I am really excited about what 2012 has brought to The Paranormal & Ghost Society. If anybody ever tells you that hard work does not pay off do not believe them. My research has been ongoing for years our society is over 11 years old give or take and we finally reached the 1000th investigation milestone. I look back thinking about all the cuts, bruises and sacrifices I have made towards our cause then think wow look at all the things we have done. There is not a soul that could ever take away that milestone from me because all the cases were my own and I was on board for every single one of them.

I wanted our 1000th to be special though so I had chosen Bodie and its been in the back of my mind for many years ago when I first opened our doors up. Being out west allows me to see some of the greatest ghost towns some have strange stories others are just great to explore. Bodie has a bit of both some of the paranormal and definitely a very deep history of outlaws as well as gold mining. It definitely is the largest and most in tact ghost town probably in the entire United States with stories about murders, robberies, brothels and even curses. Personally I do believe it was the wildest town in the wild west so of course what better then to experience such a milestone there right?

Anyhow my day would take me to a total of three major locations which would include almost 170 sites in the town of Bodie California, The Chemung Mill & Mine and finally the ghost town of Masonic that had two other mines I ventured into. My day would be a mix of history, paranormal and adventure. There is nothing greater then packing up the gear, shot gun, food, beers and grabbing a couple hot coffees taking the road less traveled.

As some of you know these locations are in Mono County which is also home to Yosemite and the massive 600 mile deep Mammoth Caves. It is home to some of the most beautiful forest and desert in the country. Its amazing at the amount of beautiful lakes and historic sites can be found here. I am lucky because I only live about sixty miles from the county line so for me to drive up to Yosemite or for example the historic town of Bridgeport truly is close for me. Its a county we will eventually work allot with although I have hit over 1000 investigations our work is far from done we will continue our journeys and see where it will take us.

This is why I love living where I do I get the best of both worlds mountains, desert, forest and vast wilderness that go on for hundreds of square miles. I mean it would take many lifetimes to see it all so the work I do is tedious as I always try to cover as much as I can. Unfortunately since over the years we hardly get anymore donations its hard for us to press on especially with gas prices. Most of my trips are done via offroading just as this one would take places for many miles on various old wagon roads so if you get stuck your pretty much screwed since its so vast. I guess that is what makes our investigations so intense is one minute your in a ghost town the next your underground.

The weather was perfect you cannot ask for a better day no winds just nice 70 degree temps so when I woke up early in the morning I ate pancakes I wanted a fun way to start the day off. Hell then after that I had to fill up on gas and get ice for the cooler. I had no plans on coming home anytime soon till my work was completed. So I knew it would be a long day and despite how bad my knee has been feeling from my injury from last weeks spat while filming a show for the SYFY network I really wanted to go didn't matter if I limped around these ghost towns lol.

The ride is so nice up to Mono County its full of forest, rock formations, meadows, high desert and rugged snow capped mountains. When you reach the town of Bridgeport they have many old historical sites including their courthouse which is just beyond gorgeous. I like this town because it truly is what a small town is all about with allot of little festivals and nature surrounding it. Sure one can investigate sites but you have to really also learn to absorb the areas you travel to.

I am not your typical paranormal investigator over the years I have learned to serve all functions and variations of it. So I try now to do EVP's, Videos, Awesome Photography and EMF. If you notice we cover allot of wildlife, history and adventure on our expeditions. I wanted this to be the case with this trip to go all out and we did trust me. When this hits our site your going to be tickled pink because I work very hard when it comes to every location especially when they are locations such as these they really need thorough investigations.

Bodie California

We would eventually reach the long road on into Bodie its rather scenic kind of bare although its a greener desert when spring blooms. Its hard to believe the amount of snow this region receives that's one of the reasons why most of these sites were abandoned. In the winter you will have over 8' of snow back in throughout this region. So anyway's we arrived at the front entrance to Bodie as at the entrance road on into the town you can see a mine cart and sign. Off to the left near the entrance is the cemetery I stopped to take photos of the town and was looking for a pay box.

The ranger came up to me really friendly guy which goes with the not so friendly park worker who chased me in her golf cart later during the day and he told me where to park my truck. He had me follow him up there and then I paid him 24$ most I ever paid to get in a state park especially considering they keep it only open a few hours its kind of a bit costly. I also paid another $2 for a pamphlet as the proceeds go towards Bodie at the time I was fine with that till I dealt with Sergeant Bitch. Sorry if that seems a bit abrasive its just that over the years I been doing everything I can to preserve historic sites, promote these sites so that they can be restored and educate those who visit our site. When you run into a person who takes what your doing for granted or they abuse that factor it leaves a bad sting with ever wanting to donate again.

Anyhow the ranger was cool we set on off at some mine elevators and a historic plaque. The town is very spread out its amazing how much debris scattered here all the way from mine carts, machinery, metal cans, elevator cables, piles of ore, wood, metal, wagons, stagecoaches, furnaces, stoves, smelters, coffins, furniture, wheels, cars etc etc. Its very surreal lets leave it that you will never see anything like this. Rather then go into this big long rant when this comes out on our site your going to get to see photos of the entire town. I covered over 120 sites for our viewers so allot of walking and hard work went into Bodie.

I have to say I am amazed at how extensive the town is its a mix of wood, stone and brick ruins. Some of them were built around different times but only 5 percent of this metropolis exist of its 2,000 plus structures. However during my investigation I was able to see a bank, vault, church, barns, stables, homesteads, mills, numerous warehouses, stores, hotels, schoolhouse and industrial sites. You could tell a difference between the districts all the streets still exist today are well plotted. There are a couple creeks with bridges in the town with low water which I thought was a pretty cool thing you do not see often in western ghost towns.

Although most areas are locked down or sealed off with wiring their was quite a few areas I was able to go inside and get some EVP's. I was a bit upset as when I arrived at Bodie the EMF broke so if anybody can donate some we really are high need of working ones. I mean we go through them constantly starting to think the entities we deal with cause them to stop working seriously. But it conked out so we just had to do allot of good old fashioned ghosthunting.

I visited two proposed haunted sites one being the Cain House and the other being the Mendocini House. Both have interesting stories although one of them I felt a little more at then the other particularly the Cain House. This house is where rangers including their spouses have had paranormal occurrences at. Its kind of eerie not seeing drapes on some of the windows within the town. Just as some windows had no panes you always feel as if something is watching you.

Their is an old restaurant and hotel in town its abandoned but the plates still sit on the table. The place is covered inside with old luggage and spiderwebs. Some guy comes up to me says their is no way that was left as is. I was thinking of course not you have to bring in tourism somehow however all the things left behind were part of the town just some belongs were rearranged while others were left to be covered in dust.

Tammy was looking down the hotel of the hall when she seen a shadow inside the locked building. I knew she seen something based on watching how she reacted I sort of thought to myself damn I wish I seen what she got to see. But she witnessed a ghost before I did in Bodie. She took a photo you can see a definitely black mass of energy in the hall while in my photo the mass does NOT exist. I am almost sure what she seen was a ghost based on how she told me it was a moving shadow. The hotel has been locked up for ages but you can look in the windows I guess it was many things including a brothel. It seen allot of action including murders and its fair share of death.

Allot of people who visit Bodie also see apparitions in the windows I didn't see one but someone had put two mannequin heads in one of the buildings looking out which I thought at first was apparitions looking at me. I was just walking near the old post office happened to look up and pow their it was. I can see how some people might be scared mistaken them as ghost in the evenings then say they seen a ghost but it is my job to debunk the paranormal. Not everything I see is paranormal but I can generally tell you what is real and what is not based on my experience over the years.

My ghostly experience happened in a small homestead I may talk about which one when I update our site but it was in a desolate part of town before Bunker Hill where all the mines resided. That street seems to have many of the more poorer community resident homes. I walked up a porch looked inside a half busted out door into the living room and this apparition came from the room to the left into the living room and went right into another room perhaps a bedroom. It was just a solid shadow of a man a matter of a few feet in front of my eyes and it was as if knew I seen him and he was confused which room to go hide on in. I couldn't believe it guess the ghost couldn't either because I just walked right up on the porch stuck my head in and caught it off guard it happens.

Their also was another odd site the old jail on the hill temperature readings were much cooler here unlike any other place. Their should have not been a reason all the windows are gone, doors ripped off with wires over them. Their is no reason why the jail was cold but you could sense death emanating from this place it stood out I also had the chance to visit a few homesteads still in tact inside one of them had an old wood stove, fireplace, bed, children's potty, table, pots and pans. The other home was really dark and dingy inside some furnishing left behind from the 1800's but nothing other then just a big abandoned house on the hill. I did take video of allot of sites inside and outside this includes photos. Believe me I hardly ever miss a beat with what I do so what you will see is what I had gotten to observe.

Do not get me wrong I did my fair share of horse playing to like riding in some cart.....jumping in an old car.....and preaching at the church to the town. So many come here and take it all to seriously but at one time Bodie was a place people feared. People were robbed, murdered, strangled or died up in the mines. The entire town is overshadowed by the mills and mines on the hill. Their are grinders everywhere just as in one of the stores you can see an old scale. Bottles and antiques dating back from when the town thrived can be seen in all the windows including one of the morgues where coffins are still present.

What I didn't realize is although it was very warm out that Id get sunburn as bad as I did. My nose and arms were redder then a turkeys pecker man. I am feeling the burn I brought sunscreen I just forgot to put it on thinking ehhhh its not to hot out well it was hotter then I thought. We had lunch though made sandwiches and had icy cold waters. I couldn't take to long because the park was closing down although at the time I did contact someone about my visit so they knew I was up there.

Throughout the town their was also allot of wells some were deeper then others some had snow at the bottom. I had noticed that the bucket in the church and a bed inside the homestead was full of money. I guess that is how the town receives its donations ill have to look more into why people throw their money into these objects and not other sites around the town. I have to say that I probably was able to see allot more then most visitors thankfully no rattle snakes because I climbed over fences covered in heavy desert brush and through allot of places snakes love to hide lol.

As some of you know I am also into wildlife so we tried to photograph rabbits, birds and squirrels. Their was a baby rabbit who was missing his tail he wasn't running from us and allot of birds I never seen before. It almost seems as if nature is consuming this land again its a good site to see really. I can imagine in the warmer season the rattle snakes may become a problem afterall this part of Mono County is desert.

Many of the buildings were just dingy, dark and eerie but their were only a few that really got my attention. For example the major hotel in town I knew something was there then Tammy seen something. That place just gives off a really major vibe not even the more eerie looking structures do perhaps due to the fact of this places sinful history.

Tammy and I did split up I decided to go hiking somehow I ended up Bunker Hill not sure how but I did lol. I lost my radio with her so their was no communication so I checked out quite a few miner cabins, foreman's house, machines and mill sites. There was so much debris for hundreds of feet at times my feet never touched the ground. I would climb over wood, foundations, old mining parts, machines etc the mining district above Bodie is extensive. I also found two abandoned snowmobiles, large steam tanks and this massive iron machine. Their was cables all over and sage brush growing amongst the ruins. When I made it to the peak of the mountain I could see all of Bodie below that is when I chugged an entire beer to celebrate my feat. You have to understand how important this investigation was to our society I am now in the big leagues so it was the best beer to ever drink.

It was kind of creepy up in the mining and industrial district. I did not get to explore everything its just to much to see and some areas are off limits. However I found this yellowish type of rock and even a pile of talc that was mined up here. It was apparent that gold and silver were not the only minerals found above Bodie. I also found a hidden lake up here and I got to see allot of old homesteads that miners lived in that very few people ever get to see when visiting Bodie. There was a certain eeriness up here just allot of abandoned things for over a mile that I had to maneuver around of.

There was a giant two story house up there as well which part of it I was able to go in an explore man I felt something there and thought I heard something I cannot explain.If I could put it into words I would but I have never heard a sound like this and being by myself with a lack of other team members I have nobody to offer a second opinion. These places just reside scattered all above Bodie very few ever get to see them only from a couple miles away while driving on into town.

I would not have time to go into a mine even though I did find one near this giant wooden water tank that called out to me saying "Lord Rick enter me please enter me" lol. Anyhow, it was getting to late and I had to find my radio so the mine was just a no go this time around. Finding my two way radio would be like a needle in a hay stack trust me because I just got done climbing a mountain full of debris, rocks and desert brush.

When I made it back into town I was in allot of pain my injured knee needed some rest and I took one. That is when some park employee pulls up on her golf cart telling me I need to go now. I asked this individual if I could take a few minutes on my way out to take some photos of the cemetery her answer was no despite the fact that I contacted someone above her previously about us being up there. I was very insulted based on how rude she was to me because she refused to listen to who I was or what I was doing in Bodie. Its because of people like me who promote sites like Bodie that these park employees have jobs. Its because of my website alone that thousands of dollars of donations flow into historic sites so they can be restored. I don't get paid to do this I am providing a service to the state park system at no cost to them and this individual treated me like a piece of shit. She seen me limping I obviously was no threat to the park afterall the cemetery you are allowed to go in the problem is I didn't make it there due to my knee injury so I asked for a few minutes just to take a few pictures big deal.

So anyhow I arrived at the truck again the worker harassing me telling me if I don't get my truck out of there she is fining me $800. Keep in mind this park worker is NOT a ranger nor law enforcement. She has no authority to write me a ticket or arrest me let alone harass me afterall I did pay allot of money to explore Bodie it was not free. Therefore I am the customer it does not matter how you look at it. I mean when a restaurant closes they may ask you to leave after finishing your meal but they do not kick you out its the same concept.

So Tammy removed the truck from the park and I decided to go to the cemetery to get a few photos while Sergeant Bitch was cleaning the restrooms. Of course Sarge decided to chase me in her golf cart then got out starting running at me with her fist swinging total nutcase and totally uncalled for. That is when she made a series of rude comments including asking for proof that I wrote administration and I told her ill show you the email. She says to me fine show it to me then when I tried to she goes whatever and started again throwing her hands in the air.

What really upset me more then anything is the fact that the cemetery is the last stop before exiting the park so all I did was stood at the entrance then was on my way out leaving. There was no reason for this individual to not let me finishing taking my photos afterall they were going to be used to teach the children about the history of the region in relation to Bodies interments. This park worker does not understand that I do not get enough funding to keep coming back there between gas and the cost to enter their overpriced park to began with. I only took one photo of the cemetery from the gates before I was attacked by the park worker serious so now when I update the site ill have to borrow graveyard photos from historic sites all because of Sergeant Bitch who by the way had canine like teeth and looked like a string bean.

I mean what is the big deal if your on your way out leaving the park and you snap a few photos its not a crime as long as your on your way out leaving. But there is more to the story so as I was talking to the park employee Tammy did not see me at the parks entrance so she came back to get me. That is when Sarge decided to say I have 3 minutes to leave the region or I am going to be in big trouble. So she starts counting down she goes 3 minutes.....then all of sudden skips the other 60 seconds and says now your down to 2 minutes all in front of my children so they had to see this shit go on.

I tried to explain to the lady that I am not heading down that road as a matter in fact there are two other routes that go through Bodie some of them lead to national forest, camping areas, ghost towns and other historic sites which are open to the public all year around. Well this park employee blocked me from taking the other road I needed to go down illegally then started chasing me in her golf cart. I ended up having to spend an extra 15 dollars on gas because I had to drive all the way up to Bridgeport and take another forest road to get to my next location.

I am very upset over this incident you just don't treat people that way who are admiring the towns history. Sure the park is closing but there are no gates we paid and I was on my way out. I was told by administration that my visit to the town would be fine so they knew I was going to be there but the park employee just refused to listen. Its not like I am some vandal or troublemaker we operate a legitimate business here. Not to mention the fact that the work I do gets forwarded to television producers which in turn bring profit to places like Bodie which in turn allows park employees to continue to receive paychecks.

I did take video as the park employee was running up to me I shouldn't have shut down the camera should have aired her temper tantrum on youtube but I was I guess trying to be as courteous as I could. I have never in all my years had a ranger, cop or even a park employee treat me with such disregard. I have had cops tell me even when being found in a cemetery that I could stay as long as I am not hurting anything or to wrap it up when I am done. The problem was is that their were no Rangers in Bodie so the park worker was the only one around so she thought she would take it upon herself to be the law and she isn't. If she didn't like me taking photos of the cemetery she should have just called the law on me and id showed them who we are. Although the cemetery is public this park employee refused to let me photograph it not to mention the fact that its borders the park. Being that I was limping I do not think I was a threat to her and believe me I filed a complaint with her boss. If she wanted to supervise me for a few minutes in the cemetery I wouldn't have had an issue with it but I am injured so the park should have accommodated my current condition and they did not. Also goes with the fact that her actions were uncalled for and how rude they treated me.

I don't want to sound like I am bitching however Bodie is a well visited ghost town so if your going to run late leaving the park because you have kids or because your having physical ailments you may have to deal with this individual. If you want to get anything done here its best to talk with the rangers however the park employees think they are rangers and they are not. Bodie is a public state park to take your family here literally cost more then a national park like Yosemite or Mount Zion seriously! So if you decide you want to go up here just watch out for this obviously insane individual who looks and acts like a dog:)!

Anyhow my final conclusion about Bodie is that yes it is haunted would I love to roam the town at night sure! Problem is they no longer allow camping due to thieves and vandals who were busting down the cabins for firewood. However during the day if your as meticulous as I am you will find more then enough strange things here to keep your mind at work.

At one time their were 65 saloons in Bodie it was a town built on greed, lust and sin. The mines produced over $100 million in monies and death was nearly an everyday occurrence. This is why I tried to get photos of the cemetery on my way out to show some of you that indeed death was associated with the towns history.

I seen some things here and heard some things I cannot explain. I only wish that I could have stayed longer the ghost towns hours do change time to time based on weather and time of year. It was a nice day out no reason for the park to close as early as it did. I have been to many ghost towns none as large as this one or perhaps as paranormal. I had also gotten allot of sunburn here so if I ever go back I need to be reminded to put on some sun screen and to avoid Sarge who chases with her golf cart if your running a few minutes late from leaving the area lol. I am a pretty straight shooter when it comes to honesty I also know that you just do not treat others this way not when they paid all this money to visit then you chase them like a bat out of hell.

I look forward to adding the content to our site we took allot of videos, evps and a barrage of photos. I do not think I will be trying to raise money for the Bodie foundation not until they fix the issue at hand with their park employees. I did file a complaint never heard anything back but most people agree with me that something needs to be done about this. The problem is some of these people been living out in the sticks to long so its obvious they do not know how to act around other people however despite the occurrence Bodie was my 1000th exploration and paranormal investigation. Which makes us one of the most elite, experienced and dominant paranormal groups in the entire world! You will be impressed though with the photos and all the strange finds we came across here.

I also read that allot of people lose jewelry in Bodie including a friend of mine on facebook. I was shocked when I found out Tammy lost her necklace and my big earring came up missing boy I am going to miss it. Which makes you wonder if its the ghost stealing peoples jewelry which is not the first time I have read about this type of phenomena. I know ill never see it again but if any of you find a big diamond earring id like it back haha along with Tammy's glass pendant. Its odd that those came up missing but so is the fact that my EMF detector no longer works I wanted to punt that thing like kicking a field goal for the Buffalo Bills man.

What makes Bodie creepy is you never know what to expect when you look inside a window, door or what's around the next turn. Some structures are off limits hell most of the industrial section is sealed off from the public. However its easy to put your face up to the morgue window and feel as if something is staring back. Its like being in a horror movie cobwebs cover everything, doors blow in the wind, blast of cold air hit you in the face and sometimes on occasion you catch a ghost running down a hall. Do you dare to peer inside Bodies windows? That is where the real courage is knowing that only a piece of glass separates you from the living and the dead!

I will return to Bodie maybe next month or in the fall I have not decided yet. I may decide to carry a video camera approach the park employee and ask her why she treated me the way she did. Anotherwards I am going to approach her as if I am a news reporter because I want to know why I was treated this way. Was it my black nails, long hair, jewelry, clothing, tats and piercing's? Watch ill go right up to her and ask her live on camera I really don't give a damn then put it on youtube. So many judge me on the outside and few of them realize my level of intelligence or even whom I am or what I do. I may look like the prince of darkness but the work that I do is full of light and love!

Anyhow, our next location would be at a place called the Chemung Mill & Mine. Since Sarge screwed me over by blocking a public road I had to go the long way around to get there. The Chemung Mill is one of the most photographed mills in Mono County California although its in despair it truly is a very amazing site.

Chemung Mill & Mine

Many miles down this dirt road the desert began's to transform into a very beautiful area of national forest. When I was offroading the scenic views of the mountains, valleys and desert fauna were rather gorgeous. When we passed an old dry lake bed to my right down a road nestled between a couple rocky mountains was the mill and mine.

When I stood up on the hill where I parked I could see the snowcapped sierras and below that the massive Bridgeport reservoir which looks just like a lake. Their were allot more trees here much different then Bodie even though the area is a mix between desert and the beginnings of the Toiyabe National Forest.

The mill is rumored to be haunted who knows this probably was the least haunted of all the places I went that day. It is in pretty bad shape as you have three massive wood buildings all nearly connected collapsing or mere shells.

Its a pretty safe place as long as you watch the boards with the nails but I spent time climbing up into the mill where stairs led to passages of just piles of wood debris. There was a few stone foundations inside the mill and some other large machinery.

Behind the mill was this big old upside down jeep filled with bullet holes their was also this giant metal bin and wooden water tank out front. Like most mining sites the area is scattered with debris such as metal rusted bean cans.

There was a few miner cabins on the hillsides one of them was this very shiny metal while another one was wood just collapsed to the ground. One of the buildings had a barn shape I thought that was very unique and well I spent a good hour just climbing through rubble. Their was this one stairs I went up that half of them were missing while the main mill only had half of the roofing on so you could see up into the sky.

Behind the operation was two mines both had iron bars blocking entrance into them however I did manage to squeeze into one of them. Not sure how I did it but I guess when they installed the bars they left a small gap between the rock wall and bars so I got in to explore.

The Chumung Mine was very odd from other mines I been in. I first went down this passage which ended but that passage had two other passages to the right. The first one led down into this giant room with a narrow tunnel while the other one overlooked the room below from higher on up.

I took the lower passage which led me through this narrow crevice that had wood beams at times going up as high as 50' perhaps to help support this air from collapsing. I ended up climbing deeper down this ladder into another tunnel where I came across this massive steep hill. I did climb to the top it was hard trust me all I did was kept sliding backwards but made it into another tunnel.

Eventually the tunnel became very small and their was a very small hole I had to crawl through. If you do not like tight spaces this wouldn't be the mine for you lol. But I crawled through this hole into this giant opened that had a tunnel that ended with a shaft.

This was an odd shaft for example it sloped down then dropped off 20' right in front of another tunnel. It was obvious this was a deeper level in the mine. There was no way I was going to take the slide to hell. If it slid down at an angle maybe but when its slope ran for a few feet then dropped off down into a lower room it would have been an ankle breaker hell and without ropes you would have no way back which would suck.

I ended up turning around went down the massive slope I climbed up earlier with my hands up in the air smiling the whole way down. It was like sledding only on loose gravel underground good stuff. I did take EVP's in the mine I actually take readings in all mines I venture into since they do seem to contain some genuine paranormal activity and are rather quiet inside.

It felt good to get back out of the mine but I have to admit it was nice a cool inside as opposed to the grueling heat of the desert. I would explore the area further I actually found two more mine debris piles and another miners cabin. I didn't find anymore mines though or remnants of the mill.

I took a break here as well eating some dinner and drinking a bit because the last place we had to go which was Masonic was a pretty big ghost town to explore so we needed the energy. Tammy went hiking I guess 3 dirt road bikers were curious as to what she was doing hiking alone they told her nobody ever comes up here often but that's not true. Allot of explorers and photographers come around from NV and CA just to tour the mill site as its pretty impressive once you see it. In all their is at least four massive buildings to this mill then a bunch of smaller miner cabins. There was also some basement with concrete surrounding it with sage brush growing inside. At one time this place was one hell of an operation its hard to believe it looks the way it does.

I would eventually take it to the road where I went into free roaming cattle country up near the NV and CA border. This was a very unique region filled with many odd rock formations, forest, cliffs, roads to nowhere, mountains and of course a deeper part of the Toiyabe National Forest. Our search for Masonic was only the beginning to our grand finale of the night!

Masonic California

Its very easy to pass by this place as its nestled in this narrow canyon. Personally I took two other scenic off beat paths before turning around to talk to a group of hippies camping out above the town. Ill admit that was a nice spot to camp it was at the top of this cliff overlooking valleys, mountains and a good portion of the national forest below.

We did allot of offroading back here it seemed as if it went on for miles some of the roads were so rough with giant rocks and after awhile I just turned around. I seen some really awesome rock formations though and I told Tammy all that's missing is a few Giraffes, Elephants and Zebras lol. The scenic country back here is very similar to Africa's that's what makes it so cool.

Eventually when I took the narrow canyon into town my first stop would be this mine. Climbing the debris pile was a pain not to mention having to cross a creek. Their was thorn brush also surrounding it so we had to be careful but at the top of the debris pile was a small hole barely big enough for me to squeeze down into. Its not that it was collapsed it was the fact that the debris from the mine was piled to closely to the entrance.

When I entered the mine it opened up to a very long tunnel although it was not my height I had to crouch down most of the time. There was a few small passages to the left and right but they were dead ends. In mining if you started a new passage and it wasn't lucrative you just stopped.

When I got about halfway through the tunnel I seen a giant rat he was a big boy. I didn't see it very well what kind of rat it was since it scurried off real quick and I thought man were going to run into this thing sooner or later again.

When I reached the dead end to the long tunnel I didn't see the rat and my kids were giggling. I was like what is so funny guys the rat was on a ledge like a foot away from me staring up at me. I didn't realize it but this rat is not your typical desert or sewer rat. Its a bushy-tailed wood rat which is my first encounter with one. He was actually pretty adorable he let me take photos of him and he let me take a few photos with him believe it or not. I didn't touch him by I came about 3 inches from him when we took photos together.

I noticed he sat their calmly turning his head and was actually very curious as to who we were. I am not sure he ever seen a human in his life thus he didn't see us as a threat since we never reacted carelessly with him. When we started to leave the rat walked with us serious no lie we were laughing the entire time.

I actually kneeled down to take a photo and in it you can see him heading towards me. He came up to me to smell my hands then walked with us to a vertical shaft where he began to climb on up. That is where we left him then crawled on out of the hole. No ghost here but that was one happy rodent to have some company seriously. There bushy tails is what gives them away as with most rats they have no hair on their tails.

My next location would be the Pittsburgh Liberty milling site although I did not find any mine here I would later find one way further below the site. The mills was very deplorable parts of it collapsed and only parts of the roof had a few loose boards remaining. I have a photo of me kneeling down at the milling site overlooking the entire canyon below. It was not easy getting onto it as there were only a few wood planks none of them nailed down and I carefully walked across them as my son said dad your crazy lol. After I was done here I climbed on down where closer to the road one can see this massive old stone wall. This probably is the most popular place for ghost town enthusiast when visiting here as the ore chutes overlook the entire town below.

Another interesting part of the town is this old stone cabin near a historic plaque embedded on a series of rock formations. Some of the rock formations in the canyon were gorgeous as trees surrounded them however these ones contained the ghost towns history along with a giant shoulder blade we found hidden between them. It turned out later we found out it was the shoulder blade of a deer which shouldn't be surprising since all of us found bear and mountain lion tracks surrounding the ghost town.

You never can be careful so whenever I find bones I do examine them to make sure they are not human remains. Again PGS is more then a paranormal group we also do search and recovery too if necessary. Above where we found the bone up in the woods I found a tree that was painted and burnt that had a ghostly face as if it was done purposely to scare off its visitors.

Anyhow, I found about 6 cabins in the area most of them were wood and collapsed. You couldn't go in them as they were piles of ruins. There was even another cabin hidden in the woods next to another mine debris piles. As a matter in fact throughout the town were many small piles of debris but not many mines. My guess would be that wherever they felt like dumping the debris would be where it was left.

I seen a tram system higher up on a mountain across from the mill also found remnants of one lower in the canyon. Since nightfall was setting on in I would not have time to make it to that tram I seen on the peak. There probably was a few foundations and equipment up there as well just that it was hard to get to with the time given. I also seen on a trail that runs behind the mill a tree that was discolored perhaps even painted that

Tammy found a small off the beat wagon road in the woods. It was actually eerie back here as nightfall was setting on in. The woods here were not pines but other types of trees that had grown very close to one another making this a very dark area to explore.

We found what appeared to be a possible grave marker here also a bridge that crossed the creek. Tammy told me earlier when I was exploring the mill she was down here where she heard something growling at her. I thought perhaps some sort of animal but then again it may not have been we can only speculate since she told me she heard it moving around.

This is why she came to get me because I am generally armed so its allot safer only difference is that the sun was nearly down which means whatever was back here may be even harder to see. Tammy showed me something that looked like a den made out of wood and sticks. Although their was two to three of theses I believe they were made naturally with this tree that grows short and out onto the ground leaving a cavity. However I did some studying and also found leaves and other pieces of wood piled on top of it to make a more sturdy shelter. It looked as if something had been laying inside these little dens Bigfoot may roam this part of the forest considering how close it is to the Eastern Sierras and secluded it is.

I could not help observe allot of caves in this region some high up on the mountains so anything could hide here considering the vast overgrown patches of thick forest and probably hundreds of square miles of seclusion. So the shelters were very interesting finds not saying Bigfoot did this but it was obvious that something utilized this kind of tree forming it better to make a more reliable shelter as winters here are brutal.

I did climb around the woods for a bit but my older son and Tammy found me a cool mine that goes right under the wagon road and tunnels under the old mill. The entrance to the mine is all wood then it turns into this big long black tunnel pretty eerie at night because you cannot see anything just a rugged overgrown road.

The tunnel went about a few hundred feet back again like the other mine I found near the beginning of the town it has a few turns that lead to dead ends. This mine was much different it had Christmas lights strung along its walls, pipes and its dead end split into a Y. There was also a series of wood frames inside about halfway into the mine perhaps for support. This mine had some small bats flying around however I nearly jumped out of pants when I almost was hit with a bat with a wingspan of about 16" so I took a photo of it. My son also took a photo of it only this time in the photo it is flying straight up for my face its a pretty bad ass photo really.

I didn't sense anything in this mine either I did take video and EVP. I know Tammy and my older son were a bit spooked by this place. I mean honestly its not to often you see a mine entrance in the middle of the woods which means bears could be living inside. They thought I was in there and my son heard is voice echo back thinking it was me lol.

The mine was another great site not as big as id had liked it to be and based on the fact their are many debris piles surrounding the settlement their probably are many other mines hidden in the area. Which gives me a reason to maybe revisit here sometime. This is a true ghost town in nestled in a scenic canyon full of woods and rock formations that stand straight up. I am sure there are many more secrets awaiting to be discovered no doubt.

There is another cool ghost town about 15 miles from Masonic that has my interest too its extremely secluded and we have plans to eventually check it out. I met everyone at the truck after being bat bombed and having guano on my hat it sure was quite the day. I fended of bats, rats, small tight holes get your mind out of the gutter everyone and most of all Bodies Possessed Janitor! I have stories to tell the grand kids some day lol:)

Masonic is supposedly a haunted site I felt watched here but I didn't see anything to out of the ordinary. The town is hidden among the trees and scattered throughout the canyon. I could hear the hippies way up on the overlooks partying I almost came back to party with them serious. Instead I made my way down the dark canyon roads and out to Bridgeport to get me a nice hot cup of coffee and smoke a huge fat cigar from the Dominican Republic. I certainly deserved it after the day I had it was nice just to finally relax.

I was glad to make it home after the long day I had of adventuring more so to eat pizza as even though I arrived home I enjoyed a little more celebrating as it was a big day for our group. It was a day with allot of odd events, history and even a human bulldog lol. It was a day I will never forget one that ill be able to share with our viewers, fans and friends for years to come! Not only did we reach 1000 adventures but we surpassed them April 21st 2012 a day certainly not forgotten!

Just to break down the stats for you I visited over 100 sites within Bodie, climbed a mountain, visited three mines, toured a massive mill, offroaded over fifty miles, drove over 200 miles, explored a ghost town in the woods, had encounters with about six different species of wildlife, seen a ghost and surpassed our 1000th paranormal exploration all within a days work. There is no doubt in my mind you as viewers will not be disappointed into the hard work we put into these projects and we will return for more this is far from over. You will be AMAZED!
Peace,
Lord Rick
Founder
Author, Talk Show Host and Producer

PS Reports are subject for revision and renditions prior to being added onto our website this is only a draft!