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 Post subject: Our Amazing Adventure Out In Volcano California
PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:10 pm 
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
Our Amazing Adventure Out In Volcano California - On February 23rd 2014

The area surrounding Volcano has always been an interest of mine as its a region surrounded by the majestic rolling hills of the lower sierras. It is an area that has some of California's oldest settlements and cemeteries. The history in the region is amazing along with the paranormal that is connected to such locations.

This adventure would be a good test for me to try our jeep out that we just bought a week ago. I wanted to see how it would do traveling over the sierras. Everybody would come that includes my family and a friend of my sons named Christian. It had been awhile since we did something on such a large level so I had allot of great things planned for the entirety of the day.

We would visit the Masonic Caves, Volcano Catholic Cemetery, Volcano Protestant Cemetery, Volcano California, St. George Hotel and Saloon then to finish off the remainder of the day Salt Springs Reservoir. We would traverse the ElDorado National Forest all the way into rock climbing in the Mokelumne Wilderness.

Someone say that I travel allot and they are correct we get around to allot of places even if that means working from early morning till the next day. I believe that the preservation of these sites is very relevant above all then the paranormal just comes along with it.

We would stop very early in the morning to gas up I had gotten some Guatemalan coffee with chocolate doughnuts freshly made. Then we made our trek up into the Carson Pass boy was it cold in the morning when we hit 9k it was 6 degrees but by the time we arrived at our first destination the sun was warming up in the 50's by the middle of the day it was in the 70's.

The jeep is very nice though it has heated seats, leather interior, more space then my previous truck and even a moon roof. I sort of felt like I was riding in style so traversing the high sierras was not a big deal. The scenery never gets old cliffs with waterfalls, scenic forest, beautiful snow capped peaks and giant lakes. We even seen people ice fishing on Caples Lake.

Our first stop would take us up to the Masonic Caverns they are just outside of Volcano and they are very historic. Its not to often we get to do caves allot of times we find mines to explore but caverns are pretty cool places to explore. I have always believed in the Hollow Earth theory and that most caves are haunted because back in the day they were used to store bodies like they would do in a cool morgue.

Masonic Caves

There was some cattle grazing in a nearby pasture its very scenic full of woods. This is the same area that has a native American village and grinding rocks used for thousands of years. There is also across the street from it black chasm caverns which is large cave system well worth exploring. The Masonic Caves not as large are free and so it was a place I wanted to take the boys to enjoy.

When you pull op to the caves there are a few private residential homes back here. Which at first might make you want to turn around but the caves are open to the public and have been for many years. I went to them because one website said the owners of the house in front of them are very friendly I found that to be extremely the opposite.

When we first arrived there was a big wood sign it said caves open 9am till 6pm we arrived just a little after 9am. Immediately some old lady comes out of this red house with her two little barking dogs and she basically is all hostile towards me.

She was ranting how there is ice and mud near the caves and how they are closed. Then she removed the wood sign and said sorry they are open at 11am. I explained to her I drove 90 miles to visit them to do an editorial about them and their given history. Which is the truth we want to put the caves on our site because one cave was a general store, another cave was a saloon and the main which is the largest was the Masonic Meeting Chambers back in the 1850's which is how the name was founded.

The lady looked at me and told me your nobody special your just like anyone else who visits here. Then threatened to call somebody she knows in Volcano to have us removed. After the big threatening speech only then did she give us 15 minutes to conduct our research. She also blocked off the path to the main cave which is currently fenced off and I did not see no ice so she basically lied to me regardless I still walked up to the fence to get a photo for our viewers. I should have left my recorder recording and she would have embarrassed herself considering the tourism this generates for the semi ghost town of Volcano. Like those that go there to have some brews or stop at their gallery store etc etct. I mean think about it I have a group of boys with me teenagers like caves they like to climb explore. Boys will be boys and the way she acted was utterly rude when I had pure intentions of bringing some history to that region.

This is one of the reasons why I am glad I never choose to live around Jackson/Volcano area. For one their is allot of drunk drivers, drama, drugs like meth and some of the people are very prejudice against anybody who comes from anywhere else. If I would have been a local resident of Volcano she would not have said anything. But because I came up to her friendly saying hello with my black nails, bucket hat and leather jacket she was very hostile with me. I did not think it was appropriate for this individual to act this way in front of all the kids nor my gf.

But in the end she did let me explore the caves while watching us from around the corner time to time. I am not sure why this person thought we were there to cause any problems considering these caves are visited by thousands of people. It really was unacceptable so if you decide you want to visit them good luck just know that the lady near the cave that has her home built nearby is very rude and extremely judgmental towards others. Considering I really never finished even telling her why we are visiting them and some of the preservation plans we have for them I felt like she incoherent interrupting me constantly. However when we went to the St. George Hotel the manager treated me with respect and she even let our team investigating the hotel. I even had gotten a tour and told her about my experience at the caves she also thought that was rude and unnecessary.

Anyhow we made our way to the first cave which goes deep down into this room then cuts to the right eventually leading right back outside. There was nothing exciting about the cave but it is the smallest out of all three found in the Masonic hills. I did take EVP, EMF and ran a few videos. We also took photos of what we could yeah their are cameras on the property to or at least signs that say closed circuit television. I mean come on now!

The second cave was much larger it had a very steep incline going down into a room there was some other holes I found that you could crawl in that might lead to other chambers or dead end caves. Their was at the bottom of the cavern two pools of water one of them I stepped in accidentally my right foot was soaked funny how though it did dry since it nearly had gotten in the higher 70's in Volcano so no biggy. The kids climbed around the cave we took our photos did what we could.

The last path was closed by the resident she told me their was no way on that path to the main cave. I went on the path it was fairly dry and it was a measly 25' lol. I did not appreciate being lied to we should be allowed to the fence line to take photos. The third cave I guess is closed because they are waiting on a boulder to fall but if you pay close to attention their is a state historic plaque that sits above its entrance. Its basically a state historic landmark so yes I did walk up to the fence. I figured if she wants to call somebody in town or police that is fine. I did not go into the cave I did not cross the fence nor did I disrespect the property. Most people by now know who I am our paranormal group has been around for years all the work we do is reputable and honest.

On my way back Tammy was talking with the local resident she was a bit more calmed down by then. She gave Tammy a pamphlet which gives a more in depth history about the location then you will ever find online. However I will scan it and put on my site because in all due honesty most of you in this region are probably not going to deal with this ladies rudeness.

Not just that but when I was leaving the caves a guy big muscular probably Navy Seal wanted to see the caves and she told him come back at 11am despite giving us permission to see them. I felt that was not right the guy just wanted to see them so you can kind of see the stereotyping that is happening here. So ill do my best to put up videos, pictures, history etc so you can enjoy this place right from our website without having to go here and deal with the drama.

When I left down the road to our left we seen a bunch of young cattle running down a hill then playing in the pasture. I actually filmed some of this because I want others to understand that what we do is more then just looking for ghost. We try to cover every single aspect at each location based on the nature, scenery, history, paranormal happenings etc etc...Our next place would be much more laid back the bustling semi ghost town of Volcano where we would start off doing some peaceful walks through two historic cemeteries.

Volcano Catholic Cemetery

This is just a great cemetery it sits right on the hillside overlooking the town below. Behind it are a couple old water towers or tanks back when mining took place just beyond the town. The entrance has the name built on top of these gates made out of a bronze colored rebar. Nearby is the old church which by the way is now a residence but you can see it from the cemetery.

Towards the top of the cemetery is a giant wood cross with a statue and a small cherub. Although I seen a few new graves most of them are fairly old. There was allot of wrought iron family plots and weathered engraved stones.

What I like about this cemetery is that the sign states they welcome researchers or those who just want to take a peaceful walk. Everybody kind of split up went there own way while I did my videos and photography.

This cemetery did not have as many grave sites as the Protestant one which is adjacent to it. However the stone walls, wrought iron work and some of the massive stone tombstones were very lavish. I also seen sites that were vandalized such as stones missing or broken in half.

I cannot say I experienced anything ghostly here it is a peaceful place to have a seat and just absorb the pretty scenery. One thing that is more present with this cemetery is that angels, crosses and saints are a common factor.

The woods come right to the back of the cemetery and the oldest grave here dates back to 1853 making the other cemetery near by a few years older.

After we explored the cemetery we took plenty of photos, EVP and EMF. It seemed rather empty of any sort of activity but then again we never know what we get till we review our recordings and study our photos more.
We closed the gate then walked 25' away to the Volcano Protestant Cemetery.

Volcano Protestant Cemetery

This cemetery is twice as large as the Catholic one. Honestly I love this cemetery more it has some beautiful wrought ornate work and its tiered where you start at the top and climb down to nearly the bottom where the town of Volcano is.

We would split up for parts of the investigation and tour. I actually did a long video filming many of the gravesites and cemetery. Unfortunately when I was filming I stepped down off a stone wall and this huge rock fell off rolling down hill. I shut down the camera carried it back up the hill and put it back into place. So words of advice be careful where you walk their are walls that are crumbling. Unlike the Catholic Cemetery some of these walls found here are much larger.

What really shocked me with this cemetery is the fact that there are so many family plots surrounded by wrought iron. Allot of children are buried here some who just could not survive the harshness of the west back when mining created this boomtown.

Below the cemetery we could see the town of Volcano and horses grazing. I also seen an old wagon and on the hillside daffodils were growing. These flowers are supposed to grow in the Spring but due to an extremely warm whether they are having an early Spring.

I would say about 95 percent of the graves found here are early pioneers and miners. Honestly the cemetery is in really bad shape. There were obelisk, monuments and graves broke in half. In some cases half of the gravestone was missing or off the pillar.

Christian put a vase back upright on one of the gravesites. As you can see its not always about ghost if we can fix a cemetery or two along the way then I feel we are giving back to the community. Most groups should not just visit cemeteries for ghosts but also the history and if they can help fix it up a little that too is important.

The oldest tombstone is from 1850 I did not find that because I expected the first grave to be a Masonic masterpiece or monument but instead it was just this little flat slab with a miners name on it. However other stones that followed a short time later were works of art with beautiful poems, epitaphs, carvings and lavish art. I seen allot of beautiful stones but they are in peril and something does need to be done or this place will be gone in a matter of decades.

Allot of stones are laying on the ground covered in Earth others off their pedestal while some are just tilted at odd angles due to miner tremors that occur time to time. Its a huge historical graveyard and so far out of all the ones I been to in California this one is one of my favorites. You will get to see why once we add it to our site its just a really old pioneer graveyard made for miners and their families.

I also noticed that the wrought iron found here was much more rusty then the Catholic Cemetery nearby. Even during the day it has a creepy feel as you open gates they creak and its newest grave appears to be that of the towns local sheriff which is a beautiful marble monumental stone.

All in all I probably spent an hour here just reading epitaphs, climbing the cemeteries lower tiers and documenting the vandalism here. As I said with the Masonic Caves Jackson California has a meth and drug problem. I know all my gear a few years ago was robbed there including a sentimental necklace that my GF given by her deceased grandmother. So allot of the times the kids in Jackson go up to nearby Volcano and they just do not respect this cemetery and nobody seems to care but us it seems.

So I feel the video, photos and content we put up will give you a better look into this place hopefully we will get others to better care for it as well. The Masons were very abundant in the town of Volcano all the work they did was with their hands all the way from the building of its beautiful structures to its lavish grave stones some of them being as tall as me.

As we left the arched entrance from the graveyard we made our way back to the jeep. It was time that we did an exploration of the town of Volcano below. Its not a big town but every historic site either has a plaque or a wood board that explains the history of that structure.

Volcano California
Exploration 2 Reinvention

Surprisingly I can say yes I been here before actually quite a few times. When I was in 2008 and homeless I would take my kids to Volcano to play. We would walk around town hike around the woods that surround the town site and just enjoy the peace here.

Back when I put this place on our site it was just a few pictures because I lived out in the woods camping for weeks on end. So I did not have always the means to film or photograph. So coming back here with my family was more of a reinvention of the Volcano project.

Rather then come here to get away like in 2008 this time I came to live it up see the town more in depth. I spent a couple hours just reading plaques and walking down the historic streets. My kids do not remember this place but I thought Tammy might like it. It is not as large as places like Virginia City but this semi ghost town is full of gems some of them haunted others just very historic.

As you walk down the streets there are remnants of the mining that took place, farming machinery, old mansions and even stone ruins. There is a couple of saloons and even the old St. George Hotel which we did an investigation at totally an amazing place.

The atmosphere is much different then Jackson people are very friendly everyone drinks at the local saloon while others just are out enjoying a peaceful walk. I cannot say I blame them its scenic here and nestled deeply in the woods.

We would stop at an old fire bell including a fire hose on wheels nearby. There was also the old Masonic Lodge which was used after the Masons decided that maybe meetings in caves was not the best of ideas lol. Their is a large trading post, school, church, bakery and even nearby the historic amphitheater.

The park houses the Amphitheater sadly the creek is running dry last time I was there crossing it was rather difficult because of flowing water. This time it was so dry you could cross it so the kids took off to go climb up to some overlooks spot. It is funny how in 2008 they did this too once a boy always a boy right lol.

The park commemorates the towns first Christmas Tree, Veterans and covers some of the local history. Their are huge gigantic volcanic rocks right in the middle of the park and of course next door is the amphitheater which has rows of stone seats outdoors its very lovely to watch plays at.

I would eventually stop at the St. George Hotel & Saloon about half way during my investigation and urban exploration of Volcano. But that will be an entirely separate report and case file. If you go towards the outskirts of town however you can really read about the town more in depth they also still have housed behind fencing Old Abe which is a cannon on wooden wheels and looks to be made of gold. They call it the gold cannon and that it is but its also only one of the two that exist today. It was fired during the civil war to scare confederate sympathizers and was used to shatter all the windows on main street.

In addition to that their is also an old wooden jail, brewery, old post office site, mining cart filled with ore and even the old astronomers observatory which its founder discovered the great comet of 1861. We also found many old stone foundations and some hydraulic mining equipment rusting away near the creeks. There is so much to see so I made sure I covered most of the main sites.

There were many other sites we visited but I am sure we have not seen it all there are so many streets which so many plaques its really incredible. Some sites like the Jug and Rose Correctionary were built right over historic saloons. Allot of fires burnt down many parts of the town and time and time again were reconstructed. This use to be a large town but later in the 1800's mining died and all the wood structures were eventually replaced by stone. Id say that only a quarter of the town remains today compared to when it first was booming during the times of the gold rush.

I really love this town its just a very pretty place a world within a world and years ago it was a place I held dear to me. I almost lived in one of its mansions back in 2008 but it fell through or who knows I may had been living there. I could not stay here all day only because later we had a huge hike up in the higher sierras so I had to limit my time but I did cover nearly all of downtown. I think of it as a reinvention and when it goes onto our site people are really going to like the revamp on this location. I took allot of EVP, photos, videos and learned allot about its history more in depth then when I first came here.

Not to far from the brewery the kids picked up an EMF reading but I examined it more and think that its underground power lines in that area that caused it. However I will post the video to educate people that when you point your detector on the ground in some haunted cities that your EMF can pick up those underground lines which seems to be the case here.

Our next location besides traversing the town a little is the St. George Hotel & Saloon which is rated to be one of the finest hotels and most haunted in Amador County California.

St. George Hotel & Saloon

I started off my investigation at the Saloon and I know it seems a bit odd but when you go into the saloon there are many old artifacts from the past. Its like a living museum that does not include all the photos taken from the 1800's to current times. So when you walk in you could see photos of historic figures, miners, news articles and anything related to the town.

Tammy and I ordered two prohibition ales I have to admit if I was not driving or had the kids I probably who have just stayed the entire night and drank a few of those brews lol. We had fun looking at all the old bottles, relics, pictures and artifacts. We were drinking in one of the oldest establishments on the west coast that is truly what the wild west is about. You cannot go visiting a historic semi ghost town without visiting one of its open historic saloons.

After we finished up our ales we walked into the hotel I had taken some photos of the parlor and the restaurant. I also took other photos of the downstairs area when I asked an employee to get the manager. The manager was fantastic I told her what I wanted to do was investigate the hotel, write up an editorial and put it on our site. Christian gave her a card and she was really interested to see if we would capture anything so if I do ill be emailing it to her.

Another thing was is that I had read allot of news stories and experiences others have had here. There are allot of ghost stories most of them are very similar as there are at least 3 to 4 ghosts which have been seen or experienced here for nearly a century. The hotel was burned down a couple times then rebuilt time and time again no less your looking at a 160 year old historical site.

She took time out of way to show me a few of the haunted rooms which make no mistake about they are all very lovely and ill probably rent one in the future. The service is really well and I recorded quite a few stories that the manger told me including some of her own experiences.

The hotel has three stories and I had seen all of them just as after she told me about its ghostly history and unlocked some of the doors to the rooms she let me all to myself to investigate it. The stories about the piano playing by itself or about the little girl who haunts the hotel who drowned in the lake that once sat next to this place are all so intriguing. She told me stories about the staff and guess had here showed us the Soldiers Gulch room which is haunted and again I may rent it that way I can explore the area more and have a nice place to bunk up with at night.

The rooms still have that 1800's feeling your not going to get televisions or fancy technology. As a matter in fact some of the reasons have very old relics of the past all the way to their lamps, carpets and beds. Its like walking a step back into history.

I recorded some of the managers ghost stories and will make it available on our site. Along with the videos, pictures, EVP's and other content from the investigation. I really did not experience much but I will say this there was some major cold spots within the hotel especially in the rooms rumored to be haunted. I did a knock test because often I heard if you knock here they will knock back. But according to the manager allot of the ghostly activity is when things quiet down at night.

There was also this one very dark hall that felt very eerie I just felt this presence just at the end of it looking back at us. The bathrooms we also investigated they were old and pristine. While there was on the upper floor a lounge with sofas and television for the guest.

When you rent a room some of them also come with a balcony view I am thinking that I want a room so I can sit up on there smoke a cigar or drink a brew. Their is a double set of doors on the upper floor where a ghost of a young lady stares out of and according to the manager the photo is authentic of this apparition just staring out onto the town. I stood by those double doors did not feel cold or anything no EMF but did run EVP at that location which also has a second parlor only this one has books and a bunch of furniture you can sit on surrounded by many of the haunted rooms.

All in all the investigation of the hotel worked out real well I will spend the night here and do a night investigation in our future this is not the last time I go up to the Mother Lode or as they call it gold country. There are many historically haunted sites surrounding this region so I hope next time I go I have some paranormal experience at night while doing the second portion in this case.

I did want to thank the staff of the St. George Hotel they opened up the doors to us with a warm welcome and a nonjudgmental art. We had gotten to see parts of the hotel others do not get to see. So when we put this on our site will be giving it rave reviews, drawing in tourism and many other ghost groups across the country to enjoy this place as we did. The saloon as very great ale and the hotel has some really beautiful cozy haunted rooms.

Some believed it was cursed by a demon because it burnt down a couple times so the final hotel was made out of stone and that is why it still exist today because its predecessors were not designed to withstand a fire. While the ghost of a lady stares hopelessly out the window, well dressed man with a cane plays the piano or a little blond girl is seen laughing running down the hall this places rich history as well as ghost stories really made my mind wander.Your look at 160 years of history all the way from shootouts to tragic deaths.

To learn this hotels secrets, lore, legends, ghosts and history you will probably see it up on our site in a couple of weeks. I guarantee it will not be a disappointment. When I went outside after shaking the managers hand everyone was chilling on a bench I went and even toured the ground behind the hotel. There were flowers growing and its just a beautiful place that greets those who enter downtown Volcano California.

Anyhow our last site would be not so near it would involve taking an 18 mile road along drop offs and cliffs into one of the harshest wildernesses on the west coast to an area that is known as Salt Springs Reservoir.

Salt Springs Reservoir
(ElDorado National Forest/Mokelumne Wilderness)

All I have to say is this is a truly amazing wonder and an adventure in itself. Despite that we spent half of our day up near Volcano we still had to head over 30 miles to get to this hidden location. It starts off in the higher sierras and you take this road through these massive deep canyons all the way down to nearly 3,900' but along the way gracing the edges of the canyons cliffs.

The views of some of the snow capped peaks, canyons, mountains etc were stellar but at the same time you have to ride your brakes the whole way down. This road has many sharp curves at times its so narrow only a single vehicle can pass through and it hugs cliffs. Some of the mountains that surround the reservoir and Mokelumne River canyon are well over 10k so imagine that when you drive along these cliffs your looking at sometimes 6k down into these massive drop offs. So definitely very scenic and worth the drive as long as its done with caution as well as good brakes lol.

I stopped a couple times to get out took photos of an area that was burnt down in a forest fire. We also stopped at a few waterfalls and even an area where the river is real wide with massive pools of clear cool water. I let the boys out they ran down to the river I went to another area because most of you know I am mainly there to find Bigfoot and well this region is known for being a hotspot.

I also had a nose bleed it was pretty bad wiped my nose had blood on my hands while driving so I had no choice but to wipe it between my legs. That is when later hiking on this trip Tammy said hey did you just have your period ha ha! The reason I had a nose bleed is that its a drought so the air and ground is very dry. Its so dry that reservoirs, lakes and rivers are low. It is so bad that come in the summer one simple campfire could take out an entire forest so its sad with all joking set aside. But dry air dry temperatures no snow or rain for months is bad real bad!

Anyhow, Its so odd to get out of the jeep stand on a cliff and see this twisty winding road all the way down to the bottom of the Mokelumne Canyon. I will say that its awesome in the sense that your in the wilderness but at the same time you can scream nobody is going to hear you. I found it sad that very few mountains had snow on them this is bad it means this Spring no waterfalls, low lakes and a high threat of wild fires that can transpire due to lightening strikes.

By the time we drove up on our location we ended up being at the bottom of the Salt Spring Reservoir dam. The previous dam broke and even this one is not safe according to research I read. They basically flooded this part of a canyon to make a left to use for hydroelectric power.

I remember standing on a peak across from the Calveras volcanic dome looking thousands of feet into the canyon over a year ago with Jarrod. Its hard to believe we were thousands of feet above the Mokelumne River Canyon now we were at the bottom of it. Strangely then you continue the road and it takes you up along it where you can park at the very top.

We had a picnic it was more like paradise for me I had me chocolate milk, hazelnut sticks, desserts, mint chocolate cookies etc I even had some Mike and Ikes for the hike lol. We spent time having a picnic below the Calaveras Dome which stands for Skull Dome. Its a very interesting location because it is where Calaveras and Amador County meet. It also is where the Eldorado National Forest and the Mokelumne Wilderness meet.

Back a little over a year ago Jarrod and I hiked off the trail we fought through brush rocked climbed for hours where we sat across the top of the Calaveras Dome. At that time we stood thousands of feet up and could see the entire Salt Springs Reservoir. Today though with the drought it is 200-300' more shallow and you could see from atop of the dam the water line. It was like staring off into a dry lake with rocks and tree stumps exposed which at one time in the 1800's were part of a woodsy canyon bottom now its a man mad lake backing up the Mokelumne River.

We started our hike on the north side of the reservoir you had to climb up along some wall to get to the trail. We seen a sign for the ElDorado Forest eventually taking us to the Mokelumne Wilderness boundary line. The deeper we hiked on in the more rugged it became. The trail follows the reservoir so at times as you ascend and descend you get some nice open shots of the canyon and the crystal clear water of the reservoir.

To my left their are peaks if you go over them you can hit a region known as Devil's Lake and Bear River Reservoir we had hit up some fantastic bigfoot evidence during those trips there. I figured that being at the bottom of the canyon might be an good area for a creature like Bigfoot to traverse considering this canyon can take you to other canyons that branch off on the sides of the reservoir and even to Mount Mokelumne which btw was covered in snow but the further we followed the reservoir the less visible it became.

Along the hike you can see Round Top Peak, Hammer Dome Calveras Dome and Mokelumne Peak which are visible from the canyon itself. The vegetation is very thick the deeper you go in at times you have to go under trees, climb rocks and even edge yourself along massive drop offs along the reservoir but its totally worth the experience. I was a bit let down with wildlife their is next to none nothing no birds, deer, bear, wolves etc. I did see a lizard on a rock but he jetted when I went to get his picture that was about it besides a few bats.

There was also some waterfalls we had to cross, metal rusty bridge and even a wood board that goes right over a fast moving seasonal creek. It was all so adventurous a very competitive trail that test your endurance every way possible so keep that in mind for those that decide they want to take on this region.

We were fighting against the sun but we actually made it onto an island its this little patch of woods right in the middle of the reservoir that protrudes almost the entire way across. There was an open meadow that led us into this patch of woods probably 150 across by a few hundred feet long. On the middle of the island someone made a nice rest area out of wood with logs and wood. This is where we would have a nice rest break with drinks and food.

We only made it about halfway to the end of the reservoir I guess once you get to the end of it you can see the waterfalls of The Blue Hole and an actual Salt Spring. However we were in deep sun was about to go behind the Calaveras Dome which by the way was created millions of years ago by volcanic activity. I would have loved to have gone further to reach the end of the reservoir to have a look around those pools of water for tracks but time was running out.

Due to how far we hiked in we could not even see the dam anymore but on the dam side of the island the water was much deeper then on the other side of the island. I took out my two way radios then decided to do a last minute side trip to try to get a photo of the snow covered peak which is a few miles deeper in the canyon. I could not see it because the reservoir starts to veer towards the northeast anotherwards around a curve to my left.

I took off to take some scenic photography on my way back I seen Tammy looking in the trees talking to someone. She seen me standing there and jumped I said what is wrong she says oh I thought I seen you standing in the woods so I started talking to you. I was not sure if I should have been creeped out or if she had just seen a ghost or maybe even a bigfoot hiding in the brush watching. But I turned on my cam to ask her about it and she claims she seen a dark shadow in the brush behind her so she thought it was me then starting talking with it.

The thing is people need to understand nearly 3 to 5 native tribes used the Mokelumne Canyon in the summer for its great fishing and hunting. They would trade amongst eachother but at times war between did occur and well if you know the story to the region then you know at one time the Spaniards came through here chopping off the natives heads placing them on the banks further down river. So this is a really sacred area to the natives when the Spanish came through here they were trying to build missionaries forcing the natives to be a part of them and their was a revolt people died on both sides. This area is over 10,000 years old in regards to natives coming here to hunt, fish and even live during the warmer months. So who or what she seen I have no clue but it sure was not me hiding in the woods or in the brush.

Richard, Christian and myself went down in the dry lake beds you want to talk about scary? Imagine traversing a few hundred feet down into this narrow canyon where rocks the size of houses are everywhere and their are pools of water. When we nearly reached the bottom of the reservoir their were massive tree stumps probably of trees cut down when the dam was built and this part of the canyon was flooded.

I found one stump which may have been a giant sequoia it was massive and I thought to myself what ashamed if that ancient tree was cut down just to make a dam. Its a bit eerie as we climbed down this steep muddy wash jumping to various rocks and then you look up only to see that Tammy is high up on this island where the water should be coming up to.

Christian took off he made is way around the huge bend while my son and I rock climbed onto various outcrops that extended out to various pools of water. I was able to finally get out far enough into the middle of the reservoir to be able to see the Mokelumne Peak which I have hiked around it back in September of 2013 so this time around I had gotten to see a different perspective of it.

While I had gotten the money shot photo dark was setting in there was some light in the canyon but the sun was depleted so we had to climb out of this steep river canyon some of it was muddy other parts were soft sand so it was allot of work getting out of the bottom of the dry lake beds.

When we arrived back at base camp I had eaten some granola and other foods to get strength for the hike back. We could see many bats coming out and flying around so we knew that their was no sense in rushing. By then it was nightfall Tammy proposed the idea we try to take the beach problem is you hit beach then you hit rocks the size of SUV's that you have to climb over we did this for awhile and it became very tedious.

While the team got ahead of me I spotted a blue UFO over the canyon and you bet your ass I filmed it. Its not a long clip but its enough for me to say that if we did not find Bigfoot their is always the possibility of aliens in the region. I believe I seen a second object but as we hiked up into the woods I lost sight of it till later on we made it out of the canyon and by then there was nowhere to park off to film it. It was allot of tedious work being on the dry lake beds between having to go up rocks the size of houses to soft sand that really required allot of lower body strength to try to ascend through it so it was quite challenging.

We eventually decided to climb up and out of the reservoir completely through some thick brush which put us right on the trail again. All we would do is have to head westward for a few miles. Strangely enough their was an eerie quietness sure we heard the waterfalls that we came across on the way in. There was a metal bridge we crossed on the way back that we took in so everything was falling into place but it was quiet. At least near the dam you could hear the frogs croaking but where we were at nothing just silence. I did a huge Bigfoot call you could hear my voice echo for miles but not a reply back generally I get something tree banging or maybe some bellowing scream back. So I gathered that maybe the terrain along the reservoir does not have a healthy food supply for such a creature thus they probably are higher up in the mountains that overshadow us.

In the woods I heard one sound that I could not explain not sure what it was but it sounded like something spoke in an odd language. Believe it or not Bigfoot like creatures have their own language. This sounded like a weird sound to my right but higher up in the woods on the side of the mountain. Not to far from that to our left there was a bird we disturbed moving in the trees. We also heard what sounded like maybe a pigeon or dove up in the trees just making sounds in its sleep. So I was able to identify just about every sound but the one that I heard that came from higher up on the mountain. Also we recently got a droid phone so we have GPS, Nightvision, Thermal Cam and even a compass that works on it. So perhaps later I can use those apps during some of my investigations in gathering evidence.

We all had plenty of lights at least and I have to admit the forest here is foreboding anything can hide in the brush you still would never see it. Over a year ago I had gotten over 300 cuts trying to cut from one peak to another in this stuff. The Mokelumne wilderness is for hardcore hikers and hiking at night has its advantages. It definitely was cooler out and we could see every star in the sky. The mosquitoes died down as soon as dark hit I found it odd to begin with that their were mosquitoes flying around in February to begin with so the drought has completely messed up the environment period. The reservoir is low hardly any snow on the mountains and parts of the river are just merely trickling.

I will say something strange I did find however along the reservoir. I found on occasion massive heel impressions and whatever made them had to be large. I do not think Bigfoot uses the canyon to much to travel but where the heel tracks were I stepped down and did not even make an impression because the ground here is very hard as well as dry. But something else had to make them if I am 225 then whatever made those had to be 600 to 1000lbs! Just something else to chew on in regards to our expedition here.

Its a fairly eerie forest allot of the trees are bent, twisted, overgrown or dead. It is very dense if you hurt an ankle here or fall you could be in big trouble its very remote so it was nice to have as large of a group as we did. At night visibility is very poor because its so overgrown along the reservoir and you cannot even see it because it is a deep dark canyon. I did take EVP's along this ancient trail that the natives use to hunt and fish on so who knows maybe we will get something really great besides the UFO footage and the incident where Tammy seen a big dark shadow in the trees. I also had candy in my pocket as when I journey I am a big kid love to eat sweets and sing under the stars lol.

Getting back to the jeep was nice was able to put some warm air on my feet smoke one and let Tammy drive us out of this canyon. Going up and out is not as bad as going down into it trust me going down into the canyon is steep and you can go off the road if you are not with the program. It had gotten some extra treats for the ride home and we opened the moon roof to look at all the stars.

But we did eventually make it out of there I was a bit disappointed because there is another road back near here where there are old mine remnants. Its hard to believe there are mines back here but this was all part of the mother lode back in the day and the Mokelumne River wielded millions of dollars in gold even some who just pan handled struck it rich in the 1800's here.

If the sun did not go down as early as it did I was going to take everyone to a gem mine. You can mine for the gems they are not worth that much but I was thinking of finding some then maybe making a ring for Tammy with the stones I find. But we ran out of day light and you need good light to find them since they are dark shards found in the rocks. Maybe some other time we can come back there and mine for them who knows take a group with us if you want to drive next time ill tell you how to get there could do some mining while bigfoot search.

I did spot a second UFO just as we were heading out of this canyon its the same ship I been tracking I know its pulsations, size and colors. The strange thing is that we were much closer to this object I did not ask Tammy to stop could have filmed it from the high sierras but at this point I was ready to call it a night afterall we worked hard and I already have this same object on film that I captured over the sierras from my house here in NV. I see it all the time however the blue UFO that was different and it was over the canyon where we were hiking it caught my attention real fast so that one I did film.

All in all it was a great day drank brews at an 1800's saloon and investigated one of the most haunted hotels in central California. I was able to explore some caverns and visit some pioneer cemeteries. I toured the town of Volcano and even fell down in a pile of daffodils it was just overall a perfect day. I smoked a cigar and toked a bowl at the reservoir on a lonesome beach by myself just laying back looking at the crystal clear blue sky it was just paradise and a journey that will be not forgotten. It was nice to be able to take the jeep out we were without wheels for a couple months so when I broke out I spent morning till night adventuring and investigating. Salt Springs Reservoir really put the icing on the cake it was picturesque, adventurous and we did come across some strange happening.

Now that all the reports are finished I can start adding all these locations to our site. Will have all sorts of photos, videos, evidence, historical information, audio etc from all the location in and around Volcano and especially this beautiful hidden frontier. I had gotten to see it from above and now I can say I seen it from below it really is the stuff dreams are made of. The sierras and their foothills are magical everything has a store all the way from the mines to the cultural sites to the vast wilderness in its early pioneers to the old boom towns that once represented them.

I look forward to returning to the St. George and eventually I am going gem mining out in the Mokelumne River Canyon. Who knows I might even decide to camp along the river fish for Salmon and Steelheads. I really look forward to more expeditions and adventures out this way. Also want to give a special shout out to Christian for helping out and taking some of the team photos you see on my FB and other paranormal communities we own. Everybody did very well no drama, complaints or lack of effort we went all day long exploring and adventuring so that we could help preserve these locations and share them with the world! That is as pure as it gets and we definitely will return!

When I arrived home I was so tired that I passed out and I wanted to film the UFO over the sierras. I think its a bit hilarious that I chose sleep over aliens. I guess that after a day of visiting six locations and having all these different experiences was enough even for me to at least last a Sunday. Our next trip may be at Folsom Lake again we have more work to do of its gold rush towns and mining camps so it looks like we have allot of good adventures coming on up as the weather is warming on up! Good things are coming your way it will come nothing short of stellar believe me!
Namaste,
Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight
PGS Founder

PS Reports are just rough drafts not the final piece on our site. After a report is written then we take the time to add each location to our site along with the evidence, content and addition revisions. Our next addition on our site is the The Sierra Triangle its our UFO case files dealing with an area in the sierras that has known UFO activity, missing pilots and planes. It is coming to you soon!

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Love is like a ghost sometimes you cannot see it but it is There


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