Have you ever spent years dreaming of visiting a location and finally it comes true? This is how I felt about Sedona it was a place of peace, serenity and some rather interesting souls on my journey into the unknown. I had set off with my team which sometimes is my very own family as I slowly introduce them to some of the more historical aspects of life and what it stands for as an explorer. My kids were pretty excited because they were going to be introduced to one of the most paranormal children friendly areas in the entire country. Not only that but this would be our first adventure of 2011 then I would be taking two months of off time to relocate.

Unlike most paranormal investigators for me life is an adventure and I try to integrate this into whatever we do. Our adventure to the isles of the vortexes was rather a peaceful journey which included an eerie ghost town. I wish I had more time here but unfortunately an adventurer has to many places to see and conquer. Sedona for me was a 15 year dream in the making just to hike around was something ill never forget. Living in Las Vegas allowed me just to jump in the car and visit this mystic place. The trip was significant in the fact that just a few weeks afterwards I would be moving out of the Vegas area so things were going to get busy for me.

Their is no limit to what my group will do but for those reading this I highly recommend you make the pilgrimage to Sedona as it is a rather unique My reason for visiting this location was to expose any sort of paranormal activity. I didn't feel like their was anything paranormal about Sedona but I did feel that the history and scenic beauty was a nice little perk. I had plans to leave on a Saturday morning and return Sunday night. This meant that I would have enough time to visit some key locations but all in all what we do is not always fun as their is allot of driving, mapping and planning involved even with Sedona. Although I did allot during my visit here I was amazed at how much more there was to see and do. Every walk of life surrounds this little mountainous area some with walking sticks others are meditating then there is Lord Rick toking get my drift?:)

I would visit places like Montezuma's Castle & Well, Tuzigoot National Monument, Jerome, Palatki & Honaki & Numerous Vortices/Vortex Sites Surrounding Sedona. Before I get into all the other places I thought id at least talk about Sedona first. I would drive a 1000 miles as I offroaded on red roads to hilly drives along pueblo country. I had little time for sleep or even eating as we had so many little side adventures planned. It was strange because we entered into a national forest in the mountains which had allot of snow. Everyone got out to play in it remembering to myself how cold it was I really was happy to be in Sedona as the painted desert was giving us a blue sky and a warm day.

We headed out around 6am with a hot cup of coffee the ride was nice and we made it there in no time. I never realized how unique Sedona was till I pulled on into the valley of mesas, rock formations, red cliffs and pretty skies. The one thing that caught my eye was how much of a tourist trap Sedona is. It seems as if its all about money you needed passes to park in certain pull offs that are scenic views, psychics, tours etc are costly and their is ALLOT of people around. Being a paranormal investigator I find most of my experiences happened in seclusion however seclusion is rare here unless you take some of the major hikes that take you 10 to 30 miles out into the painted desert.

Despite that I visited sites around Sedona that are a huge part of western culture. Over my years of investigating you find most things are a couple hundred years old. But some sites I toured were a few thousand years old. As you know western culture dates back prior to BC. You hear of tales of secret sacred treasures, vortexes, ancient sites of power and the paranormal. This is the type of place Sedona is of course its not just about beauty but marketing the unknown. I am not as adamant about marketing the paranormal as I am enjoying it. When you pull up into town you seen psychic shops, UFO stores, metaphysical workshops etc. Some have made a living off that tourism however my trip was more of a celebration of joy as it would my last investigation for a couple months as I was moving.

Tammy and I decided to stop in the national forest outside of Sedona to get out enjoy the cooler weather. Their was still snow on the ground the children were throwing it. All I could think of is journeying around Jerome....getting stoned on some mesa....and being whisked off by some vortex to the planet of the babes. Far out huh? Well what is far out is when entering the town of Sedona their is a different feeling here. I am not sure if its good energy or if its the fact that the unknown might just exist all around you when it comes to this little historic town.

We would get out to take photos of the sign that said Sedona. All around me you could see red cliffs and many houses in the valley and up on tall steep mesas. The area was much greener then any desert I seen. There were trees.....flowers.....shrubs etc its not like when you enter southern NV everything is brown, dead or wilted lol. Our journey would be a long one almost no sleep really just a smooth series of tours and many well known locations.

Sedona

My first day in Sedona was very short lived perhaps because I was more into the seclusion factor. Most of the pueblo sites are outside of Sedona and so those tend to interest me more then having my fortune told. Of course we all know my fortune I either have a horseshoe up my white ass or back in the day it was the Subaru with no windows saving the day. So yeah fortune isn't my thing but exploring ruins in the painted desert really fits our group well.

My first visit was at the visitors center to get maps and things to make my journey easier. My first hike would be at Bell Rock which looks like a giant bell. Only if you fell of this bell you would turn into a pile of horse shit because its more like a bell hundreds of feet high. I did not climb it but rather went for a nice hike. The entire area is said to be a vortex and place where others converge awaiting extraterrestrials. I do not know about UFOs but I know that the energy here was very peaceful. Their were allot of people hiking around tourist snapping photos and me I just wanted the sky to open up take me goddamn away. I was not taken away sadly but I understood why this is a special place. You can feel its sacred in its own special way. This was not my favorite part of Sedona but ill admit seeing bell rock made me also notice how vast one rock could be with crevices strewn within it which might mean caverns or even hidden places.

After Bell Rock I left away from Sedona to spend the rest of my night up in Jerome AZ no its not da hood but its a place rumored to have a vast tunnel network under the town site. I also visited Tuzigoot and Montezuma's Well and Castle. Those were more like historical expeditions but hell if something wants to jump on in and say cheese then I am fine with that. Leaving the rock was what it was a memory but it made me wonder what would life be living in this area. Even though Sedona is not a huge city you are surrounded by wilderness. I read about the Lost Dutchman Mines sure its a myth to a degree but just on the other side of these mountains is a place where many go missing in search of the Lost Dutchman's treasure. Rumor has it that the ancient artifacts from the Aztecs were mainly made of gold thus some of it is said to be buried further south of Sedona.. I was excited thinking about how much fun it would be to seek these out yet at the same time Sedona is a place that can hold your interest in a similar way with all the lore and legends of the unknown.

I would not return to the Sedona area till Sunday morning sadly even for me a day here wouldn't do the place justice. I could spend days here just making a pilgrimage to all the sites and exploring. Their is a certain level of peace about some places you visit. Back in the day when I was in NY I explored asylums and places in the big city but everything out west is the opposite. You have so many places that are in the middle of nowhere. You could shout and only the canyon walls would hear it.

I did a loop of the major highways that surround Sedona so that I would get to see the area and the painted desert in full. The ride to and from is gorgeous but my first stop in Sedona was Palatki and Honaki. Which will have an entirely different report. But this is where I would spend sometime offroading in the red sands. Ill tell you what offroading in the painted desert is much easier then other places I been to although some of the roads have big rocks so you still have to sort of be vigilante when driving. Being stranded blows hell I been stranded once over at NASA in some lagoon where a thousand skeeters feasted on me but what the hell right?

My two major goals for the trip Sunday was to visit the Airport Mesa, Holy Cross Temple and Cathedral Rock. So while each place in Sedona holds some ancient secret I would set off to enjoy each location and to tell you guys a little more about it. I decided after joy riding around Sedona we would visit one of the top vortex sites and look out areas of all of Sedona called the airport mesa.

Airport Mesa

Yes their is an airport or plateau that holds one within but before you get to the airport you can park halfway up the road to the airport. To my left was a giant hill with a few trail heads. I had no plans on taking any of the trails but to explore freely on my own. It was getting in the later afternoon so we decided to climb a few rock walls and the hill which overlooks all of Sedona on both sides. From this area you can see Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and many other cool sites. We found a little wash ate our dinner shielded from the breeze.

We were nestled down into the narrow gash that dropped on off into the desert floor below. Behind us was the top of the hill which had some overlooks a few drop offs and a steep hiking trail. It was the oddest thing I felt like a bird in a nest feeding my little ones. I enjoyed the little gash that I sat in while eating. Part of tradition with our group is we sometimes eat our dinners and lunches in scenic locations. When I go exploring I generally go for the purpose of capturing really great photography. Then we put them on our site and what others charge we show to the world for the love of what we do paranormal or not.

Anyhow their was many people become daring climbing the hill we didn't go that way to get up but rock climbed. When I was in the gash I stood up seen the tops of two peoples head. They were meditating maybe praying to the gods who knows. My lady told me that their may be no way for me to toke at the airport mesa. We seen so many folks on the trails with walking sticks....people hummming......people praying no lie serious. I was praying to the weed god so I went off on an adventure of my own. I climbed out of the gash down the hill and I sat on a log under a tree overlooking all of Sedona and I sparked one. I also have a photo of me standing near the cliff with the deep Sedona Valley behind me. These were good times I am not sure I understand why so many make pilgrimages here for the purpose of a vortex but I do know that if you visit Sedona do NOT miss out on this location.

After we had eaten the climb down the steep hill was fun felt like a big kid. But in the desert you can slide over the last few years I use the side step it keeps you from toppling over. When I made it to the bottom I decided we would visit a couple more vortex locations. I consider myself to be a very powerful soul and I feel I have a powerful heart. I felt if anybody would experience such an occurrence it would be me. No all joking aside vortexes were discussed on Malice Cooper she interviewed me about these. In theory maybe the paranormal or an occurrence such as a vortex are all relatively about the right time and of course the right place. I can say however I was there right? If one were to ever occur on mass level. By the way people come them vortices but I say vortexes just for our younger crowd to envision such things. My next stop would be Cathedral Rock.

Cathedral Rock

This rock is so large that you can almost see it anywhere surrounding Sedona and even for miles beyond the city limits. It towers over most of the cliffs in the area and you can hike to it. I hiked here in search of anything strange vortexes, interesting souls, ghost, UFOs etc.

There is a trail to the rock they said it was a steep graded trail we all looked at one another and said lets do it. It was not that steep at all but it did jump 600 feet quite quickly. Once you reach a wash crossing this you end up on a mesa atop of the base of this rock. You can hike further in climbing the tiers up which eventually go to the center of the rock. To climb the rock you would need to learn how to rope climb. I took the kids on this hike and Tammy. Its a good hike the trees grow what appears through the red rock while no matter where you hike up to this rock is constantly in front of your eye sight while sometimes it disappears before you have to climb up another tier.

Higher up on the rock were people sitting up on one of the tiers above us. I just did not have time which ill explain at the end of my report. Sometimes its better to share the photos but even in those it does not define its complexity. However it does give you an idea of some of the journeys I take. I felt kind of bad it was cooler out yet people flock all over. Their is people passing you like crazy on the trails to and from. This can be dangerous on cliff trails every year people die due to this. However despite Sedona's overly packed trails most are fairly level unless you leave the trail. We had the opportunity to walk on some mesas exploring the area. I never sensed anything but personal excitement to share the pictures taken as this is part of an explorers fantasy.

In the wash their was a lower area that contained a pool of clear water. My kids decided to lay near it one pretending to be dead while one snored and the other pouted. I wish life would be so simple we could just lay down on a rock and power issues gone. I did have a race with the kids to the top although any other time its not allowed just this once because well Sedona was a celebration gift to ourselves for all the hard work we did around Las Vegas for the last few years. When we arrived back at the car the sun was not so high up in the western skies readying it self to hide behind Sedona's Mountains. This meant I had a few more places to see however their was one technicality; we had to make it to the Holy Cross Church and the state park before they closed.

Holy Cross Church

I did not realize how early everything closes in Sedona. Which makes me wonder what is it that is being hid? Maybe these anomalies in Sedona occur only at night. I did not do a night investigation here only of Jerome which is a 45 minute drive from here. I parked below the church which sits up on a plateau overlooking downtown Sedona. I did not realize their was parking around the bend higher on up the mountain side. My son was running around the brush being a kid when I seen a sign saying stay off. Here is climbing trees saying hey dad look at me. My other son was getting cranky he was not so happy about history, hikes and being on church property as he is an atheist. The other boy was just like whatever as long as you continue to give me snacks lol.

I started walking up stairs and ramp when church staff told me that they are closing in 5 minutes. I had a long ways to go as people were flooding the ramp which zig zagged along the side of the plateau the church sits on. Hell the church is built into the mountain which made me wonder what is under the church? What secrets does this place hold? I did not feel anything paranormal but I was fascinated with the architecture of this temple. I wondered why nobody was allowed up here after 5pm and why the underneath of the church is built into the plateau. Perhaps something deeper stirs within the church in the later hours of night or maybe beneath it? Perhaps these are just mere speculations but nonetheless a true paranormal investigators mind should always be unmasking all possibilities.

I was running like I was on the chase of some villain people were staring two of my boys were running with me it was crazy. If I did not run they would have locked me out and I wanted to get at least a photo or two. When I looked at the holy water I am not sure what happened but I almost felt compelled to stick my hands in it and make it boil lol. Not sure what was going through my head but maybe it was due to the fact that the sun was really heating up and I needed to cool off. Yeah that was what it was!

I took a couple photos their was two other clerics inside the church. I seen their were lit candles, wood pews and a killer view of most of Sedona. That view alone allowed me to view many points of interest including overlooks to some of the largest mansions in the area. I had wondered if the reason why the church was built on this site was due to the vortices speculation. Maybe better yet the church was built to cover up something. Why is it nobody ever sees such things or gets them on camera? Due to the fact that throughout not just American history but across the world the paranormal has been kept a secret. I wondered what secrets does this hill hold? From what I have researched its rumored that their could be hundreds of miles of caverns under the Sedona. In fact within 30 miles is an area called Montezuma's well which is a collapsed cavern filled with water from an underground spring. Perhaps the only souls to know this are those of the holy cross and its higher members.

Conclusion

I had one more place in mind which was slide rock state park. This park boast the rock but at the entrance is the Pendley Homestead or at least artifacts. Their was from what I remember seeing a homestead, cabins and wagons. It was not even 5pm and the park was closed which another thing nearby was the creek towards the back of the park. I think at this point I lost it and do you know why? I paid for a pass which allows you to park or visit many of the sites around Sedona. I barely was able to use my pass I almost felt shorted. Everything almost closes up prior to 5pm especially all vortices sites. Part of viewing mother nature is meant to be shared under the stars but it was still daylight and everything was closed. This is the one let down I had with Sedona. Many wilderness areas are even closed to hikers and campers especially at night. Are aliens truly being covered up in this small spiritual community?

I left the area heading up to Flagstaff and decided to drive in an area known as Oak Creek and national forest. I heard of strange UFO stories up in the AZ woods and mountains. I pulled down a few dirt roads their was up to two feet of snow. All roads, parking areas, picnic areas, hiking trails are closed at 5pm. Every area I tried to pull off at had a locked gate on it. I finally found a pull off area to chill out for awhile prior to my long journey home. I finally found an area to pull off at and dine. It wasn't the best dining but dinner in the car surrounding by dark woods can be pretty fun for the paranormal investigator lol. After dinner I decided to make one last attempt at some adventure.

I went looking for this cemetery and hiking area. I never did find the location I was looking for but I was in the general area. Tammy and I took a woodsy drive down a dirt road for quite some miles. At this point I decided to take the road to nowhere lol. I had no idea where I was going or at I just had a general idea of where north was. I wish I had more time I heard their is a nice set of ruins out in Flagstaff and a volcano north of there. Not to mention the giant meteor crater isn't far from this area either. However it was time to head home and wonder what are things to come. Where would we go from here with an adventure that would close out one season only to began a new one in another place.

It took me 5 hours drive to get home I believe the entrance onto the expressway was closed and I had to go up into CA then back into NV. The ride was long thank goodness for gummi bears they saved my life. I looked on my mileage and couldn't believe the amount of mileage I put on the car. The offroading to secluded locations adds up just as much as the ride down to Sedona. If you visit there expect to gas up especially if you plan on going into the outback of AZ lol.

I was a little disappointed that I did not get to see more sites but then again I have learned that allot of folks have exposed the paranormal for a formidable profit. Not only that but was told that one of the medicine wheels were removed in Sedona because they threatened the land. But yet its okay to let millions of people hike on that land for a small toll. If you did not by a pass your going to pay tolls at almost every location you hike at. Although those are my cons the pros are that the place leaves your imagination running wild besides its beauty that is very soothing to the eyes. Beauty however has not fooled me as with beauty their is also darkness even behind such a little spiritual town such as Sedona. Darkness is not necessarily a bad thing either neither is the unknown.

Would I revisit here? Most definitely...to explore more places leaves endless possibilities that you might be able to see something to the unknown or maybe answers to some of the lore to the area. I took everything from EVP to videos to photos during my trip so we could build off of that in case we get any future cases out there. I have to admit Sedona and locations around it are rather breathtaking. Their is no place like it in the world you can decide the rest for yourself.

I have to say I been on allot of adventures and most of my top adventure spots are here on the west coast Sedona being one of them. Although this journey came to an end a new one would began as we conquer the Sierra Nevada's.

Montezuma's Well & Castle

I had just left the Sedona area and was really enjoying the drive. It is so scenic then again not much as changed even when the native American people stood on these mountains. I was heading on off to visit some of the best preserved pueblos in the state. Pueblos are to be found in AZ, UT, NM, CO and NV. I had not seen many of them especially an entire city or community. These structures are some of the oldest in the country an explorers dream come true really. AZ is real strict on conservation so many of the pueblos are still in tact.

Our first visit was the pit house or rather a grinding rock where berries and other things were ground into a fine substance. They had a wood shelter built over the pit house to conserve it. I seen one of these back in CA they are rather interesting. Over the years the grinding causes these holes from erosion.

Just up the road is Montezuma's well which say deep down in a giant hole. We would hike down into the hole as we uncovered a few sets of ruins. We did find a small cave and inside of the cave was also a pueblo completely hidden away from the sun and daylight. Some of the pueblos surrounding the well or rather natural spring were high up on ledges making them difficult to reach. I can imagine that the tribes lived in here sheltered from the outside world. They drank the fresh spring water....grew their crops near the river which is just a 100 feet down a hill not to far from the springs....and grew their crops on the rolling hills. The well served as a means for tribes to live here hundreds of years safe, secure and with plentiful harvest.

There were cliffs on the inside of the well the water had a greenish hue to it. We had to take this path that graced the edge of the cliffs eventually it went down into the spring fed area. There were others hiking around but not to many as it was still morning. I actually took my warmer clothes off here it is Jan. and the temps in the morning felt like a nice spring day. There was what they call historical grafitti from 1896 how I know is I took a tour out in Palatki which the guide taught me a bit about it.

Their was stone steps leading to various areas the spring was calm and very serene. I wanted to see more so we went for a hike out of the well and down the hill. There we would follow the river where we found a crevice we climbed up into. We found near the river a canal this is where the water channels from the well into this irrigation channel then into the river itself. I seen some signs for poison ivy I didn't care though I was having fun exploring along the river.

On one of the rock walls I found an upside down heart somebody hiking came up to me was cracking jokes about it one after another. The guy was pretty funny I made a few back it was like an episode of AngelOfThyNight Radio done outdoors lol. There was a few foundations we seen on the hill side when we left the river. I really enjoyed this area it was a world in itself but I was far from done adventuring as we would get to tour the castle grounds.

When we think of the word castle we think fortress and that is just what this location was. It was built into a cliffs overhang with a series of passages and intricate ladders. When I pulled up to the area I studied various ways to explore the castle or rather envisioned what an infiltrator would do if he discovered this location. This place sat at least 100 feet up sheer walls and drop offs. I had lunch at the base of the castle as I sat in front of it admiring its 5 stories of walls, windows and rooms. At one time you could climb the ladders roaming its halls but today what you see is what you get. There are no ladders unless you were to climb the cliffs which is pretty difficult from where my standpoint was. So it probably has been years since someone has been up in here its a cool place though.

I did take a stroll near the river and the stone stairwell along the cliff to another series of pueblos which they came later and were called the people next door. Not much remained of those ruins supposedly they caught fire but nonetheless it showed me that life at one time hundreds of years ago was very abundant in these parts. After my tour I went into the museum where we were able to see various tools and artifacts found in the area. What is more mysterious is that some of these pueblos we visited those tribes vanished over night. Entire communities went from flourishing to abandoning their cities within Arizona's high cliffs? Why and where did they go?

Things would even get deeper as I went to another location about a half hour away called Tuzigoot which was a two story pueblo city with about 110 rooms some still in tact. I was excited about visiting the country side and touring this location.

Tuzigoot National Monument

When you drive up on this location it looks like a giant Aztec Pyramid as its built right on top of the hillside and along each side of the hill. Surrounding this monument are rolling hills and pretty rural farm lands. The view on top is as amazing as the drive. From up on top of these pueblos I was able to see the semi ghost town of Jerome which is a really amazing place to visit if your into haunted ghost towns up in the forested AZ mountains.

Their was some construction work going on as they were building this giant visitors center made out of stones made to match the monument. Even today mankind in some form or another has learned the way of the pueblo however back in the day its all man knew when learning how survive in the southwest.

This really was not a paranormal visit but I did try to take some EVP briefly at the top of Tuzigoot in a room held up by wood logs and pillars. All the other rooms surrounding the monument had walls but no roof. Some of the rooms I went on into to take some photos. But I was able to get some killer photographs of this ancient city from above looking down.

My kids must had ran around the monument 50 times while others just sat at park benches enjoying the fresh warm AZ breeze. A hawk kept circling over the monument so I took a photograph of it. In one of the rooms their was a couple grinding rocks where you would take a small round stone grinding your material into a powder against a large more hollowed out rock. This perhaps is how they made flours and various ingredients for their foods.

Their was another stone building on site but it was locked probably not part of the monument but it was very large and had these rusted metal windows on it. I actually felt more weirded out by that then the monument itself. If your looking for some of the best preserved pueblo ruins this place tops most locations. The skies were a little gloomy and I had to still make it prior to dark to Jerome a little haunted village thousands of feet up in the AZ mountains.

Jerome AZ

Their would be two excursions at this location one prior to sundown one after sundown. I really didn't have enough time to work with this location but the reason for my visit is so that we can expose it on our website as a major paranormal hotspot. Most of the buildings date back to the 1800's here not to mention that their is miles upon miles of secret tunnels, mines and passages under the city itself. I found many signs of this by walking the streets.

Jerome sits right up on the side of a mountain some parts of it sit at lower elevations to as many of the roads twist, turn or have very steep grades. Many artifacts are seen with the town even when you pull up into it you will see mine cart tracks with mine carts still on them. Higher up on the mountain their were signs of snowfall. Jerome felt out of place the skies were gloomy here and the area looked more like being in northern CA rather then central AZ.

I had reports on a few haunted locations all within walking distance so I had plans to come here later at night to have a further look. Downtown was bustling and the pubs were full people were everywhere walking around everywhere Their was a couple inns including a large historic hotel with fancy antique cars.

My first stop would be at an old wooden mini mart which overlooked the valley below. You could see small towns and everything from this location including all of Prescott Valley. Views like this make it all worth traveling to especially when we can share our photography with the public. Some of my best ghost town photos came from Jerome. Not my best ghost photos but as an author to tour such a location as old if not older then when the Spaniards searched for gold was a rather nice historical treat.

I drove up this one dirt road passing someones else. I would stand on a mill taking photos of the valley and mill site. Further up the road I was photographing Prescott Valley when two hikers walked right in front of me coming out of nowhere not even on a trail. I could not help notice how even though Jerome is run down full of abandoned places.....buildings without windows.....or falling walls it still was a bustling little gem.

When I arrived downtown I would visit many sites such as an old theatre in ruins, brothel, jail house, infamous English kitchen, ghost city inn, holy family church, chimney ruins, two foundations and many other sites. Some of the buildings I photographed were very old made of brick or wood. Most of the buildings I seen were boarded up or locked down. Some of the buildings had 3 to 4 stories just as some of the houses were very old and large. I photographed this one house overgrown with brush creepy as hell on earth.

Higher up around the mountain side we found the entrance to the old gold king mining operation. There were a few chutes and buildings on site. I seen one of the mine entrances on the hill had the kids didn't go into the mine. Do not get me wrong I was tempted but I figured if I ever came back out this way I could do a much deeper involved investigation. The mining area felt gloomy their was a bunch of old wood signs.....abandoned antique vehicles just rusting away and a sign that said where the pavement ends. I would follow the road which led me to the old gold king mining camp. Their was many old wood buildings falling apart, tools, mine machinery and even a horse sitting in a small pen. A old tanker truck had an arrow that pointed to where you had to go to see the ghost town. Allot of the property had history it sort of looked like a junk yard though. I thought I seen frying pans hanging off the side of a house here. Unfortunately the place was closed so I turned around after snapping a few photos.

I think the kids were thinking to themselves where the hell is the man taking us. I did not feel comfortable myself back in here if their was any ghost to be had this area not only has a morbid history but it also may be if anything the oldest part of Jerome. One of the buildings was built right into the hillside with only the front doors exposed thus the building was built underground. We decided to head back to another intersecting dirt road and went all the way down to the bottom levels of Jerome. We passed by Aubrey Park another old mining operation and the industrial section of Jerome. Their were quite a few different buildings perhaps old factories and warehouses. But they all seem to be connected to the mining operation in the center of Jerome. On a steep hill above the narrow streets of Jerome lead to houses and downtown. Which means that the mine was built under the town itself.

I noticed in the town itself their were walls that went for blocks made out of stone. Their are more stone walls here then I think I seen in Gettysburg years ago. Some walls go for almost a mile straight while others are collapsing. Some walls have wood doors with padlocks meaning passages into the tunnels. While garages were hollowed out in some of the stone walls into the hill side. Its like hey honey I am going to park my car in the hill tonight. Downtown had some interesting little cafes, antique shops and historical sites. Their is also a ghost tour company that is based in the town. I look forward to sharing photos they will really draw in allot of curiosity maybe even draw in more enthusiast to the town.

It was time to go check into the hotel and get something to eat. I also wanted to go swimming and hit the Jacuzzi for awhile. We would have to drive 23 miles to Prescott a fairly large growing city in AZ on the otherside of Jerome. The mountain ride was rough it was a steep very curvy grade almost the entire time. We had drop offs to our left almost the entire time heading back just as we would return and now they were on my right side. If the tunnels do not kill you the road up and down from Jerome will I am telling you lol.

Dusk

I felt refreshed a little dinner and a swim really helped me relax. I am not sure we were looking forward to driving 23 miles back up the mountain. Afterall the temperature was near freezing, winds were picking up and all of us were pretty fatigued.

I had plans on doing one ghosthunt on this trip if you wish to call it that. Without really being able to get into many of the places due to the town generally shutting down I would be doing more of a ghost walk. Not only that but the winds were whipping so EVPs were out of the question. The temperature was dropping so our first run out of the car trampling around town was bone chilling cold.

My first part of the walk was downtown. All the shops were dim and closed for the night. I felt watched as I peered in many of the windows. We passed this one place called the haunted hamburger and my kids climbed on this giant wheel embedded into the concrete on the sidewalk.

Their was a park with the creepiest tree I ever seen and it sat overlooking most of main street below. Their was an old historic church candles still burning through the stained glass. I went down this old stone stairwell and out into this court yard. I have to admit that dark place was pretty intimidating the wrought iron around it was all bent, rusted and consumed with brush growing around its rails.

My focus of the investigation would be to visit one of the abandoned buildings on the hill. Strangely we went down to the building almost had two dogs chase me. Not only that but we seen lights dancing around this place. I studied my photos more realizing that their was no roof or windows in most of the structure so I thought how odd. I learned the travel channel was doing a story on Jerome perhaps they were up there when we were up there. If they were it would have been a strange coincidence that another paranormal group would be filming while we were investigating.

My son and I decided to go on a little adventure we left everybody back at the car. I climbed some fence because in someone's backyard I seen a wide open tunnel entrance in the side of one of the walls. I had my mind set on going under the town well it crossed my mind at the time. This hole in the wall took us to some underground room it was pretty bad ass like the stuff you see in movies. We left after this didn't stay to long when some guy came out onto a porch saying is someone there hehe no shirt on all slurring like he just downed a bottle of booze. My white ass was gone in no time as I was like hey son not bad for an old man. He was still trying to get over the fence I had to help him then we both split. It reminded me of my old days back east I still get that itch just to get in a little trouble now and then lol. Not only that but the town has a cop who seems to drive around constantly. Not sure if they make a lucrative business out of arresting ghostbusters but I do know that its the ghostbusters like me who bring business to the town even as we promote many of the photos taken there.

We did try to visit a haunted alley of course what do you know it was locked on both ends and when I went to the backside of the buildings I found the owners ghost tour vehicle. I walked up to the vehicle stuck my tongue out and had my photo taken. I was actually pretty disappointed that anything that was said to be haunted was locked down tightly or were tour spots. The alley was said to be the site of various hookers back in the brothel days within the town her were murdered here. I did spent a couple hours walking down alleyways.....dark streets....and along the back sides of some of the buildings. The one thing that I felt is most areas I didn't feel anything paranormal but then I would go down a certain alley feeling the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Certain places throughout the town felt a little more foreboding and eerie.

In town their was an old safe, kiln and even mine carts. You could be walking past a store then all of sudden in the alley is old historical artifacts left behind from the 1800's. I never did find the cemetery but I did find one of the haunted hills which was the site of a church once. All that remained is a bunch of overgrown ruins. I toured the ruins with everyone in hopes to catch something on film. Although the hill was quiet and ruins I could have sworn I thought I heard something such as a voice. Just as I went to explore this abandoned house that looks like something out of the Adams Family when I realized their was no power running to the house yet the air conditioning units turned on by itself.

One of the shops was a voodoo shop with dolls and other morbid sites in the window. Actually the name of the ally was called Husbands Alley this was locked but a little ways away is the voodoo shop. Near the alley was also the old saloon, hotel and brothel. All that remained was a shell a gutted brick building with no windows and allot of wrought iron bars surrounding the place. I believe people were feeding rats or some kind of animals through the bars and me I was just snapping photos of debris. Debris such as old toilets......chairs and artifacts of the past. Everything was so dusty and their was some mention that some event was going to be taking place there. I thought to myself I hope nobody falls through the floor that is how bad this place was.

One of my last stops for the night would be at the local hospital which is now abandoned. You use to be able to go all inside this place much like other buildings on site. But the hospital is now alarmed just a forewarning to the urban explorers out west. The unusual thing about Jerome is you have houses an arm reach away from the abandoned places. If someone sees you out walking they watch you out their windows staring. Over near the gold king mine we seen an SUV parked near all the abandoned buildings. It makes me wonder if the travel channel was their doing their filming. The old mine sits just outside of town but pole lights illuminated the various buildings on site. I told Tammy I bet someone is exploring the buildings as we quietly drove around Jerome checking out some of the back streets.

The old hospital had a motion light that turned on. I spent sometime trying to take EVPs on the back side of the hospital. I also took photos of some of the windows. It appears the place is in restorations as inside every room was empty however you could see pains and other construction tools. I didn't see any ghost here but was excited that I was able to visit this site.

Their was also a shop with a famous bands logo on it apparently Jerome also has some well know residents who have taken life up here. Even though the town is extremely run down their is something quaint about its haunting look. Whether its ghost your looking for in its dark alleys.....or tales of headless miners under its streets its a place that keeps you guessing and wanting to see more.

When I left town the moon was out and I pulled over in the national forest. Of course I would come back to Jerome in the morning but would not stay. I found a couple mill and mine sites on the other side of the mountain the next day. It is my guess that this is an area that would need allot of exploring. Ghost tours only give you a view from outside of the looking glass but deep down inside something of the unknown awaits.

May I also add that in Jerome their is a chute of rushing water from on top of the town. That same chute goes a few hundred feet to the bottom of the town. The chute is made apparently of rock but parts of it have wood as if the earlier towns folk were trying to direct the water to power their various operations such as the mills and local mines who needed it. Do not get to close to the chute as its near the hotel one wrong fall and your going to go down the waterslide to hell.

Do I hope to return to Jerome someday......well only if invited as just like most historical locations this one thrives off its ghostly tales. People come from all over to stay at the large hotel on the hill and drink brews at the haunted pubs. Everything here has a tale and with that tale everything has a mystery.

It was late and my next plan would be to go get some rest then after a good breakfast do some offroading up in the Sedona area.

Palatki and Honaki

Palatki

The road to Palatki was not as rough as the road to Honaki but nonetheless we had taken our adventure up to red rock country. The mountains and red cliffs around us made the drive very worth while. The area was vast one could drive down its dirt road wondering what life is like on top of these mountains or in the canyons where once ancient tribes hunted and roamed. I would visit these two locations as they were sister sites just separated by miles of red cliffs and vast wilderness.

We had to make reservations as this is a location that gives historical tours. They also have a small museum on site with artifacts and such. This may have been favorite location to explore as it seemed like the rangers were all related and enjoyed sharing the wealth of information on this place.

I was all cramped up in the car at the time as soon as I arrived I was like I need to smoke some pot. What I didn't realize is the guide told me that sound in Palatki gets trapped along the red walls as Palataki is surrounded on three sides by cliffs. She looked at me said you gotta watch what you say sound can be heard from the parking area I was like oops lol.

It was still a little cool out we warmed up by the fire inside the museum it was roaring and cozy. I hiked up to an area that had an over hang and along the red cliffs. There I would be greeted by a guide who was more then nice. She actually took me to an area off limits and gave me an in depth tour of rock art. Some of the rock art was from the tribes who lived in the pueblos which sat adjacent towards another set of red cliffs. Some of the art was historical graffiti from local ranchers in the 1800's some early 1900's while some of the art was from the cave man days of mankind. It seemed like so many various groups of humans at one time or another came to these cliffs just to converge.

Everything was so green here and beautiful cactuses grew everywhere. If you ever wanted true peace this location offers just that. Off in the distance from where we were at I could see various pueblo ruins. Unfortunately they were not allowing anyone to get within 50 feet of them due to the fact that years of water running down the cliff or rather natural seasonal waterfalls caused a giant rock to come loose. If it were to fall on someone that would be it.

Most of the rock art at this location was unique everything from ladders to animals. Some of it was hard to make out but you could get the general idea. Allot of what was painted on the rocks was put here to match up with the sun and the moon. Some of it is mysterious as well or unknown. I remember also seeing a cross....lightening bolt and a few other things that kept me wondering the entire time.

My son found what appeared to be an old arrow head in an area that is off limits right along the edge. They actually took it and brought it down to the museum. It seemed like my kids really liked this place. We also on the path found this old modern day pueblo which was made by a lonely hermit who lived off the land.

We eventually went to the other end of the Palatki just across where the rock art was where a ranger gave us a guided tour of the pueblo ruins. Him and I talked awhile and he was telling me about how the Indians here were getting stoned. Then he was talking to me about bands because my jacket says sinister. He also was telling me how awesome it would be if a concert were to be held here since the walls bounce back the sound. He was an alright guy he got me in to the pueblos allot closer then most of the tourist. I professed allot of interest here perhaps.

The ranger showed me a symbol often found above ancient cities that served as their emblem much like in the medieval times when castles were fortresses. The natives also marked their cities or emblems to their tribes high up on the cliffs.

Leaving Palatki was sad its so peaceful here as it sits a few miles in to red rock country just outside of Sedona. I wondered what mysteries surround this location. The ranger told me higher up on the cliffs their are black bear here which is something you often do not see in any desert. But life in the painted desert is flourishing and this tour proved it.

Honaki

We just left Palatki now we have about 5 to 6 miles of straight up offroading. Although the road wasn't terribly bad it truly was not made for a car. Hence why pink jeep tours takes folks out here because the terrain is very rough at times. When I say rough I mean parts of the road washed out.....sandy soft areas...giant rocks in the middle of the road.

Everyone sat silent allowing me to focus on the drive one wrong move meant spending the day out in the painted desert. The ride was nice we passed a few very old ranches.....the scenery of the high red cliffs....and green desert fauna made it feel as if we were in a painting.

When I arrived in the parking area their was a booth that gave out maps and a bunch of tour companies back here. I decided to head for the road less kind and we hiked on in a forested area that had some natural creek flowing throughout it hence why it was so green.

Eventually after hiking in the shady woods we came on out to some red cliffs on the back side of Honaki where we would be greeted by a series of crumbling pueblos. Their were quite a few you could walk up to and stand in. Most were right by the trail the ones that sat up in the overhang were prohibited from entering since climbing on these rocks could be detrimental to its preservation.

I seen some rock art along the cliffs from afar and well their was some pretty rude folks hiking on the trail who refused to move for me to take photos with my kid. I hate people like this where your hiking want a photo and they just stand in the way talking about what their shit looks like. You get the idea but I am not a tourist I am someone trying to uncover life's mysteries that are around us and the paranormal.

I could not believe how far away we were from Sedona the area is vast miles of dirt roads leading to trails, pueblos and red cliffs. I really think that our viewers will eventually love this excursion. Like most of my Sedona trip I did take allot of photos equal to videos.

Although taking a pink jeep tour is fun because you visit so many sites its funner to do the trip yourself back here. You will feel as if your on some safari or something.

I had another location I was going to hike at its actually an ancient cave rumored to connect to Sedonas underworld. But when I arrived at the trail head their was like 50 cars and tons of folks smothering the area. That is the problem with locations like Sedona......their isnt any way to get away from people so that you can focus on one thing and one thing only "The Paranormal" so I would be forced to turn around and just cherish these two peaceful spots where the natives once thrived. A part of me nonetheless conquered this destination one of the top 10 paranormal hotspots in the world and at least for the day it was all mine.

Lord Rick
Founder PGS
www.paranormalghostsociety.org