligent hauntings...that's what I really wonder about. Are the spirits there by choice or because they can't leave?
And what if it's not about the physical elements of a place? What if ghosts don't want to go to the Beyond (for lack of knowing what's really After this life) so they stay Here. Or, what if the Universe is the greatest recycler of all and some ghosts exist because there wasn't a new body for them to go into at the moment of their death?
How would the major religions of our world reconcile their beliefs if somehow one day we are able to prove there are ghosts, we find a way to communicate with them, and we understand how it is they come to be and what it takes for them to exist?

I don't know if there's a law to becoming a ghost or not, but maybe one day with all these different people investigating the paranormal we might find out. (Who knows, the next Einstein or Newton might be out there right now as we speak on the verge of making the next great discovery!)

Indian Magician's Ghostly Restaurant

2009-06-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

The Times of India ran an interesting article recently called "Meet ghosts at a restaurant in Kolkata." It was about P C Sorcar, a conjurer or magician, who's planning to open a restaurant with ghosts, goblins and ghouls of every variety.

Don't worry. The ghosts aren't real. They'll be members in his troupe who will wait on patrons while performing illusions at the same time.

"Imagine how it will be like if a waiter takes off his own head and puts it on plate while noting orders from the customer. Or if a ghoul springs up from the nearby grave and sits next to you. Or a goblin walks out of the picture frame and asks your name," the master illusionist says.

It sounds spookily delightful doesn't it? I know I won't be heading to India anytime soon, but if you will be the restaurant is set to open in November, post-Diwali.

(I had to look up what Diwali was. It's an official holiday in India, also known as the Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil within a person. It lasts for five days and is celebrated on a different date every year. It's always sometime around October/November and has to do with the new moon. Something about falling on "the 15th day of the dark fortnight in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik," according to DiwaliFestival.org.)

Okay, and if you think calculating the date Diwali falls on is mysterious, here's how the article described where the restaurant will be located: "The restaurant is coming up on a secluded spot beside the National Highway-6, a few kilometres from Kolkata..." in Howrah.

I'm sure there will be more specifics once the restaurant is actually open. Sorcar plans to serve patrons seven days a week, serving them "multi-cuisine dishes," and hopes it will become "a one-stop destination for tourists and local people" alike.

It sounds like a neat concept. I'd Jaunt there. I'm hoping if it's a hit there, a variation might hop overseas here somewhere...somewhere I might actually have a chance of jaunting to!

(But if any of you end up going, I'd love to hear about it.)

Haunts Jaunts Extends a Friendship Blog Award to These 8 Blogs

2009-06-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw an email from my good pal, Lisa Logan (who I introduced here last week who'll be making a guest post), saying she'd given me a friendship blog award or some such on her blog, Writing in My Wildest Dreams.

"Huh?" I thought, confused.

See, I'd had a rather exhausting weekend. I haven't seen my dad since March 2008, when I made an emergency trip back to Denver when my mom went into the hospital. That trip was the beginning of what turned into what I'll probably come to call my Catastrophe Year.

(I ended up moving my mom back to Nashville with me because not only was she diagnosed with lung cancer while she was in the hospital, but she also had dementia and doctors determined she could no longer live alone. That was just the beginning of it all. I keep hoping with my hitchhiker being in remission that the dark days of my Catastrophe Year are behind me, but....)

That brings me back to my dad. Wayne and I went up to Indiana to see him because he flew in from Denver for a high school reunion and to stay with his sister. We drove up to see him because now his health is failing. His girlfriend is exhausted trying to keep up with all his doctor appointments and hospital stays, so... I once again feel the pressure to help like I felt when my mom took a turn for the worst. Except his situation is different from my mom's in a lot of respects. Different complications and considerations and my mind hasn't been still for the past four days trying to figure out what to do about it all.

So to see this award from Lisa was just that little bit of a happy booster that I needed. To remind me that there is a lighter and happier side to life. One I want to participate in too. With that said, here's how I'm participating today: By extending some "Let's Be Friends Awards" myself!

ABOUT THE AWARD:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I'd hereby like to deliver this award to the following exceedingly charming, friendly bloggers:

Lisa Logan of Writing in My Wildest Dreams (back atcha babe!): I think that not only is Lisa one of the most talented, creative, and on the verge of breaking it BIG writers I know, I LOVE her theme days, especially that Wild Dream Wednesday!
Chris Verstraete of the Candid Canine: I was honored she let me read her Searching for a Starry Night and fall in love with her Sam character long before it found a publisher...and then to be there biting my nails with her as she awaited responses to submissions, rejoiced with her during her acceptance, lived vicariously through her as it found publication, and celebrated with her when it became a 2009 EPPIE Finalist. To top it off, she's developed a great blog that lets others celebrate her journey too.
AutumnForest of Ghost Hunting Theories: I had been interested in her blog, but didn't know who she was until I clicked through to her profile after she consistently left comments on mine. Then I was even more honored she was commenting because here I've been such an admirer of the hard work she puts in over at her blog. (Not to mention all the interesting theories she proposes, some of which I'm convinced might either revolutionize ghost hunting techniques or change the way ghost hunters view their data.)
Mike and Julie at Above the Norm: I found them via Ghost Hunting Theories and immediately respected them. They're my kind of people! All things paranormal intrigue them, so they include just about everything in their blog: TV and movie reviews, book excerpts (that they're writing), thoughts in general...it's very interesting and entertaining stuff!
Tom G of Dark Destinations: I stumbled across this blog thanks to a link in a Google Alert. I immediately respected it and became a follower because it's a variation of the same thing Haunt Jaunts is. (Its tagline: The online travel guide to the mysterious and macabre...)
ATrueOriginall of The Paranormal Casebook: This blog is way rocking. I admire ATrueOriginall because she relentlessly posts clip after clip of daily paranormal news. How she does it, I don't know, but she's made herself an authority and a respected one at that among a ton of bloggers who share an interest in the paranormal and unexplained.
Phantoms & Monsters: I don't know who's behind this blog, but I like the stories they post. Often it's reprises of stories published elsewhere with links to the original piece. I also dig, dig, dig their header graphic. Creepy...
Nick Redfern's There's Something in These Woods: This blog mainly focuses on another side of the paranormal: cryptozoology. From Bigfoot to werewolves to vampires and other creatures that we know as myths or from legends, Nick sets out to find evidence of their existence. I like following to see what new creatures I'll learn about. (Some are just legend, their existence hasn't been proven, but they're beasts I've never heard of. I always like expanding my horizons!)

Where Would YOU Haunt?

2009-06-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy Stock Xchg

Do we get to choose our Haunt Jaunts if we linger here in the afterlife? Or does the Haunt Jaunt choose us?

I've had a fair share of ghostly experiences (like this one), and from what I've heard and seen, ghostly haunt spots usually make sense. An old woman haunts her favorite rocking chair. A soldier haunts the battlefield where he died. A librarian haunts, well, a library. While the presences of ghosts may well be a shock to many, some of the places they frequent aren't much of a surprise.

Then I read Courtney's post on Thoughts About Ghosts, and this comment stuck out:

Where will he end up haunting? Or what?

I'd never thought about whether I would stick around as a wisp of postmortem vapor, but this made me wonder. If I did, would I choose the location, or would it choose me? If I could, where would I pick?

I thought about home, of course. Sure, there's attachment. But would I want to spend endless years floating around, dust bunnies I couldn't chase driving me crazy and mostly unable to interact with my old surroundings? Maybe freaking out the ones I'd loved? Not really my personality. No. I was going to have to haunt "out."

Photo courtesy of danjaeger on Stock Xchg

Next, I considered the library. Being both a writer and an avid reader, this seemed a natural. A common hot spot for ghosts, rumor has it, and indeed, the stacks at my local library--which is over 100 years old--seems to host some unexplained phenomena. What better place for someone like me?

Then I realized a big potential drawback. Can spirits interact with volumes, flip pages? Would I be stuck floating around books without being able to read any? I'd have to rubberneck over patrons to catch a few paragraphs here and there. Not a very appealing thought.

Photo courtesy Stock Xchg

Then it hit me. The movie house! I'm a huge movie buff, after all, and these would be stories I could watch whether or not I could manipulate my environment. And not just any movie house, no. Give me a mega super duper multiplex to haunt, with thirty screens' worth of different movies at any given hour. Yep, that might even keep me busy enough to resist most of the temptation to mess with visitors. Maybe the occasional plucky employee. So yeah, I think the movie theater.

Where would YOU haunt...or where wouldn't you?

~~~~~~~

Lisa Logan is a romantic fiction author and editor for Eternal Press. Visit her blog at http://authorlisalogan.blogspot.com.

Haunt Jaunts Welcomes Guest Blogger Lisa Logan

2009-06-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up that author Lisa Logan is going to be making an appearance as a guest blogger on Haunt Jaunts.

While I'd love to take the credit for this idea, I can't. It was entirely her idea.

She suggested it after reading one of the posts. She was going to leave a comment, but it started getting lengthy, so she thought, "This would make a better post than a comment. I wonder if Courtney will go for me being a guest blogger?"

When she ran it by me I immediately thought it was a fabulous idea.

I don't know what she's going to write about or when she'll post, but I' hope you'll help me in welcoming her when she does!

ABOUT LISA LOGAN

Lisa writes romantic and erotic fiction. Check out her website here.

But wait, that's not all. There's more!

She also maintains a blog, Writing in My Wildest Dreams. My favorite thing about her blog is she does "theme days." Like Mystery Date Mondays, Wild Dream Wednesdays (where she analyzes dreams people send her, my personal fave theme day), and Feng Shui Fridays. I think that's so clever!

She's also the Senior Acquisitions Editor for Eternal Press Publishing and the webmistress for MysteryAuthors.com.

The End of My Hitchhiker Haunting Me

2009-06-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

For the last six months I have been haunted by a hitchhiker. (My euphemism for cancer.) Today is the end of that haunting. I completed my 20th and final radiation therapy.

"What does cancer have to do with Haunt Jaunts?" you may be wondering.

Everything!

Let me explain...

MY HITCHHIKER, MY MUSE

I don't know why I didn't include the tale of my hitchhiker in my very first post on this blog. As I explain in the About section on HauntJaunts.net, getting cancer was the major catalyst for me getting off my duff and starting this blog and the website.

As it says on the site, "If she does in fact become a survivor, Haunt Jaunts will have played an ENORMOUS part in her recovery."

Well, after enduring three months of chemo followed by a month of radiation, I'm truly in remission. (I was told on May 19 I was in remission, but I knew I also still had radiation to do so...it didn't quite feel "real.")

But now that I'm done with radiation, and therefore my cancer treatment regimen overall, it does feel like I'm truly in remission. And that I can celebrate that fact.

RIP SWEET HITCHHIKER

Yes, it's been six months of feeling haunted, at times feeling like a ghost of my old self or even wanting to give up the ghost during the worst of my chemo days, but...

It's over.

Tomorrow morning I do not have to worry about getting to any cancer appointments. No more living in three-week chemo cycles. No more daily radiation appointments. I'm free to just...be.

Except, I'm not the same. I think the sentiment I ended with in one of my Facebook notes when I found out I was in remission bears repeating here:

FAREWELL, SWEET HITCHHIKER

I can't be mad that my hitchhiker decided to latch on to me for while. I know my initial reaction was to be upset, BUT...so many wonderful things have come out of this cancer. I've renewed friendships, made new ones, strengthened others. I know what it's like to be loved. Heck, I even got down to my goal weight and my cracked heals are cracked no more! (However, the oncologist said that's a normal, but usually temporary good side effect, of chemo. Drat!)
Still, my hitchhiker ended up taking me places I never would have seen otherwise, refreshed my spirit and invigorated my hope and enthusiasm. So...farewell little buddy. You caused me a lot of grief and pain there for a while, but I guess you had to in order to get my attention. You've restored me in ways I didn't even know I needed restoring in. I'm a better person because of having spent this time with you.

Amen! And rest in peace, my hitchhiker. Your days of haunting me are over!

Ghost Conferences for the Rest of 2009

2009-06-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

A while back I wrote about HauntedCon, but this week I got to thinking about other ghost conferences coming up for the rest of 2009. Where were they and when? (I knew I'd seen some others during my travels around various websites, so...)

I decided to do a little investigating and put together a list of what I came across. This is what I dug up.

Whether you're a ghost hunter or ghost enthusiast like myself, maybe one of these conferences will be near you. Could make for a fun (not to mention informative, educational, and possibly entertaining) little haunt jaunt!

June 19-20: 2009 Haunted America "Lucky 13" Conference. Where: The "haunted" Lincoln Theater in Decatur, Illinois. Cost: $60 (for both days.) Click here for more details. (Something I thought was neat was that one of the sponsors is Ghostology with Brian and Anna Marie, a show I mentioned in a blog not too far back. I have a feeling they might be the next breakout paranormal hit with their new show due out this fall. Of course, if they're not, you'll have this blog to quote me on...)
August 6-7: Paracon 2009, the First Annual Canadian-American Conference. Where: Sarnia, Canada. Cost: $37.50 USD - $72 USD. Click here for more info.
August 14-16: The Ohio Paranormal Convention. Where: Dayton, Ohio (Hara area). Cost: $35-$65. Click here for more info.
September 24-26: HauntedCon 2009. Where: Hotel St. Michael, Prescott, Arizona. Cost: $99.99-$284. Click here for more info.
October 2-3: 2009 Chicago Ghost Conference. Where: The Portage Theater, Chicago, Illinois. Cost: $50. ($30 for students.) Click here for more info.
October 8-11: Univ-Con 8 2009. Where: Pennsylvania. (The website hasn't been updated with all 2009 info as of this posting, so I'm not sure if Univ-Con will be held at Penn Stater again.) Advance tickets are on sale though for $25 plus a .99 cent surcharge. Click here for more info. (Click on the Univ-Con 2009 graphic to purchase advanced tickets.)

The Ghost and the Mystery Museum

2009-06-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

I found this clip of an alleged ghost in a museum on YouTube thanks to a Google alert about an alleged ghost caught on a CCTV in an office building in South Carolina. (I went to YouTube to try and find it, but of course got distracted and found this "ghost footage" instead.)

Trouble is, I have no idea what museum this is or where it is. It didn't say in the description. (That I saw. I'm not 100% YouTube savvy so perhaps I didn't click through to something else that would shed some light on the mystery.)

However, I did find another posting of it and this one alluded that the museum was somewhere in Mexico.

And I'm not all that certain what it is I'm viewing in the clip. Is it an entrance and revolving doors? Is it something in a glass box? (Like one of the museum's displays, perhaps some kind of toy?) Is it a piece of machinery?

I don't know, but I can tell something starts moving when nothing else is there to move it.

But I'd rather know (a) what it is I'm looking at, and (b) where this museum is. What if someone wanted to make a Haunt Jaunt there? Don't these people on YouTube understand there's a whole bunch of us ghost enthusiasts out there who'd like as much info as possible?

Sheesh.

Ghost Adventures: Castillo de San Marcos

2009-06-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

In my very first blog I explained the reaction I'd had the very first time we drove by the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine: Here there be ghosts...

Well, if you watched Ghost Adventures on Friday, you saw they investigated the fort. And they did find paranormal activity.

THE LANTERN

The best footage was what appeared to be a lantern being lit on the ramparts. I've heard the rumors about the lantern man before, so it was neat to see them capture something that backed up the many claims surrounding that strangeness.

THE POWDER MAGAZINE

I was surprised there was no mention of the woman ghost rumored to haunt the Powder Magazine though. I've toured the Castillo de San Marcos three times. Every time I heard the story about the officer's wife who fell in love with another soldier, had an affair with him, her husband found out and shut her away in the Powder Magazine where she ultimately died. I heard it from 3 different tour guides too, so I was surprised that wasn't brought up for Zak and his team.

NEW EQUIPMENT

They also used a new piece of equipment I don't recall seeing on any of their other shows before. I forget what they called it, but it reminded me a lot of the Telephone to the Dead. Except the GAC's was smaller and also had these goggles Zak could wear.

They also explained how it worked, but I got confused. Something about it picked up activity and then translated it...the thing did "speak" a couple of times. I'm not sure if I quite buy this gadget...mainly because I just don't understand how it works.

But if it's real...wow. Then it's got a lot of possibilities.

They also have this thing they call an EMF Pump. Basically it's like a battery that generates EMF energy to "feed" ghosts so they can manifest.

Now that's something that seems pretty useful. I'm curious if it helps save the battery juice of other investigative equipment like cameras, digital recorders, etc. that often get drained when ghosts are suspected of trying to manifest. Maybe we'll find out on future shows.

CLIP OF GHOST ADVENTURES' CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS EPISODE

Thoughts about Ghosts

2009-06-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know if ghosts exist or not. I've had some weird encounters (for instance, the Shilo Inn and Harry's), but I didn't have any kind of recording devices on me to capture any evidence. (And at that time I didn't know about EVPs and such so even if I had had something, I wouldn't have thought to use it.) But, as I've stated before, those kind of encounters sparked my interest in haunt jaunting.

However, yesterday as I watched stories emerge about James von Brunn's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, I thought about the guard who died. Stephen Tyrone Johns, age 39.

I'm 38. This year I was confronted with my own mortality. (Though it was cancer, not a gunman, whose barrel I stared down.) In fact, Haunt Jaunts the blog and HauntJaunts.net were born out of my will to live. (I explain about all that in the About section of the website.)

I once wrote about attachments and how I believe if I did end up as a ghost I'd probably haunt the house I grew up in. But most importantly I theorized that one becomes a ghost and ends up haunting wherever or whatever they were most attached to in life.

I thought about this again listening to all the hate that fills James von Brunn's heart. (Though he probably doesn't view it that way. He'd probably argue he just feels extremely strongly about his beliefs.) I couldn't help but think, "Wow. With that much animosity, that's the kind of guy who would end up as a ghost...and maybe the not too pleasant variety."

See, the way I view it is he has unresolved issues. Ones that made it necessary for him to feel he needed to take action. Since he's most likely going to leave this world before his vision of perfection comes to pass, he's not going to be a happily departed soul.

Where will he end up haunting? Or what?

And what about that guard who had no way of knowing when he went to work that day that it would be his last? That the old man he thought he was helping by opening the door would shoot and kill him? In years to come will we hear ghost stories from the U.S. Holocaust Museum?

It gives me a new perspective to keep in mind if I do come across ghosts or spirits on my next haunt jaunts. It's something Jay and Grant from Ghost Hunters say all the time, but that I didn't fully appreciate until now.

Ghosts (if there are such things) were once people too.

They had dreams, desires, emotions, and maybe destinies they felt they'd left unfulfilled. When we encounter them it may be normal to feel alarmed, but we shouldn't be frightened. We should extend them respect (most ghost hunters are pretty good about this) and remember to be as compassionate as possible. In fact, we should treat ghosts as unseen people who deserve the same level of respect that we'd like to receive.

Ghost Caught on CCTV in Chilean Mall

2009-06-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

I love ghost caught on tape or CCTV videos from YouTube. I love trying to figure out if they're real, tampered with, shadows, reflections...you know. The standard kind of thing most people wonder about when viewing alleged footage of "real" ghosts.

The thing that lends some credibility to CCTV cameras catching ghosts is that who's really going to tamper with them? I know it can happen. I remember watching some camera experts disprove a ghost at a car impound or something. It was a hoax.

But this one I'm not so sure about. It's footage of what's claimed to be the ghost of a boy in a mall in Chile.

How someone decided it's the ghost of a boy I don't know. It's odd, for sure, but I can't make out either age or gender so... I don't know if it's a ghost at all much less one of a boy.

It gets stashed in the weird, unexplained (as of yet) , but interesting file. If I ever jaunt down to Chile, perhaps I'll put the mall on my list of haunts to check out.

At any rate, here's the footage. What do you make of it?

Haunted Golf Courses

2009-06-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

I found a story about haunted golf courses when I was slogging through my backlog of Google alerts today and stumbled upon a posting by Stephen Wagner at About.com: Paranormal Phenomena called "The Latest Paranormal News."

Wagner was listing ghost-related or otherwise odd stories he'd found, among them one entitled "Even golf courses have ghost stories" by Joe Morelli at the New Haven Register.

Apparently a book called Haunted Golf: Spirited Tales from the Rough was released this past April. It details incidents like the murder of a woman at a golf course in British Columbia whose spirit is said to haunt the seventh hole. Or the mysterious incidents at the Canton Golf Course in Connecticut. And, my personal fave because it reminds me of Cheeseman Park, the "remnants of corpses discovered at Lincoln Park [Golf Course] in San Francisco."

I never would've thought of adding golf courses to the Jaunts listings. Or amusement parks or anywhere else people go for relaxation and fun. However, this has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of Haunt Jaunt possibilities!

And I can't help but wonder if any ghost hunters have ever investigated any golf courses? Hmmm...golf anyone?

Step Right Up! Get Your Haunted Dolls...on eBay!

2009-06-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is more of a "virtual Jaunt" rather than the kind of Haunt Jaunt I prefer to write about, but how could I pass up commenting about haunted dolls?

It all started last Friday when my Google alert included a link to this eye-catching title: "Yet Another 'Haunted Doll' on eBay - Lenora Piper." Kind of like the ghosts in a bottle story, I knew I had to check this out. Which I finally had time to do today.

THE INHERITANCE: HAUNTED BABY DOLLS

Apparently Leonora Piper inherited an elderly relative's doll collection. Like 200 of them. But this was not just any ordinary doll collection. As Leonora wrote:

The whole family thought she [the elderly relative] was a little "touched" in the head because she had rooms and rooms of dolls and could tell you the name and "story" of each of her girls. She had a large book containing a listing for each of the dolls. Each listing described the doll, her approximate age, name, background of her life and personality. It also described the "spirit" type in the doll and any paranormal activity associated with each "girl".

And now that she's had a chance to spend some time with the dolls, she's noticed some weird things happening. Things that hadn't happened before their arrival. Things like voices, shadows, giggling, items disappearing, even some of the dolls moving.

GULP!

WHAT TO DO WITH A HAUNTED DOLL COLLECTION?

Why sell the little darlings on eBay of course!

But to be fair, Leonora does post a sort of disclaimer by saying they're haunted. It's not like she's pawning off haunted dolls on unsuspecting collectors or anything.

What I got the biggest kick out of was at the end of her post she said something she enjoys doing is reading through eBay's "haunted" auction listings.

Say what? I'm really missing out. I don't shop eBay hardly at all, but I just may have to go browse around and check out what other kind of haunted goods are for sale.

A 'Haunting Formula' for Best Haunt Jaunts

2009-06-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

On one of the blogs I've been following lately, Ghost Hunting Theories, the author has concocted a "Haunting Formula" in conjunction with some research she's doing to rate "50 haunted sites around the US." She uses a criteria of six things to base her scoring on:

What the building's constructed out of (i.e. brick, stone, etc)
Age of the building
The building's history (history or death or other traumatic events)
What it's built on or over (i.e. limestone, sand, granite)
It's proximity to train tracks
It's proximity to water

She may have scored other places using her Haunting Formula, but these are the ones I know she's examined so far:

Ft. Mifflin

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel

Iron Island Museum

Bunnyman Bridge

All have earned perfect 6 out of 6s except for the Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel. It got a 5 out of 6.

It's very interesting to me because what great Haunt Jaunts some of these places would make! (Some were already on my list to add to the Jaunt pages on HauntJaunts.net, like the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Ft. Mifflin, but her posts reminded me about the other places that would also be good adds.)

What's even funnier, I just realized today that Ghost Hunting Theories is the brainchild of Autumnforest. If you follow the comments on my blogs, you'll see I have two regular commenters and she's one of them. (The other is Lisa Logan, authoress of the blog Writing in My Wildest Dreams.) I was tickled to find that out, because hers is one of my favorite blogs to follow and here she sometimes leaves comments on mine!

At any rate, I'll continue to follow her findings. It's very interesting stuff and just may provide a new way of looking at haunted places. (Not to mention Haunt Jaunts.)

Bring Home Your Very Own Ghost in a Bottle

2009-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

My Google alerts notified me about a great story today on Baxterking.com: "Get Yourself A Bottle of Wine Containing a 'Real' Ghost." It was about a company selling ghosts in wine bottles, appropriately named Ghost in a Bottle.

Oh, the array of "spirits" jokes that immediately popped into my mind... I'll spare you and just get on with the story. (But I can't promise refraining from making spirit references...)

Speaking of spirits, this wine bottle is devoid of the type of spirits you imbibe. (Darn, I thought that'd be kind of neat...ghost wine from a phantom vineyard. Tag line: "It'll give you a ghostly hangover." Or, "Wine so good you'll give up the ghost!" Okay, I'll stop now.)

But it isn't devoid of spirits entirely. (Allegedly anyway.)

Apparently, they use a "special technology" to capture and contain the ghosts. Bottles are then sealed with wax to keep the ghosts in. (Is wax all it takes to harness a ghost's energy once you've caught it? While we're on that subject, can ghosts really fit in wine bottles? For the sake of simplicity, and so I can get on with things, we'll assume they can...)

But caution must be exercised. Ghosts in bottles are not to be treated as supernatural novelties, as evidenced by the warnings the seller has all over their Home page. They really emphasize being careful not to open or break the bottles without first consulting their Warnings page, which outlines all the hazards that may befall you if you do.

To own your own Ghost in a Bottle, it'll set you back $20. But it comes complete as a "kit," meaning in addition to your bottled ghost you also get a certificate signed by the ghost hunter who captured your ghost testifying to its authenticity.

So, as the company's motto puts it, "Supernatural or novelty? You decide." Who knows? If nothing else, it would make a fun gift for the ghost enthusiast who has everything...except a real ghost to call their own.

Haunted Grass Valley Historical Walking Tour: Edgier Than Most

2009-06-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today I came across a story on TheUnion.com called "Explore hauntings in the county" which told about the Haunted Grass Valley Historical Walking tour in Grass Valley, California. It caught my eye because the ghosts featured on the tour sounded a little edgier than those on most ghost tours.

Why do I say that? Well, for one, the tour's creator, Mark Lyons, is quoted as saying, "While I would be perfectly delighted to encounter any of the Nevada City ghosts some dark night, I am not so sure I could make the same claim regarding Grass Valley ghosts." (Lyons also runs the Haunted Nevada City historical walking tour.)

Gulp.

Just what kind of ghosts are we talking about here? Apparently, as the article put it, "Grass Valley wraiths colorfully reflect the rough and tumble atmosphere of its early hardrock mining days."

For instance, there's a "phantom" who tried to strangle a young woman in Saint Joseph's Hall. And over at the Owl Tavern, phantom patrons think it's a hoot to terrorize waitresses by untying their apron strings, pinching them and "engaging in other inappropriate physical behavior."

Lovely.

I've never heard of anyone being accosted by a ghost on a ghost tour, but it sounds like it could happen on the Haunted Grass Valley tour. If you're hoping for such contact, this just might be the ghost tour to check out!

INFO ABOUT THE HAUNTED GRASS VALLEY HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR

Lyons is now operating the tour on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. June through October.

He doesn't require reservations. Just show up at the Grass Valley Library (207 Mill St.) and pay your fee ($10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, children 5 and under are free).

Or check out the Haunted Nevada City Historical Walking Tour. He runs that on Saturday nights. Start time again is 7:30 p.m., same fees, but it takes off from the corner of Bolder, Broad and Nevada Streets in Nevada City. (The exact address is 101 Boulder.)

Ghosts, GPS, and Learning

2009-06-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I wrote about using Haunt Jaunts to teach based in part on a headline one of my Google alerts popped up with: "Tracking Ghosts in the Valley: Ashby Lee Students Use GPS for New Learning Program" by Aimee Cregger. Well, I finally got around to reading the whole thing this afternoon. This is exactly the kind of thing I think more schools should offer!

AUGMENTED REALITY

The language and speech pathologists at Ashby Lee applied for a grant after learning about a new program called Augmented Reality. The grant allowed them to purchase 30 GPS units and pay for fifth graders from Ashby Lee to travel to New Market and Lexington.

The other day at Examiner.com I wrote about geocaching. Well, this program sort of combined geocaching with ghost hunting.

HUNTING GHOSTS WITH A GPS

In a manner of speaking. The students had read a book called The Ghost Cadet. They used the GPS units to find five different locations at the New Market Battlefield, a Civil War site, where they were asked questions about the book and also located envelopes containing puzzle pieces. (Which, when put all together, formed a gold watch that played a part in the book.)

They also visited places mentioned in the book, like the Virginia Military Institute where the ghost cadet attended.

ON-SITE LEARNING

If I was a kid, learning this way would totally appeal to me. Reading a book, then going to see places mentioned in the book and using a GPS in a sort of scavenger hunt? Oh yeah, that's totally up my alley.

But it's a great example of how ghosts can play a part in teaching kids --and can be fun as well as educational. Granted, it was a fictional ghost in this case, but still...I'd count this not only as a learning excursion but as a Haunt Jaunt to boot.

Using Haunt Jaunts to Teach

2009-06-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

My husband and I don't have kids, but I got to thinking today how, if we did, what a great teaching tool Haunt Jaunts would make. Check out the various lessons that could be taught:

HISTORY LESSONS

Some kids find history dull. Others love it.

I was one of those somewhere in between. Certain things I found interesting (both the first and second World Wars gripped me), but battles with Native Americans over land or the Civil War would put me to sleep --until I was older.

When we moved to Florida a whole new world was opened up to me. We made trips to places like St. Augustine, Charleston, up to Atlanta, and saw sites where history had played out --which made it come to life.

I'll never forget our first trip to Atlanta. We stayed with Bill, one of our friends from college. He was newly arrived to the city and was still exploring it as well. A museum major, he was interested in checking out the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum. That's when the Civil War began making sense to me.

The thing that always confounded me about the Civil War was that it happened soooooo long ago. Really it didn't, but I didn't have a frame of reference for the dates. (My parents and grandparents both talked about World War II, so it seemed more current to me. And my grandparents were recently married young adults when World War I was raging, so even it seemed not so long ago, but the Civil War? It seemed centuries old!)

However, suddenly, after visiting Cyclorama, 1861-1865 didn't seem as distant as it once had.

It was also the first time I'd ever taken in a Civil War anything. Maybe if I'd grown up with it I would have had an easier time categorizing it.

But that's just it: exposure. What better way to help kids understand history than exposing them to it? Not only that, but you also expose them to the stories of real people who lived during those times.

For instance, our recent Jaunt to the Sam Davis house was interesting because Sam Davis and his family were everyday people who found themselves living during extraordinary times. It wasn't hard to imagine the ghost of his mother, even if it might only be a residual one, haunting the place and crying on his deathiversary.

Or, like Donna Marsh illustrated when she wrote the "Stones River is Murfreesboro's haunted battlefield," you get to tour places where battles actually took place, walk on the same ground soldiers marched across. It sparks the imagination better than simply reading about it in a book.

GEOGRAPHY TEACHING LESSONS

Geography was easily one of my lousiest subjects in school. And I'd say this goes for most kids. But another great way to use a Haunt Jaunt as a teaching tool!

You can mark out on a map where you're starting from, where you're going, and give kids a perspective of place. Helpful for learning the layout of their own city, state, region, or country --or even if you journey overseas!

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TEACHING LESSONS

Very few travelers venture out without a camera, but I bet few view them as technology teaching tools. But what a great way to teach kids about how cameras work (and maybe learn a few things yourself while you're at it).

And if you happen to also be a ghost hunter who brings along devices like digital recorders, mini DVs, heck even EMF detectors...well, think back to your youth. Wouldn't learning about science and technology have been a whole lot more interesting using a hands on approach like these devices offer? Your kids can learn about electromagnetic fields (all the things both natural and manmade that emit them), how things are recorded (not just EVPs but our regular, old average human voices as well), and then there's all the lessons they can learn about nature, advancements in technology (like indoor plumbing and electricity since many Haunt Jaunts, especially the historical ones, lack such modern day conveniences)...the opportunities for learning are endless!

And the exposure to such outside-the-box thinking? It just might lead to inspiring the next generation to find new devices to invent --or perhaps new ways to conduct paranormal research.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY TEACHING LESSONS

It's hard not to wonder about "The Beyond" when you talk about ghosts. What a great opportunity to introduce your kids to different beliefs from different cultures about ghosts, death and dying, and our purpose for being Here. Or to explore your own spiritual roots a little deeper and understand your denomination's take on such matters.

I'm sure there are even more teaching tools Haunt Jaunts could be used for, but these were the ones that sprung immediately to my mind. Can you think of other lessons Haunt Jaunts could teach? I'd love to hear about them!

Eerie Pub HJ: Blake Street Vault

2009-05-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today I read an article by Kathleen St. John called "Ghost haunting Blake Street Vault helps give LoDo saloon that old-Denver feel." Ah, Denver...my old stomping grounds. Where I grew up. Where, when I visit these days, I barely recognize.

There was no LoDo when I was coming up in Denver. That's an invention of the last 15 years or so. A cool name given to a part of the downtown area few hardly ventured to after dark. Now it's all hip and cool and happening.

Maybe that's why Lydia, Blake Street Vault's ghost, doesn't want to leave?

BLAKE STREET VAULT, A SALOON

The bar sounds pretty cool. The decor hearkens to the era of saloons you might have found in Wild West Denver back before the turn of the century (the one before last): tin ceilings, wood floors and barrels for bar tables. Rustic.

I'm not quite sure if Lydia died in the bar or not. The article wasn't exactly clear on that. Supposedly some ghost hunters were brought in after many people reported having weird feelings or experiences in the place --especially down in the vault. They're the ones who identified the ghost as being Lydia, a saloon girl who worked in the building 150 years ago.

THE VAULT

The vault was discovered during renovations down in the basement. The article's author described the vault as "more historically interesting than paranormally scary, at least until you get to the vault."

I'm assuming what makes it both creepy and perhaps playing some part in Lydia's story is that the author mentioned scratch marks on the vault's ceiling. But it doesn't say if she was shut in down there and left to die or what.

However, the saloon's new owners have a tribute of sorts up to Lydia. There's a mannequin dressed as a saloon girl in the window above Blake Street Vault's entrance.

GHOST ACTIVITY

As far as activity...besides glasses being knocked over and people feeling uncomfortable at times, the best story was of the high-heeled footsteps clicking overhead when the bar's new owner and an inspector were down in the basement pre-saloon renovation. At the time, the floors were still covered in carpet, and when they went upstairs to investigate no one was there.

WHERE TO FIND BLAKE STREET VAULT

If you live in Denver or are planning to visit and want to make a Haunt Jaunt to an eerie pub, you might want to consider the Blake Street Vault. It's located at 1526 Blake Street.

HauntJaunts.net: Logo and Advertising

2009-05-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of administrative things to take care of while I'm building HauntJaunts.net, including designing a logo and tackling advertising. (Both from the perspective of doing it for the site and getting others to advertise on the site.)

THE LOGO

Last year Randy Okane at 5MinuteMystery.com hooked me up with the graphic artist who did his logo after I contacted him about it. (I fell in love with it and just thought it was extremely snazzy. I wanted the person responsible for creating it to do Haunt Jaunts' logo too.)

He did get me something I loved, but then my mom fell ill and the rest of 2008, including all my set up plans for Haunt Jaunts, got put on hold. Then I got cancer...well, Life got in the way.

But all that's behind me now and I can focus on getting my site up and running. And part of that is coming up with a face to represent my vision.

I tried to get a hold of the guy (whose name I'm not revealing because he actually works for a graphic design company and could get in big trouble for doing work on the side), but his email is no longer valid. Drat.

But then I saw another logo I liked for a company called Cross Checking. I found out who designed theirs, contacted them, paid a small fee ($80), BUT...have not been pleased with the results.

Yes, I asked for a revision...which I got, but which just basically changed the color scheme and a few minor details of the original samples they sent. Which are okay, but not what I had in mind. And since I had to wait two months (when the policy is to have revisions back in 2-3 days), I'm just sort of done with them.

My friend Chris Verstraete had sent me a link to a free logo generator site, Cool Text , so I finally checked into it today. In less than two minutes I created a logo, admittedly a very basic one, that will totally work for me. (Yep, it's the one leading off the blog.)

Moral of the story: It's worth it to me to eat the fee I paid. In the end I came up with something I can live with...and I know going forward I'll check out the free stuff first before opening my pocketbook!

ADVERTISING

Speaking of pocketbooks...what a great lead in to the advertising segment of today's show. (Hey, who says administrative business stuff can't be entertaining?)

The reason I needed a logo is because I want to be one of the sponsors for HauntedCon. (Well, I wanted a logo for other reasons as well, but it makes it a little easier from an advertising perspective if you have a logo rather than just a link...)

Anyhoo...it also got me to thinking about how I'm a one-woman show at the moment. (I have visions of hiring help down the road, but I don't have the funds to pay anyone with yet.)

Between collecting and inputting Haunts (that's a job right there!), fiddling with the website (it's a template, I have no web design skills --again, another position I could fill), reading submissions (I see this being my main role at some point), and trying to procure advertising (I could never be a bum, I hate approaching people for money)...I've got my hands full!

But I need money coming in, so...how to do that if I hate asking for it?

LIGHT BULB MOMENT: I may not be able to pay a sales force, but I can accommodate commissions.

THE DEAL

Feel free to post this around to anyone you know who's interested in making a little extra money.

I'll pay 40% to anyone who brings in advertising to my site. You can find rates (remember, "they're spookily affordable") on our Rates Page under the Advertising tab.

By "bring in" I mean they buy advertising and mention YOUR name. OR, you send me an email saying, "I contacted so and so who should be contacting you about advertising." If they do and if they buy, you'll get credit.

Somehow I MUST KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEAL OR I CAN'T PAY YOU. I don't want to put up an ad and have people randomly claiming responsibility for it and demanding 40% from me. Ain't going to work that way, folks. If I don't know you brought it, you're not getting paid.

You get paid when I get paid. The second the funds clear in my PayPal account, I'll zap you your 40% via PayPal. (Unless we've agreed beforehand upon other payment arrangements.)

If your advertiser renews advertising, say upgrades from a one month deal to a six month deal down the road, you'll get 40% of that too. (Basically, if you bring in an advertiser who continues to be an advertiser for as long as HauntJaunts.net shall live, you'll receive the 40% credit every time they renew.)

Good luck and may the force be with you!

Charleston Haunt Jaunt: The Battery Carriage House Inn

2009-05-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I added The Battery Carriage House Inn to Haunt Jaunts' Spooky Stays section. I don't remember how I came across it, but when I went to check out their website I saw they have a page dedicated to ghost stories and sightings at the inn.

Very cool.

It gives a brief history of the inn and the types of ghosts people have seen. The creepiest is the headless torso, which most assume is the spirit of a civil war soldier. The saddest is what they call the "gentleman ghost," which some think might be the spirit of a young man who jumped from the roof 100 years ago for reasons unknown.

Then the page goes on to list encounters people have had at the Battery Carriage House Inn. Quite a few are letters from guests detailing experiences they had while in their rooms. Rooms 3, 8 and 10 (in particular 8 and 10) have the most activity.

(They also comment on the elegance and atmosphere of the inn and praise everything from the comfy beds and friendly staff to the wine and cheese served in the afternoon and the delicious breakfasts. Ghosts or no, it sounds like a delightful place to stay!)

Getting a Ghost Fix from Radio and TV

2009-05-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

My favorite ghost show is Ghost Hunters, but while they're in reruns this summer I can still get a ghost fix from other TV and radio shows.

GHOST ADVENTURES

In addition to Most Haunted, the Travel Channel also has another paranormal show featuring ghosts and ghost hunters: Ghost Adventures. Starting June 5 they'll be back with more ghost adventures, starting with an investigation of Preston Castle.

I didn't much care for the very first documentary-style show I watched featuring Zak and his crew, however...that was just the start of what turned into a series of shows. Which I do like.

If you've never watched the show, it's similar to Ghost Hunters, except they present evidence as they come upon it rather than doing a reveal to a client at the end. Or that's how they did it last season. Hopefully they'll continue that for this new season.

Also like Ghost Hunters, they don't always investigate places that could be potential Haunt Jaunts. (Meaning the public isn't always allowed in because some of the places are private establishments.)

But it's a good show and I'm looking forward to it starting back up again.

PARA X RADIO - ALL PARANORMAL...ALL THE TIME

A friend of mine turned me on to this site, because she grew up with one of the hosts of Ghostology, a show that comes on Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. EST. I haven't had a chance to tune in yet because she just told me about it this past Saturday, but I will.

And I might find some other neat shows, too. There are a bunch of them (like 35), all focusing on ghosts, hauntings, and other paranormal phenomenon --even witchcraft, UFOs and cryptozoology! They also have live chats and forums. It's looks like a pretty neat place to network with others interested in this field.

Oh, and the Ghostology show I mentioned? The hosts are involved in making a pilot for a TV show called "Ghost Tech" which will debut this fall. (I don't know which station, but I'll keep my eyes open for it.)

Camp Grounds as Potential Haunt Jaunts

2009-05-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

I never considered camp grounds as potential Haunt Jaunts until I stumbled across an About.com: Paranormal Phenomenon post called "Camping Encounters with Monsters and Ghosts" by Stephen Wagner.

The only thing I normally think about when it comes to camping and ghosts is telling ghost stories around the camp fire. But Wagner's article related incidents of ghost and monster encounters around camp fires and campsites.

MONSTERS IN THEM THAR' WOODS

I used to camp all the time with my family when I was little. I loved it. I have a pretty active imagination, but I don't remember ever being afraid of the forests we camped near. The only time I ever got a little creeped out was when my cousin Mike started scratching on the roof of the camper shell covering the back of my dad's truck. It woke me up and I didn't know it was him at first, so...there was a wee bit of chaos until my dad told him to knock it off.

However, Wagner told some good monster camping stories. One about a family who encountered some kind of bear-like creature with yellow eyes in the White Mountains of Arizona. (Lucky them. I don't know which is worse: being scared out of your wits by some creature roaring and then suddenly charging into your camp, or camping near that same region and having your dog suddenly bolt out of the tent only to get sprayed by a skunk. Oh yeah, that made for a pleasant experience...)

Anyway, Wagner also told of other stories: a glowing beast that showed up in a field next to where some people had set up camp, and a green "humanoid like" creature that surprised campers near a lake in a nature reserve. (The last one creeped me out because apparently they fled the scene only to return later to pick up their gear but found their tent destroyed and all their gear in the lake.)

GHOSTS IN THEM THAR WOODS, TOO

Well, the ghost stories in Wagner's post didn't really have much to do with woods. But people did spot ghosts while camping.

One was a silver lady a girl in Australia spotted while camping with her family. The other one recounted a tale of a guy who had been camping with his girlfriend and woke up to see a ghostly form hovering over her body.

WHERE CAN I LOOK FOR THESE MONSTERS AND GHOSTS?

That's what I didn't like about the article. It didn't tell specifics about the ghosts sightings, as in where they happened, except in a couple of cases.

Like the creature that surprised the family camping in the White Mountains of Arizona. It at least gave you that much, but where exactly did the family have the experience? I don't know.

The other two monster stories were vague. The settings were described, but states weren't even mentioned.

The ghost stories did give some indication of place. The "silver lady" was spotted at "a beachfront caravan park near Killala Beach, New South Wales, Australia." The hovering ghost encounter happened "along an unpaved forest road in the Manzano Mountains in northern New Mexico."

Wish I could give you more to go on if you wanted to set out this summer on a camping Haunt Jaunt of your own to investigate these places, but...that's all I got folks.

Potential Haunt Jaunt: The Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, TN

2009-05-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my husband, Wayne, and I made an unexpected Haunt Jaunt to the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, TN. It's not far from the hospital where I'm getting my radiation treatments, which Wayne accompanied me to today because he unexpectedly got the day off.

Anyway, I figured if nothing else it'd make a great getaway article for my gig over at Examiner.com, but...I couldn't resist asking, "Do you have ghosts?" when our tour guide kept commenting about doors being unlocked he swore he had locked himself, or vice versa.

Ghost Stories

Wayne gets very uncomfortable when I ask such questions. However, he's also surprised when, 9 times out of 10, instead of looking at me like I'm nuts, people say, "Now that you mention it..." and launch into ghost stories.

Today our guide said there are lots of unexplained things that happen there, but the best ghost story he knew of was one that happened to another volunteer.

The Crying Woman

I forget why he said the guide was in the house, but he was alone...except he heard a woman crying. He ran to see what was wrong, and sadly I don't remember if he was running into the parlor or another room, but when he got to where he heard the crying coming from it stopped.

He went to rejoin the other volunteers and said, "I just had the strangest experience." He went on to tell them and one of the women asked, "Don't you know what week this is? It's the anniversary of Sam's death."

Sam Davis: His Life and Death

I've seen signs for the Historic Sam Davis Home but didn't know who Sam Davis was. I thought he was an old man who was influential in Tennessee politics or something.

In a way he was, but he sure wasn't an old man. He was only 21 when he died and was serving as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. He was hung after he was caught by Union troops and convicted of being a spy. When his mother saw the wagon pull up with his coffin inside, she fainted.

His body was brought back to his home for burial in late December 1863. It was around that time of year some 140 plus years later that the volunteer heard the woman crying...a woman the other volunteers immediately concluded must be Sam's mom, Jane.

The Sam Davis Home made for a fun jaunt I wasn't even expecting to have today. It was a neat history lesson...and a neat new place to add to the Haunt Jaunts files.

Haunted Landmarks

2009-05-21T15:31:00.001-07:00

Today I stumbled across a pretty good article on Digg called "Someone Grab Scooby-Doo: The World's Most Haunted Landmarks."

What I liked most about the article: the pics and details of the ghosts supposedly haunting each haunted landmark.

What I didn't like about the article: I was surprised some places were left off. (Stanley Hotel, Myrtles Plantation, Waverly Sanatorium...)

So what were the haunted landmarks listed in the article?

Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
The Whaley House - San Diego, CA
Bran Castle - Transylvania, Romania
Alcatraz - San Francisco, CA
Borley Rectory - Essex, England
Winchester Mystery House - San Jose, CA
Pollepel Island - Hudson River, NY
The Queen Mary - Long Beach, CA
The Bell House - Adams, TN
Rayham Hall - Norfolk, England
The Tower of London - London, England

I also learned of a few new places I wasn't previously familiar with (Borley Rectory, Pollepel Island, and Rayham Hall).

Speaking of learning things...I also learned Edinburgh Castle has a canine graveyard, which I didn't previously know, or that there are only two in Scotland.

Which made me wonder: How many canine graveyards does the U.S. have? How many do other countries have?

I like articles that make me think! (Duh. I suppose that's what everyone appreciates about a good article, right?)

But something else I want to know: why was it so slanted towards England and the USA? Besides Romania and Scotland, no other countries made the list. I know darn well there are other haunted landmarks out there.

Maybe the author is saving them for a follow-up article? If not, for any of you more worldly Haunt Jaunters out there, I'd sure appreciate an article on more international haunted landmarks. (Either for HauntJaunts.net's travel articles or to be referred to an already published one.)

Telephone to the Dead

2009-05-20T10:04:00.001-07:00

I got to see the Telephone to the Dead in practice the other day while I was watching the Travel Channel. I had turned it on while I was folding laundry and Extreme Mind Blowing Hotels was on. I just happened to tune in right when they were featuring the Lizzie Borden B&B.

Then next thing I know this guy comes on screen who looks awfully familiar. I thought to myself, "That sure looks like that Christopher Moon guy who does Haunted Times." (His face was sort of fresh in my mind from having been recently checking into something else he'll be doing here shortly: HauntedCon.)

Anyway, the show started talking about how guests at the Lizzie Borden B&B can participate in a ghost hunt using the Telephone to the Dead. That's when I was positive it must be Christopher Moon, because that's sort of his claim to fame.

But just to be sure, I went to the website to double check and...Sure enough, it was him!

ABOUT THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD

Before I'd seen it in action, when I'd only heard the word "telephone," I immediately thought: Gimmick!

However, after seeing the device in action, I'm now thinking: Interesting. Kind of like an instant EVP without having to go back and listen to hours of tapes to find something.

What I found interesting after a visit to the site was that I wasn't the only one skeptical upon first hearing about it. Even Moon himself was!

The device was actually developed by Frank Sumption. Moon put it to the test and was "immediately astonished by the results." (In addition to the Lizzie Borden House, he's also used it at Waverly Hills, The Whaley House, The Hotel Maison de Ville, and Eastern State Penitentiary.)

WHAT THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD DOES

It's name pretty much says it all. While the device itself doesn't resemble a telephone at all, it does enables communication with the dead. But it doesn't act alone. Spirit guides also factor in.

What I saw on the Travel Channel show was Moon and his team asking questions just like you would during an EVP session, but then the results were audible right then and there.

But according to the TTTD site, it doesn't just let you communicate with ghosts at a particular site. Apparently you can talk to any deceased person. Moon took it to the Ghost Chaser's conference in Georgia and demonstrated it by allowing conference goers to come up and ask questions of deceased loved ones. Answers were received --shocking not only the participants but Moon himself.

THE TELEPHONE TO THE DEAD IN ACTION

If you go to TheTelephonetotheDead.com you'll see a box in the upper right hand corner that will let you listen to a recording done during a radio broadcast with Dr. Jimmy and Heather of ASPR Paranormal Talk Radio.

You can also contact Moon directly to set up your own reading.

Or go to HauntedCon. The Telephone to the Dead will be making an appearance there as well.

First submissions in for HauntJaunts.net articles

2009-05-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about receiving my very first submissions for travel articles at HauntJaunts.net.

I contacted Hope Clark at Funds for Writers to let her know about my call for submissions a couple of weeks back, and she included it in this week's Small Markets listings. But I also got a little bonus: advice from my hero, Hope. (I'm dazzled by all the successes and progress she's made with her different ventures and hope one day to be the same kind of success story!)

Anyway, in addition to some neat marketing tips, she also advised me to cut down some of my wording. She suggested I keep it around 300 words.

At first I didn't know where she meant. My Home page is pretty lean, and it's also "chunky." (Uses headers to make it more easily "digestible" by the Web reading eye.) But what I had forgotten was how long I'd made the guidelines...

I did that because I wasn't sure if people would understand what I was looking for. Turns out I needn't have worried. I didn't know what to expect (at worst an empty inbox), but no sooner did her list go out then I had 3 queries in my inbox. I was over the moon! And all of them understood exactly what it was I was after.

So I went back and edited the Submissions Guidelines page. Pretty soon I'll have specific articles to refer to for examples of what I'm looking for.

If you think you have something I'd be interested in reading, I've posted a condensed version of the guidelines below:

HOW TO SUBMIT

Looking for travel articles, short stories, and other articles relating to ghosts, paranormal activity, or haunted places up to 2,500 words.

Pays $5 up to 1,000 words. $10 over 1,000 words.

Submit IN THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL (No attachments please) to submissions@hauntjaunts.net.

PHOTOS

Two submitters brought up an interesting dilemma for me. They had photos, which do have to be accepted via attachment. I told them I'll consider publishing those as well if I accept their articles.

Which I think will be my policy. If you have photos, let me know but don't send. If I accept your article I'll ask for them then.

If you have any questions, post them as a comment here of feel free to use the email above.

Anyway, I was pretty excited. Even more excited because when I logged on this afternoon there was yet another query!

Examiner.com's Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners

2009-05-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

I recently signed on with Examiner.com to be a Nashville Getaways Examiner, but was excited to find several Haunted Places Examiners for me to follow in the process.

WHAT'S EXAMINER.COM?

It's a newer site dedicated to promoting cities by providing writers a platform to share their expertise or passion about where they live on all manner of subjects. Their catch phrase is: Examiners are credible, passionate, knowledgeable writers.

They have Examiners for everything ranging from Arts & Entertainment Examiners to Careers & Workplace, Bars & Restaurants, Pets, Politics, and Relationship Examiners. (It was actually because a Google alert let me know Seattle Marriage Advice Examiner Becca Campbell referenced one of my old Families.com articles that I became familiar with them.)

And I'm glad I did. Not only because they're allowing me to write about Nashville Getaways, but now I've found other people (Examiners) interested in the same thing as me! Haunted Places!

HAUNTED PLACES AND HAUNTED SITES EXAMINERS SO FAR

Examiner.com hires more and more writers every day so I'm sure this list will be expanding, but here's the links to two of the Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners already on board.

"WHY AREN'T YOU A HAUNTED PLACES EXAMINER, COURTNEY?"

Excellent question! They asked if I wanted to be a Nashville Haunted Travel Examiner, were willing to work with me on that, but I declined. I wanted to broaden my horizons to Getaways because Wayne and I will inevitably be getting out and about more again now that I'm getting better and closer to being done with my cancer treatments. That way I can write about our Haunt Jaunts here, while also tweaking them for the Getaways blog too.

Also, I didn't want to taint Haunt Jaunts the blog. Since I do use it as my travel blog also, albeit for more than just Nashville, I wanted to keep it sort of its own thing.

However, I'm looking forward to becoming more acquainted with the Haunted Places and Haunted Sites Examiners!

. within

Can Ghosts Follow You Home?

2009-05-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend the other day about HauntJaunts.net and he said, "Ghosts can follow you home. You don't want to be messing with seeking them out, Courtney. That's bad stuff."

That's a concept I've seen addressed on some of the TV shows that deal with ghosts and haunted places. Some people perform little protection ceremonies before even entering a suspected haunted area. Others do it after, and ask that the spirits leave them in peace as they have tried to do while on their territory. Some combine both techniques together.

I always think it's respectful, if you think you're in the presence of a ghost, to introduce yourself, explain why you're there, and to ask that the entity respect your boundaries. Unless you really do something not to a ghost's liking, I can't see them meaning you any harm.

I also don't believe ghosts can, will, or would even want to follow you home. Mostly I believe they can't, though. I believe ghosts are attached to their surroundings. So much so that's what causes them to haunt there!

But as for regular, every day people who happen to show up? Why would they follow you home? If they didn't know you while they were alive, they couldn't form an attachment to you. Hence, there's no emotion invested in you, nothing at stake.

Although, I have to admit I've read a couple of interesting stories about such a concept, such as Janet Brown's The Ghost in a Yellow Dress or Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box. The first dealt with a ghost following someone home, the second with a ghost haunting the buyer of a haunted suit off of eBay.

All fiction aside, I believe it's not a ghost you're dealing with if it follows you home. It's something worse. Could be something evil, perhaps even demonic, but you're run-of-the-mill ghost? Nah. There's no motivation for them to do such a thing.

Still, for paranormal activity that's sketchy and less run-of-the-mill (i.e. not your average bumps in the night/apparition sightings), it's probably best to say your blessings and perform protection ceremonies when adventuring to those.

Ghost Cams: Ghost Hunt from Home

2009-05-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today I joined Digg and came across some great articles, including one on a topic I've been pondering writing about/adding to HauntJaunts.net's Find a Jaunts page: Ghost Cams.

WHAT'S A GHOST CAM?

A ghost cam is a webcam set up to monitor paranormal activity. Then, you the at-home-ghost-hunter, can monitor the activity without the travel, hassle, or investment in equipment. And you can do it round-the-clock if you want to. For multiple locations all at once.

HOW DO I FIND A GHOST CAM?

One way is to Google "ghost cam." You'll get a mind-boggling list of hits. Some are for actual ghost cams set up monitoring activity, some are to try and sell you ghost hunting equipment...it's really kind of overwhelming.

Or...

You can save yourself all that work and check out this great article by Ryan Dube called "Go Ghost Hunting with Your Internet Browser." Not only does he list the top ghost cams out there, he shows you how to set up a Webcam Watcher. I didn't even know there was such a tool!

But Ryan sure does, and he uses step-by-step illustrations to explain how to configure everything you'll need to have what he calls your at-home "ghost hunting lab" to flow smoothly from your computer.

It was a really great article that had exactly what I was wondering about (best ghost cams) and a little bit more (a technology lesson).

HauntedCon 2009

2009-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today I was perusing posts on the Haunted Times Yahoo Groups listing I recently joined and saw a post for HauntedCon. Of course that piqued my interest, so I clicked on the link and was taken to the HauntedCon 2009 website.

WHERE AND WHEN

HauntedCon 2009 will be held September 24-26 in Prescott, Arizona at the historic Hotel St. Michael.

I'm kind of hoping I'll get good news next week about my cancer. I used to live in Arizona and Prescott is one of my favorite places. I'd like to attend this conference! Not only because of the location, but because of who all they'll have there.

WHO WILL BE THERE

Guests they'll have there include:

Chip Coffey from Psychic Kids and Paranormal State
Demonologist John Zaffis
Christopher Moon of Haunted Times Magazine and Telephone to the Dead
Michelle "Babs" Babiarz from the PSI Network
Stacey Jones of the Central NY Ghost Hunters
Scotty Roberts, author and Intuitive Tarot Consultant
Mark Mihalko, cryptozoologist and Haunted Times Literary Director
Tim Meunier of River City Paranormal Investigations
Brian Cano & Chris Mancuso, paranormal investigators and urban explorers
Michelle Belanger, vampire author and energy worker

...just to name a few.

Looks like the Paranormal Activity Search Team (P.A.S.T.) of Arizona and Haunted Times Magazine (who are co-sponsoring the HauntedCon) have really gone to a lot of trouble to attract some neat guests.

They don't have the full agenda up on the site yet, but I imagine they will before long.

COST

They have several ticket options to choose from.

Thusday only or Friday only tickets = $99
Saturday only (with buffet dinner) = $124
2 day Thurs & Fri only = $182
2 day with Saturday = $194
3 day (Thurs, Fri, Sat) = $284

This is for the conference only. It doesn't include the cost of any hotel stay.

Ghostvillage.com

2009-05-11T13:00:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I spent a lot of time adding books to Haunt Jaunt's Emporium. Among them was The World's Most Haunted Places: From the Secret Files of Ghostvillage.com by Jeff Belanger.

I'd heard of Ghostvillage.com, had even clicked through from some Google search I'd run on something or another, but hadn't ever really checked it out. (I think I'd meant to the time I clicked through, but I believe I didn't dawdle because I was on the hunt for something...)

Anyway, I finally tooled around there a little bit more. I found out Mr. Belanger has written a ton of books, a couple of which I'm sure also got added to HJ's Emporium this past weekend like Our Haunted Lives, the Encyclopedia of Haunted Places, and what I believe is his newest book, Who's Haunting the White House. But he's got tons more.

The site's really neat --not to mention among the most popular of its kind. Well, on their home page they declare they are "the most popular paranormal destination according to Google.com and Amazon.com."

Paranormal? Destination? Perfect item for Haunt Jaunts!

And I can see why it attracts so many visitors. There are forums, blogs, a listing of Haunted Events, even a listing of some Haunted Places and Haunted Hotels and B&Bs under its Directories tab.

Pretty cool stuff. I have a feeling I'll be referring back to Ghostvillage.com a lot.

Oh, they also have a newsletter. I made sure to sign up for it.

Anyway, not a conventional Jaunt, but heading to ghostvillage.com is definitely one worthy of making!

HauntJaunts.net Adds "Emporium"

2009-05-09T08:51:00.001-07:00

Once HauntJaunts.net goes live, I'm going to have writers to pay. Which means I need a way to make money from the site.

In addition to offering advertising opportunities, one of those ways was to become a Travelocity Affiliate Member. Anytime someone clicks through on our link and books travel arrangements through Travelocity, we get a cut.

Another way was Amazon's Affiliate Program. I've long been a member of it, but other than to post links on my personal site, I really haven't utilized it much. Until now...

HAUNTJAUNTS.NET EMPORIUM

I figured out the whole aStore thing and was able to create one for Haunt Jaunts! So far we have cameras, camcorders, clothing, ghost hunting equipment,luggage, books and magazines. Basically, if I thought a ghost hunting enthusiast would be interested in something, I added it to the store.

Which was kind of fun. It was like shopping without spending the money...

Anyway, if you want to check it out, click here. I also put a standing link to it on the sidebar of the blog. And of course you can access it from the website, HauntJaunts.net. (Which isn't technically live yet, but certain elements are active, like trying to find writers and generate submissions, so...it's up, but just not necessarily running at full steam yet.)

Getting HauntJaunts.net Up and Running

2009-05-07T12:21:00.001-07:00

There is still a lot of work left to do, but HauntJaunts.net is well underway.

ABOUT

Just as Haunt Jaunts the blog is a travel blog for restless spirits, HauntJaunts.net will be a travel site for restless spirits.

THE CONCEPT

Several years ago I had an idea that I'd write a book called Haunt Jaunts: A Travel Guide for Restless Spirits. I'd really enjoyed using Joyce Elson Moore's Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida to explore Florida when my husband and I first moved there in 1999. Wayne and I ended up having some neat weekend excursions thanks to that book, which I came to think of as our "haunt jaunts."

Anyway, then I started thinking about how I could write a book, what I'd have in it, but... something just didn't seem to gel. There are tons of regional ghost books and what I had in mind just wasn't wanting to manifest in "book" form. It didn't feel right, I couldn't visualize it, etc. But it didn't dawn on me to do a website until a couple of years later. When it did, well...have you ever had an idea gnaw at you, keep you up at night, light your fire, basically consume you? That's what happened to me.

I had put the plans into motion to create the site last February. But then in March my mom got sick, I ended up having to move her in with me, that turned into a full time job, then she passed away, then I got sick, found out I had cancer, started chemo...It was a rough year.

But now that I'm feeling better (and have a second shot at life right now), I decided to take the plunge and create the site.

WHAT HAUNTJAUNTS.NET WILL OFFER

First and foremost it will be a listing of Haunt Jaunts, or travel destinations that allegedly have ghosts or paranormal activity. Jaunts are broken down and cross-referenced in two ways: By Region and By Venue.

By Region lists Jaunts by state, then alphabetizes them by city. By Venue is broken down into three categories: Apparition Attractions, Eerie Eateries & Pubs, and Spooky Stays.

I'll also be doing something I've always wanted to do: have a publishing venture! On a monthly basis I'll publish travel articles and short stories with a ghostly slant.

There's also The Book Shelf, which will feature books about ghosts and haunted places. (Both fiction and non-fiction.)

"WILL YOU ABANDON THE BLOG?"

No way! If anything, it'll get used more. I plan to do book reviews, author interviews (both authors whose pieces I accept for publication as well as those who have written ghost books), and I'll make editorial comments each month when I publish new stories and articles.

I'm really excited about this, having a lot of fun, and I hope my enthusiasm will catch on to the ghost loving community and we all end up having a whole lot of fun talking about, learning about, and exploring the plethora of Haunt Jaunts out there.

Ghosts in the News for the Week of 5/3/09

2009-05-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of places I came across in news stories this week that might be fun to take a Haunt Jaunt to.

HISTORIC FORT WAYNE - Detroit, MI

According to an article published on May 4, 2009 by TheTimesHerald.com, Metro Paranormal Investigations (MPI) out of Macomb, Michigan, in conjunction with the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, will be giving ghost tours/allowing for paranormal investigations of Historic Fort Wayne on the following dates:

May 16, 2009
June 20, 2009
August 16, 2009
September 19, 2009
October 31, 2009.

The fort is located in downtown Detroit along the banks of the Detroit River. Like many such sights, there've been a lot of reports of mysterious forms and unexplained activity. Some of which I presume you'll learn about during the guided tour that'll start off the evening. (Investigators with MPI will be on the tours.) Then, afterwards, you're on your own to investigate where and how you want.

Tickets may be reserved by visiting The Haunted Tours at Historic Fort Wayne site. (Click here.) Cost: $40 per person, with proceeds benefiting Historic Fort Wayne.

Clever idea to raise funds to preserve a historic site!

For more info about MPI, check out their website.

RAMS HEAD TAVERN - Annapolis, MD

I have a special affinity for haunted pubs. Even before my experiences at the Shilo Inn or in St. Augustine, there was the George & Dragon in Phoenix.

It was supposed to be like an English pub. Neat place. We often met coworkers there for happy hour or dinner. It was a waitress wearing a mass of jingling bracelets on her wrist that first alerted me to the theory their may be an otherworldly patron or two hanging about. Like with Harry's in St. Augustine, this ghost had a penchant for the bathroom, too. (But I never experienced anything like what I did at Harry's.)

Anyway, so I love when I stumble across haunted bar stories. Which is what I found in a story by Diane Rey on HometownAnnapolis.com from May 4, 2009.

The building that houses the tavern can trace its roots all the way back to 1703. It's been a lot of things over the years besides a tavern and has seen a lot of people come and go. well, um, er...maybe not so much go.

The most notable lingerer is a spirit known as Amy. Legend has it she died in the building while "entertaining" a male client. In addition to spotting her apparition, some claim to feel a cold chill they believe is her when in the presence of "hot guys." (From one of he servers.)

But there's also an old woman some believe roam the tavern, and employees report feeling uncomfortable and spooked by another presence in the cellar.

It sounds like a neat place as is. Food, drinks, music...can't go wrong. But what sounds even more fun is what the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Association did recently: they gathered in the tavern's "tea room," had dinner, then conducted a hunt afterwards.

As Rey quoted manager Scott Haney in the article, "Ghosts don't have to be scary. If they help sell beer, even better."

My thoughts precisely!

Haunted Skies

2009-05-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

I just read an interesting article called "Ghosts on a Plane" over at TravelParanormal.com.

I thought it was going to be about planes that were haunted and experiences travelers have had on board, but it was a little different. It referenced air force bases being haunted, but talked primarily about crash sites and the after effects some have experienced.

It takes a lot to give me chills these days, and I thought I'd heard just about every variation of ghost story out there, but I have to admit this article brought fresh shivers to my spine. Especially the tale of a crash site in Illinois.

If I'm understanding the article correctly, the crash happened in 1979 near Des Plaine.

CHILL #1

After the crash there were reports of "bobbing lights." Some thought it was people looking to scavenge the crash site, but when police were called out they found nothing. Kind of weird, but makes sense. As I'll never forget Donna Marsh saying, the "freshies" didn't know where to go. Instead their energy lingered and resulted in the mysterious lights.

Still, I had never thought about a crash site holding residual energy like this. Why, I don't know. It's no different than a car crash site and I've heard (and even believed) a fair share of tales about those. Maybe because it's not every day you pass a plane crash site...

CHILL #2

This is what really got me, though. Right after the crash, residents at a nearby mobile home park started having some weird experiences with knockings on their doors (and even windows). Except, when they went to answer (or investigate), no one was there.

And one man reportedly was out walking his dog one night, came across a man who not only smelt of gasoline but was smoldering a bit. Gas Man told Dog Walker Man he needed to make an emergency call. Dog Walker Man turned to point out a public phone but when he turned back Gas Man had vanished.

ARE THERE GHOSTS ON PLANES?

I know some groups, even my favorite ghost hunting group TAPS, has investigated air force bases where helicopters or planes now used as displays have purported hauntings, but I wonder if any working commercial airliners ever have an extra passenger on board?

That thought might give me pause the next time I'm flying with an empty seat on either side of me...

Click here to read "Ghosts on a Plane."

Attachments

2009-05-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ghosts, history, attachments...it's all quite curious when you stop to think of it.

I once attended a Ghost Hunting Class given by Donna Marsh. I recently learned she's a Nashville Ghosts & Hauntings Examiner for Examiner.com. Click here to check out her articles.

At any rate, in her class she'd brought up an interesting point I'd never considered before about child spirits, especially in schools. I happened to love my elementary school, which may or may not have been haunted. (Refer to an earlier post I wrote about Cheeseman Academy to see what I mean.)

But did I haunt it in a way? I had a great deal of affection for the place and a very strong attachment. Not quite as strong as for the house I grew up in, but...I used to dream about my school all the time. I sometimes wonder if I wasn't haunting it in a way before it got torn down. Kind of like an out of body haunting. I haven't dreamt of it since, so I don't think I'm haunting that site anymore.

But the point I'm trying to make is that wherever we have the strongest attachment is where, if we do ever end up as a ghost, is where we'll go. Kids often haunt schools because they have spent so very much time there. In some cases it feels like a home away from home. (I know my school certainly felt that way.)

When I think of the traditional haunted houses, I think of the old castles, manors, plantations or estates where, especially the womenfolk, didn't have much opportunity for traveling away from. They were as defined by their surroundings as their surroundings defined them. And if you happened to idolize, love and in general feel very safe in your surroundings, surely a part of your spirit would linger after your physical body passed from this Earth.

Hotels interest me for this reason. Especially resort hotels where wealthy people might pass a "season." I imagine you could form quite an attachment then too and decide to linger after life.

Bars and pubs, unless they were once houses, trouble me, though. I suppose if a very violent, unexpected death occurred an attachment could form. But those also seem the ones that it'd be easiest to "treat." (Meaning coax the spirit to move on.) Unless the person who died owned the place or something like that where they had a strong attachment for affinity sake.

All I know, I often dream of my childhood home and wonder by doing so if I ever "manifest" and cause the new owners alarm. That house will always be the penultimate of safety and comfort and happy memories for me. And if I ever do become a ghost, I'm sure that's where you'll find my spirit.

The Spalding Inn

2009-04-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of the show Ghost Hunters but I don't follow Jason and Grant's every doing like some fans. That's why I was surprised to learn they'd bought an inn in New Hampshire. The Spalding Inn, which was a fairly decent-sized one too. (Guess they can no longer claim the show hasn't been good to them monetarily. I'd read something once where Jason was trying to be all modest and defend he wasn't getting rich off the show, that he was still just a plumber for Roto-Rooter. I don't think too many plumbers could buy inn's...)

Anyway, they called in the Ghost Hunters International (GHI) Team to do the investigation. There were a fair amount of personal experiences as well as evidence they captured, mostly EVPs. Was it enough to say the place is haunted? Is it going to be the next Stanley Hotel?

Not sure, but there's definitely activity there.

I will be curious when it opens, however. It'll go on the list of Spooky Stays when I get HauntJaunts.net up and running! Who knows? Maybe it'll even be a place Wayne and I will go check out. I've always wanted to make it up to that area...

The Titanic Exhibit - Haunted?

2009-04-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of the Sci Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters like I am, then you know last week they investigated a very unusual spot: The Georgia Aquarium, which had been one of the stops for the traveling Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.

A HAUNTED EXHIBIT?

Man, I sure wish I had known the exhibit was rumored to be haunted when we'd seen it in Denver a couple of years back. It certainly has a creepy, haunted feeling, but mostly that's due to the fact that you knew the stuff on display had once belonged to real people --and which had spent a great deal of time resting in what could have been a permanent watery grave if it hadn't been excavated like it had.

Except, now I'm wondering if that's not the only reason for the exhibit's haunted feeling. I certainly never expected the TAPS team to find anything. The last thing I would have expected was them to see shadow figures or capture an EVP, but...that's what happened. Crazy!

But very interesting. I can't help but wonder which artifact or artifacts has someone's energy attached to it. That would be neat to figure out. Even neater if you knew who had owned that artifact. Then you could better communicate with that person's spirit.

TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION

If you've never been, it's worth the price of admission. (Which is about $27.)

You have to buy a ticket for a specific viewing, it's not just one of those exhibits you can drop in on any old time you want. They have set entry times.

When you get there, you're given a boarding pass which tells you who you are (a real life passenger aboard the ship), where you were traveling from, who you were traveling with, what class you were booked under, your cabin number, your reason for travel, and even gives a passenger fact, if known. Then at the end of the exhibit you can scan the list of survivors or those who didn't make it to see what your fate was.

I kept my husband's boarding pass. (I thought I had kept mine too. I was a first class passenger. some kind of lady with a title, but I don't remember either what her name or title was now.)

But my husband was Mr. Michael Navratil (aka Louis Hoffman). He was traveling in 2nd class with his two small sons, Michael (3) and Edmond (2). He was from Nice, France, but booked them all under the false name of Hoffman because he was going through a nasty custody battle with his wife. He thought this would make her follow, and they'd all be reunited again in New York.

He ended up dying, but I believe his sons survived.

The Titanic exhibit is interesting, sad, eerie, but amazing. I've made my husband watch Titanic the movie over and over and over again. He was not looking forward to me dragging him to the exhibit. But he ended up enjoying it immensely and found it extremely interesting.

To see where Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition can currently be experienced, click here.

Cheeseman Park - Denver, CO

2009-04-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

A BRIEF HISTORY ON MY CONNECTION WITH CHEESEMAN PARK

I attended Cheeseman Academy from 1st grade through 6th. My class was the last to graduate from the school, in fact.

Cheeseman Academy was situated on the fringe of Cheeseman Park. It was housed in a glorious old brownstone mansion. It had started out as a girl's school, complete with dormitories, in the early 1900s. I'm not sure when it became a co-ed private school, but a woman named Ms. Miller owned and ran it for years and years. She died when I was in 5th grade I believe. Maybe 4th. Her son and his wife took over the school when I was in 6th grade, then decided it was too much, the building was too old and needed too much upkeep, enrollment was dropping so...they opted to shut it down.

THE DREAMS

For a long time I used to have horrible dreams featuring Cheeseman Academy. Dreams not inspired by terrible teachers or bullies I had to contend with, but just by the feeling I sometimes got while at the school. Sometimes it was just a plain spooky place to be.

I'd dream about a malevolent spirit. One that lived up in the attic, a place that in real life students were rarely allowed to go. When we were, it was always in the presence of a teacher, never by ourselves. It would torment me in my dreams...fly down at me as I was walking upstairs, stalk me in the gym, make me not want to be left alone in certain classrooms... I loved attending the school when I was little, but I sure wasn't always happy to dream about it.

I had the dreams on and off until Cheeseman was finally torn down sometime in the '90s. I haven't dreamt of the school since then..nor of the ghost.

CHEESEMAN'S HISTORY AS A CEMETERY

At one point, Cheeseman was the old city cemetery. Mt. Prospect Cemetery was its name. In 1890 an Act of Congress mandated that this parcel of property was not supposed to be used for a cemetery but was supposed to be a park. Bodies were removed --paid for by relatives if they could afford it and were wanting to claim family members.

However, in the area known as Potter's Field , where the poor and indecent were buried, who was there to pay for their removal? The city of course. And they paid a man named E.P. McGovern $1.90 a body.

But McGovern had to use children's caskets because a bad mining accident in Utah created a shortage of adult caskets. But since adult bodies wouldn't fit in the children's caskets, he sized them to fit. As you might expect, some discrepancies in billing resulted.

The health commissioner of the time decided to halt further removal of bodies and to seal the land. Some now wonder if this sealed the fate of the park that was to come...

GHOST ACTIVITY IN AND AROUND THE PARK

Sine Cheeseman Academy resided on the edge of the park, we were there almost every day. (Winter excluded.) But on nice fall and spring afternoons it was the rule not the exception to go for an outing to the park.

Some have reported strange feelings or interactions while in the park. Such as laying on the grass and feeling like they couldn't get up, like something was holding them down. I never felt anything while I was in the park...only while I was in the school.

And others who live in the houses or condos and apartments that line the park have felt similar things. Some have been more friendly than the ghost who inhabited my dreams, but some have provided quite a shock.

WHERE IS CHEESEMAN PARK IN DENVER?

Cheeseman Park is located between E. 8th Ave and E. 13th Ave and Race St. and Humboldt St.

FUN FACTS

Cheeseman Park's history was partly the inspiration for the movie Poltergeist.
The Denver Botanic Gardens is also by the park. Because the DBG was also erected over the old cemetery, some people have reported experiencing paranormal activity there too. In fact, an old coffin and remains was recently unearthed when the DBG started construction on a parking garage.

Spookiest Haunted Hotels and B&Bs

2009-04-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

There's no guarantee that you'll experience anything paranormal at the following hotels and bed & breakfasts, but you might. They all have quite the history --either of murder and mayhem or of paranormal mischief in general.

They've also all been featured on various TV shows, including ones likes Scariest Places and Ghost Hunters. Heck, one was even featured in a book! (That's why it's number one. Who hasn't heard about how The Stanley Hotel was the spark for Stephen King's The Shining?)

The Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, CO
Lizzie Borden B&B - Fall River, MA
The Myrtles Plantation - St. Francisville, LA
Hotel Del Coronado - Coronado, CA
The Don Cesar Hotel - St. Pete Beach, FL

Spooky Nights at the Shilo Inn

2009-03-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

In 1998, I worked for the law firm Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix, Arizona. I worked in Bankruptcy at the time, but business was slow back then. Because we had a minimum hours requirement and I was having trouble meeting mine, I was "loaned out" to another practice group.

Funny, now that I think back I don't know what the group was called. I know they did oil and gas stuff out of the Salt Lake City office, but I don't know if that's what they were called. That part really doesn't matter. What's important is that I spent two weeks in Salt Lake City copying oil records at a government building.

THE HOTEL

I'm also not 100% on the name of the hotel I stayed at, but I do believe it was the Shilo Inn in downtown Salt Lake City. I remember I was across from the convention center and this hotel fits the bill.

It was during my second week in town that I had my "encounter."

THE FIRST EXPERIENCE

The very first odd thing I remember happening was when I woke up one morning. I got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, then found myself rapidly ducking as I turned the corner and saw a dark mass flying at me from out of the corner of my eye.

I remember feeling so confused. I was certain something had flown at me. Not just something, but possibly even someone. If I hadn't been standing there all by myself I would've sworn someone else had just rushed at me...or maybe even swung at me.

But there was nothing there. I was all by myself. I pretty much dismissed it after I took a shower. I was a little worried about my health actually...until I rationalized it that I was maybe just more asleep than I wanted to admit when I'd first stumbled out of bed.

THE SECOND EXPERIENCE

Harder to dismiss was what happened over the next couple of nights. (Which I'll just lump generally together as "The Second Experience.")

I remember being awoken by something...sounds in my room. Almost like drawers being opened. When I turned on the lights nothing was out of place, though, and I was still all alone.

Yet, I had the oddest sensation I wasn't all alone. And for some reason I had the notion children were hiding in the drawers. It was a really creepy feeling, and like I alluded to before, it lasted more than one night.

GHOSTS OF THE MURDERED CHILDREN?

When I got back to Phoenix I was talking to one of the project assistants who'd been born and raised in Salt Lake City. She had asked how I'd liked it there. I had really enjoyed the city. I'd had my nights free...and had gotten off at 5 p.m. most nights so I had time to explore a little. I'd actually ended up having a blast.

But I did happen to mention my weird experiences...just kind of jokingly. I never expected her to tell me what she did.

She didn't know which hotel it'd happened at, but she remembered when she'd been little that a lady had thrown several of her kids out the window before killing herself.

Could it be the sensation of children playing in the drawers of my room had been these children?

I don't know. I've never been able to confirm if that had really happened. (Heck, the project assistant might even have been pulling my leg for all I know! I doubt it, because she wasn't that type, but...I suppose there's always that possibility.)

If you happen to live in Salt Lake City or grew up there yourself and remember such an incident, or if you come across any news articles detailing one, I'd really appreciate hearing of it.

Introduction - Here there be ghosts

2009-03-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

What is Haunt Jaunts?

Simply put, it's a travel blog for restless spirits.

I've had the idea for a while now. When my husband Wayne and I moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Jacksonville, Florida, we took a day trip to St. Augustine. As we drove past the fort (officially known as the Castillo de San Marcos), I remember whispering to him, "Here there be ghosts."

We didn't go in that day. We just walked around the town, then went to eat at Harry's. We were seated upstairs and after we ordered I went to use the bathroom. (There are two, one downstairs and one up. I used the upstairs one.)

That's when I met my first ghost.

Well, not "met" exactly. Experienced would be a better word.

THE BATHROOM INCIDENT

I was all alone in the bathroom, but I got the oddest sensation I wasn't. It's hard to explain. There was a chill in the air, and it felt as if there was a presence lingering. Watching. Waiting. I remember as I washed my hands looking in the mirror and scrutinizing the area behind me. I swear it felt like someone was right behind my shoulder, but no one was. I have never hustled out of a bathroom faster.

When I was once again back at the safety of the table, I felt foolish. I sort of laughed to Wayne that something odd had happened in the bathroom. But since nothing had really happened, I'd just had a weird feeling more than anything, there wasn't much to tell. He just shook his head and the matter was forgotten.

THE GHOST BOOK

A few months later, though, I came across a book, Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida. It's broken up into regions. Region Two caught my eye because it was where we lived. A couple of the places listed we'd either been to or had passed by, but some I hadn't heard of. Like "Site 13 - 46 Avenida Menendez."

"What's that?" I wondered, knowing we'd likely been by it. Avenida Menendez was one of the main thoroughfares through St. Augustine.

So I started reading and learned that at one time it had been the Chart House restaurant, but before that it had been a house. One that had a history of fire and a woman named Bridgett died during it. The author had talked to former restaurant owners who shared some experiences with odd happenings they'd seen. But the line that almost stopped my heart was, "Psychics came in, and they said there was an obvious presence in the ladies' room upstairs."

I pleaded with Wayne to take me back to St. Augustine that weekend. I had to know if Harry's was at 46 Avenida Menendez. (I knew it was, but I had to see it in person for myself.) Sure enough, we found that's exactly where it was...and I was convinced then that I, too, had experienced the presence in the upstairs bathroom.

Thus was born a new kind of travel regimen for us. I used Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida as a travel guide to take us to other places in Florida where ghosts were alleged to dwell.

THE QUEST

I think part of me was on a quest to again have an experience like the one I'd had at Harry's. Because that wasn't the first time I'd encountered ghosts on my travels. In the couple of years leading up to that, I'd had some other ghost experiences at other places. One a pub in Phoenix and one a hotel in Salt Lake City.

Mostly I was hoping to put myself in a place where I'd perhaps see an actual apparition and have the "Holy Grail" of ghost encounters. But what happened was that Wayne and I ended up going around and seeing a bunch of really cool places and having a blast in the process.

THE BIRTH OF HAUNT JAUNTS

That's how I got the idea to chronicle our travels, and our travel dreams. Haunt Jaunts the blog will be a combination of places we've been, places we'd like to go, and interviews with others who have had similar experiences.

I welcome comments, be they suggestions for places to travel to that you've heard of where ghosts may live, or experiences you've had on your travels. Thanks for your interest!