Forbidden Universe
Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on March 16, 2018, 01:23:50 AM
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Day 3: Our Amazing Journeys In Santa Cruz California April 23rd 2016
We were about half way through our adventures and this time we would focus on some very intriguing sites which surround Santa Cruz. As many of you are aware Santa Cruz has allot of ghost stories and haunts. Many UFO reports come out of here and sometimes even Bigfoot since the town borders the forested mountains and rain forest.
I was very excited to hit the road with plans to visit a historic railroad, red woods preserve, covered bridge, illusionary gravity mystery spot, court of mysteries, pristine beach and a haunted cemetery my day would be full of endless adventure. Sometimes doing what I do brings out the big kid in me I want to crawl, climb, explore etc. As a matter in fact their are not to many explorers in the world that do what I do consistently. No matter how old I get you can count on me to get the job done and on this day I had a big daunting task ahead of me.
We had breakfast at the Comfort Inn on Plymouth Street in Santa Cruz also the hotel we were staying at. Its not to far from the beach but also your in the historic part of town. There was this lady who was talking to herself in the parking lot actually a big scary woman and my son was like dad she is conversing with herself. Not sure what it is lately but I tend to see allot of people talking to themselves in public. Maybe they are talking to ghosts? Maybe they are just insane!
We went into the lobby to get breakfast which btw was really bad. The sausage was not even real meat it was like soy. Everything was dry or stale! I am not one to complain but I hardly ate anything at this point. Another family was nice enough to give us there booth as it was really busy and we had nowhere to sit. The crazy lady that was outside near my jeep talking to herself now was next to me getting breakfast. She ran into me then said to me really mean excuse me so my son and I started chuckling. She was all huffing and puffing! I get so tired of people being rude to me I am probably one of the nicest guys your going to meet but if your rude to me ill put you in your place publicly and you will cry believe me you will!
Their is this Hispanic woman that also works down there cleaning the tables, stocking the breakfast items and helping people who eat breakfast here. That lady was not nice to Tammy nor was she nice to me or my son. She bitched each of us out on three separate times and we did not do anything wrong period! With the cost of this hotel you would think the staff would be nicer to their customers! Of course the Hispanic lady and the crazy lady got along great misery loves company right? Tammy told me to refrain from putting the lady in her place because she probably is also housekeeping and will go through all our belongings lol. I mean even before I could grab my OJ the lady is bitching at me to close the door on the mini fridge my hands were full WTF! Then Tammy made one small spill and the lady yelled at her! So yeah I am putting this shit in my report so other people know DO NOT stay at the Comfort Inn on Plymouth St. in Santa Cruz unless you want the bipolar maid to bitch you out for eating breakfast!
I left the hotel in quite a hurry I figured screw it I have food in the cooler and I can go out to lunch later. We were on our way into Henry Cowell Redwoods Preserve and Roaring Camp Railroad. The ride is not very far maybe six or seven miles as you began to ascend into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its a very nice drive considering it follow a set of railroad tracks through the woods. There was this area with a valley quite scenic full of fog. Fog is not uncommon here in the early mornings just like up in Half Moon Bay. With the ocean being so close and all almost anywhere along the coast your going to find it in Cali.
I pulled up to the Redwood Preserve sad to say nobody was in the booth to take my money. I had only big bills on me so I had to go into Felton get some hot drinks to get some change to park here. When you pull up into the park pay attention there is a huge meadow to your right which in the early morning is full of deer. I seen about 35 deer grazing here and as it keeps warming up its often filled with wild flowers. I was excited to see some of the oldest trees in the world we were alas parked a matter of a few mere feet from trees over a 1000 years of age.
Henry Cowell Redwoods & Roaring Camp Railroad
Day 3
When I parked I could hear the roaring railroad which is very exciting to me because I love the forest but I also love trains. This railroad has been in operation from Felton to Santa Cruz since the 1870's. Today the camp still exist its all preserved and the railroads still run. The railroad takes lucky visitors to and from Santa Cruz Beach as it also traverses the Redwood forest. The camp is a recreation yes but many of the artifacts and remnants on site are original if you decide you wish to explore. At one time this use to be a town though the railroads remind us of that!
Back in the 1800's two trains ran in the region one was more directed at servicing passengers while the other particularly dealt with lumber. Just hearing the steam engine or trains come through the camp excited me. You can hike in the redwoods and hear the train whistle which really brings the boy out in me lol. In my opinion this is a great place to take your family but it also be a nice place we can add on our website to inspire our dear friends who do support what we do here at PGS.
We grabbed our packs then decided to hike on the loop trail its not very long maybe a mile through the oldest part of this rainforest. Dew was on everything and even though the sun was beaming it barely reaches the forest floor. The trees here are massive the area also was home to the Sayante Tribe.
I believe the largest tree is over 1500 years of age and stands at almost 300' tall. However most of the trees are so large you can barely see the tops. Every tree along the loop trail has a story to it or at least a name. Some of them you can walk through like a tree that had its innards burnt in a fire. While other ones have holes you can crawl down into. They remind me of little elf or hobbit houses and technically you could live inside these trees. Some early pioneers would take naps or maybe stay in the trees for shelter.
I know if you visit the Fremont Tree its all hollow inside I tried to go in but it was really muddy from recent rain. I never knew that John C. Fremont in the mid 1800's camped inside the hollowed base of this tree. As some of you are aware it was Fremont who journeyed across the high sierras with Kit Carson which today is known as the Carson Pass. He was really the first European to have set his eyes on Lake Tahoe and perhaps the first white man most of the native tribes in the region ever seen. I had no idea he made it as far SW to this Coastal Redwood Forest but he did and had a love for it the same way I do too!
These trees are lucky to have survived all these years during the 1800's allot of lumbering went on and they almost met an ax. I did see very young redwoods growing its amazing how different the bark feels of these younger trees compared to the older ones. One is spongy perhaps soft while the other is extremely very course or hard. There is also an albino tree I somehow was so busy hiking around I really did not know this till I was leaving the area. But you can get a trail map at the parks welcome center and it has allot of good information in the trees found here.
They also had a cut from a very large tree at the entrance which shows the different rings and major historic events. I believe I see in the early stages of the trees growth a ring that says the birth of Christ then another one said Columbus discovers America while another one says the Civil War etc etc. At one time during the age of the dinosaurs these giant trees grew everywhere and sadly today not allot remain particularly trees that are over 1000 years of age.
Also be careful there are banana slugs in the area they are supposedly a protected species. My son and I found one on the trail. We also seen one in Half Moon Bay in a parking lot. They seem to be found up and down the California coast. The forest also has bay trees similar to the Italian bay leaf this tree produces nuts which the natives took advantage of in the area.
Some of the trees look like they are melting into one another this is because Coastal Redwoods rely on their roots intertwining with one another which provides additive support. These trees do not have massive roots actually they do not go very deep down into the soil therefore when a few trees grow together it helps secure them within the earth.
I have to say that I enjoyed this forest hike it was a beautiful morning out for a hike and we had the entire place to ourselves really minus a jogger and a few other passerby's. Honestly this place felt like something out of the movies moss growing everywhere, ivy, lush green trees and then redwoods towering over the entire trail. The fact is the forest is ancient its been here since the beginnings of man so when you hike here you can feel its age. The one thing I will say is during my time being the founder of PGS I have seen allot of big trees on my expeditions all the way from massive oaks to giant sequoias and coastal redwoods. We have to do what we can do to help preserve these trees even if its through out work!
When we came out of the forest I heard one of the trains at the roaring camp coming through. I ran with my coffee up the hill just to stand next to the train as it went past me. The passenger cars have Santa Cruz painted on the sides of them. I love old train cars we do allot of work with them as well here in our society. But to have the train roar past me as I waved to the passengers was a true honor. I had to experience it being a big train lover and all.
When I arrived people were leaving and boarding the train. If you walk deeper into the woods or where the engines park they have an area with a bunch of old remnants of the past. Their is a steam boiler, foundation, rusty equipment etc etc. I like to explore most folks at the railroad camp do not really explore beyond it but their are areas that are older then the recreated camp found here.
I like to explore I am not your typical paranormal investigator I do believe in applying urban exploration to what we do. I always have and always will that is why our group is a good fit for both ends of the spectrum because we have something for everyone whether your into history, abandoned buildings, paranormal etc etc.
The walk through Roaring Camp is rather pleasant there are allot of buildings made to look like the wild west such as a black smith, saloon, bandwagon, train station, water tower etc. Their is also a couple of cabooses on site which are worth checking out and a steam boiler that has a nice history piece. The camp is very beautiful allot of flowers grow everywhere and there was a pond nearby with allot of wildlife including a few turtles enjoying the cool mud along the shore.
The creek passes through the camp which has a small covered bridge please do check it out again with the pond nearby and open meadows there is allot of nice nature here. The camp was getting busy when I was here so I did not really take photos of the recreations sorry. I just prefer to have some serenity when I am busy exploring or trying to look for haunts.
Its a nice place allot of trees, redwoods in the distance, nature, history etc. I really give this place 5 stars I mean the park staff was very kind to me and taking a time out to fill me on local history. I mean its so relaxing I smoked my pipe in the forest and took all sorts of photos of nature. Sometimes I get pulled in other directions I may want to find Bigfoot but then a butterfly or flower sidetracks me lol.
They have two types of trains that pass through here all day long through the camp one being an old steam engine which traverses the forest the other being a newer engine probably diesal that takes you up to the beach. You have to understand that trains from Felton/California Redwoods have been taking people to and from for over a 100 years. There is allot of history here and maybe next time ill take a train when I have more time. Our trips are often loaded with events and explorations so sometimes we do not get the same leisure time as others do.
I was sad to leave this place you kind of want to live in the base of one of these trees hop a train into town then come back for a snooze. If the apocalypse every happens living in the Fremont Tree could be quite nice lol. I like this place wait let me rephrase I LOVE this place and its well worth the visit no matter where you are coming from its a MUST! Big Redwoods and a train that passes through them how can you beat that? Their is two different trains you take I wish I had more time but a train ride would mean id have to cancel my other adventures for the day and I wanted to see as much as I can see.
Id like to also return to this area again I found a hiking trail on the other side of the park that also has another grove of redwood trees. Near that grove is a mill site and some old limestone kilns that still can be seen today. I knew I would not have time to hike out to them as I still had plans to take my family to the beach plus I had a few other locations that we needed to visit because they are places I wanted to add to our website. Its not often I get a chance to bring our viewers so many cool places out along the Pacific Coast or for that matter in the mysterious Santa Cruz Mountains so my goal was to pack in as many locations as I could and if I return again to this place then ill bring you guys even more great stuff.
After our adventure at Roaring Camp we decided to head on off to The CapriTaurus Bigfoot Discovery Museum. When we arrived we thought they were closed which sucked but then the owner did open his doors. They are open pretty much everyday but they do not open first thing in the morning but the doors do open at 11am. If you look through the window on the side of the building their is a Bigfoot re-creation scene its pretty creepy as the big ole boy stares back at you.
Also in the front of the museum are giant wood carves of a Sasquatch family so make sure you jump on in there with them to get a photo. The museum has allot of good books, bigfoot memorabilia, plaster track casts, case files, local bigfoot history, bigfoot sighting charts, Roger Patterson and Gimlin film footage and other things you can delve into. Its not a huge place but it is a treasure trove of knowledge if you wish to delve into it. The owner was telling some Bigfoot tails when I was there to bad he was busy I really wanted to touch base with him.
Honestly, I kind of felt ignored I tried so many times to talk to him and he ignored me not even a hello. I mean honestly a friend of mine told me to visit here and talk to the owner. I may have given him something he could have added to the museum but when your simply to busy to even say hello or do not choose to talk to those donating towards your museum its kind of rude. Now granted, I did make a donation they have a jar and you should give something since its free to visit here! I would have donated more if the curator was more social with me I was not there just to look at cast but actually talk to him and felt the museum for me was more about business then seeing a few cast since I often come across bigfoot tracks on my projects in the sierras.
Anyhow, their was a few fascinating things I found while exploring the museum the first one is the scientific breakdown of the Pattern Bigfoot Film. They also showed still footage of this creature and an enhancement. I thought they did an amazing job in further proving that the film is authentic and that this creature is real.
They also had allot of charts one had every Native American Tribe listed and next to it what each tribe called Bigfoot. Most of us know this creature as Bigfoot or Sasquatch but when you read this you will be amazed at how many different names this cryptid had. They also had a chart about the cataclysms that occurred here on earth. Allot of good information about Bigfoot migration and the land bridge during the last ice age. You can also find good information about Gigantopithecus and a skull replica of this creature.
You just have to delve into it the museum has many nice tidbits, stories and even cave drawings of this creature. The cave drawings that were etched by the natives were done in ancient times and they were recreated on some slab which next to it had info explaining them more. Everything found here is contributions from others like myself therefore the museum has allot of TLC put into it based on a collaborated effort. I even seen a bigfoot board game and hobbit skulls.
Most people walk in here for thrills but I take this kind of thing serious. I know the mom and her two kids were talking to the owner wanting to hear scary stories. Sadly they did not look that much into it and wish I had gotten to the owner first to introduce myself. I been working with Bigfoot for a countless amount of years and we have had one of the more higher success rates then any other cryptozoologist in the country as far as tracks go or encounters. My love for Bigfoot will never end this is a creature I absolutely love researching and working with. Sometimes I believe its the opposite that these creatures like to work with me since I sometimes leave them fruit.
My son really liked this for years now he has also taken an interest in Bigfoot and he does help me track this creature. My son has a good eye for finding tracks but also he has had just about as many if not more sightings then me. We both know what its like to have rocks thrown at us in broad day light by a creek and we also know what its like to be chased by one of these creatures. Therefore our visit to the museum was very sentimental for both of us!
After the museum we decided to go to Felton Covered Bridge Park. Supposedly its one of the highest covered bridges in the country. But I am not so sure there is one in PA that I did an investigation of that may have been a little higher up. Back in the day the only way to Felton would be to cross this bridge. Emigrants would come from all over and if they wanted into town you had only this bridge in or out. It was built in the 1800's and was part of the main route that crossed the San Lorenzo River for nearly 45 years before other routes were constructed.
I love this park its a happy place moms playing with there kids, flowers growing everywhere, history, green grass, trails and then you have the river. When I pulled up we walked around the bridge was closed at least for another month or two due to renovations. I guess this bridge has been damaged a few times by storms and so every so many years it goes through restoration work. Its just a nice town park my son was getting on some of the playground equipment also lol kids will be kids!
If you go under the bridge walk up to the river look to your left and you will see the foundation for a trestle probably because a lumber train use to come through here. If you drive around the other side of the river or anotherwards the other end of the bridge since right now its being renovated you can read a historic plaque. Of course you do not have to drive once the bridge is back to being opened after they patch it up then you can enjoy all of this without having to get in your vehicle. Also on the other side of the bridge there is a woodsy area with some old wooden structures probably part of the original town from old Felton.
Honestly all I can say is that these places I go are a world away from a world or perhaps worlds within themselves. You would never realize how close the ocean is or Santa Cruz just as most would have no idea that a Bigfoot Museum resides at the entrance to ancient coastal redwood forest. Just down the road is a covered bridge which probably has a few ghost stories. Allot of history resides in the area the town resides in the Santa Cruz Mountains in a redwood forest it does not get better then this!
I have to say this is a fascinating little area you have five thousand acres of redwood forest, creeks, trails and historic sites. The museum is right across from the entrance into the Henry Cowell Redwoods Park. Their is remnants of the old town of Roaring Camp. Their is also railroad trestles and two trains run through the area from Felton all the way down to Santa Cruz. Then you have this cute little cozy town of Felton which has plenty of historic sites the bridge though is its greatest gem and not far from it all the Mystery Spot. I love this area and really cant wait to put it all together on our site so people can really take in how many great things can be found here including these ancient redwoods some of the last giants standing in the world today.
We would eventually leave Felton but not to far away to what is known as The Mystery Spot. I wanted to visit here to do a story on this location. Sometimes little illusions like this make for a great story don't you agree? We were on our way towards experiencing another awesome adventure. I was excited because I seen the Mystery Spot on Supernatural one of my favorite mini series unfortunately I did not buy tickets ahead of time so lesson was learned when we arrived.
The Mystery Spot
The Mystery Spot is kind of outside of rural Felton up in the mountains heavily forested its a cozy little place to adventure around at. You take this dirt road through a pretty hilly forest and when it dead ends you pull up to The Mystery Spot museum, gift shop, cafe, restrooms etc. You get the idea more or less its a tourist attraction and when I had gotten here it was far to busy for me to enjoy.
As some of you are aware over the years I been to illusionary gravity spots before and that is generally all they are. The site itself is very old there is some history to the land but in no way is it paranormal. Although some believe that a rare type of radiation and the gravitational anomaly is the result of some underground alien technology similar to the pillars or cauldrons found in Siberia. Others believe a UFO crashed here and some even believe its the paranormal causing it.
Most of you have heard of this place if not you seen it on that hit show Supernatural which I am a huge fan of by the way. But no matter what you may or may not have heard places like The Mystery Spot generally get attention for there strange geology which may look like your car is going backwards up hill or as if your standing at an angle without falling. I been to a few locations like this perhaps call it a hobby its fun to share with our fans.
The lines here were ridiculous I was told I would have to wait four hours and they still might be able to get me in. They give tours which I think is another way to muscle people out of money rather then just let people walk up and visit it themselves. I try not to do the whole tour thing I am not a tourist I do allot of research on every location before I even go to that given places. Therefore going here was to conduct merely pure scientific research and do an editorial on this location.
I will say that the flowers and nature here is rather lovely their is also a hiking trail did not take it to many people. But the walkways made of stone, creek, flowers and forest made it a very pleasant experience. I tried to do some filming and run EVP here I stopped because people act insane darting in front of you, running around, bumping into you etc. You cant do good work with that kind of variable and well I was told to make a reservation. If you look at the top of the hill the Mystery Spot is up at the top of this hill. You cannot even see anything they have a privacy fence around it with some old wooden structure.
You have to walk up a hill to get to the spot although I did not get to go. I decided to leave I did not want to but I did not come to the Santa Cruz area just to sit down and wait in line. I did go into the gift shop some things are really over priced you could probably go on Amazon and get the merchandise half of what it cost. But I did buy a Weird California book and a couple fridge magnets. I think that came out to about 50 dollars so again it is a bit spendy just to forewarn my friends who want to check out this place.
I was not here very long I will put what I can on our website still but its not much because there was just to many people and they could not fit me in. I watched large groups of folks walking up to the top of the hill. As much as they charge to see this place they sure are making a killing. In some sense it seems more or less all about the money and that's ashamed. I think they could do a bit better with how they operate these tours perhaps have a time where others can just walk through and not have to take a tour. But that is just me I mean I go to allot of places like this and some of them are most of the time a little less hassle.
I left pouting a little was happy to see some beautiful flowers growing in this little creek canyon and to get a new book to add to our collection. But the lines, over a hundred cars, shouting, cost of everything etc was getting to be a bit to much. I thought to myself maybe I need to go back to the Redwoods or Bigfoot Museum lol.
I will return here and make a reservation but I hate the whole tourist thing. I need freedom to do my work not lines, people talking etc etc. Some places we go to are just that fun other places are far more intense. Tourist attractions are for thrills and frills but I really have to see the place myself to be able to write a more in depth article. I think it would be pretty cool to see myself photographed standing at an angle as if I am about to topple over.
After walking around The Mystery Spot and having bragging rights I been here at least I needed some grub. We had been going all morning and lunch was long overdue. We went back into Santa Cruz ate at a Denny's. Denny's makes things all the more better if your pouting just go here and let the good times roll lol. I had a nice cup of coffee, pot roast with veggies and gravy over mashed potatoes. A fed Lord is a happy Lord lol and having a hot meal for lunch was fantastic with my family. I am a simple guy I try to do what I can to live and that is something all of you should do too!
Our next stop after lunch would lighten the mood we would visit the Court Of Mysteries. It was built by two brothers only at dusk in the moonlight. The property has allot of symbols and strange architecture. More or less it was a temple built which was said to be able to foretell the apocalypse.
Court Of Mysteries
If you go to Santa Cruz this is a must see now keep in mind its private property and last I read as of recent a couple who are artist purchased and now are living on site. Besides there are cameras on the property and even if it looks like nobody is home trust me someone is watching.
Over the years of doing what I do I like to lighten the mood a little visiting places of mystery and speculation. It keeps people on their toes but it also teaches them a few things also in the process. PGS is very keen on educating the public and our site does well with students using it as an educational resource!
The Court Of Mysteries was built by a Kenneth Kitchen with his brothers help Raymond. Some folks say he built the property under the noses of building inspectors hence why they worked in the dead of night. Others say it had something to do with the occult! Kitchen's temple revolved around the moon and stars. Some say he believed that we as humans could harvest the energy of the moon. The temple here kind of resembles something you would see in the far east which Kitchen had an interest in. Everything on the property is riveted at astrology or rather the stars and moon.
There use to be an area within the temple or home depending on how you view it called the "Gate Of Prophecy" at the temples entrance which featured symbols of stars and moons. Inside their was a matching astrological plaque over the fireplace. Kitchen believed when the axis points of the moon and stars from the two plaques came into celestial alignment that this would signify the end of the world followed by an age of peace! Also at the front gate if you look up their is a pyramid that greets you so its apparent that kitchen believed the pyramids held a greater power then just being a tomb. Then again the pyramids were built to align with the stars they kind of served as a celestial calendar per say.
Personally I am not sure what to believe I know that this property has been abandoned much longer then it has been inhabited therefore people over the years have heavily vandalized the temple. Not just being careless towards the property but stealing plaques, symbols and other pieces of architecture which use to grace the property. They had a caretaker at one time but then for years the property remained overgrown and basically the site of vagrants.
If you stand in front of the gates and look at the property it does look like a temple. The man that built it was a Mason or bricklayer rather. He did not live here very long I am not sure why nobody knows why he fled or for some time just vanished without a trace. The stories are very conflicting some say the government relocated him to Pensacola. So much mystery surrounds the entire site between the architecture, Kitchen brothers and possibly even there government involvement in WWII.
If you stand at the gates to the left of the property is what is called the well house. Supposedly Kitchen was using some device which he would submerge in his well to block German sub communications equipment. Their are two obelisks near the front gates that were supposedly antennae's. One tower was said to disrupt and impair German Submarines or possibly aircraft. While the other tower was said to receive communications and signals from the subs in the Monterey Bay area. Some theorize the government may have seized his spying device perhaps even relocating him to Florida to build more sophisticated ones like the ones used today in the CIA. Its really hard to know the truth only Kitchen himself knew and more then likely died with his secrets as to what the Court Of Mysteries really stood for!
The temple is made to resemble Hindu Yogi Temples in the far east. At one time it was adorned with abalone shells then infused with astrological motifs. Kitchen had a library also with many books on eastern Philosophy, Persian rugs and perhaps just a bed. It was nothing fancy believe me but from the outside it has a very metaphysical feel to it so you can see why this was a great site for me to do.
Little do people know there WWII history but the Germans Subs particularly Japanese ones attacked over 10 ships just off the coast of Santa Cruz. If you ever go out to San Francisco and along the coast south of it you will find batteries, forts and abandoned military outposts. This is because the west coast during the war was under constant threat of Germany and Japan. At least six men died right off the coast which is only a few blocks from the temple. Supposedly Kitchens Device or Submarine Stopping Device may have worked a bit to well causing not only problems for the enemy but perhaps the US Navy.
It is the only reasoning I can think for him to have left the very temple he built with his hands. I did not get to do much here again its private property but there are some pretty flowers growing around the wall around the property. The gate of prophecy is somewhat in tact of course today rather then two gates its just a chain hanging that says no trespassing. Their are still shell fragments infused in the obelisks or as I refer to them as towers.
The property has allot of tall palm trees around it the stone wall surround the entire front of it residing right in the middle of what appears to be a very mainstream quiet neighborhood. People walking there dogs going on about their business as if the temple does not exist. Their is some metal sculptures on the property and someone left there lawn mower in on the front lawn as if they were taking a break and wanted to finish it later. There are flower pots everywhere and some smaller trees which have flowers. Its a pleasant place and again a must visit if your here.
Another must visit in Santa Cruz is the 22 room haunted Rispin Mansion which I just did not have time to work with. The Court Of Mysteries was a small stop but its a place that should be on our site so our members can enjoy the architecture, mystery and history of the property. Like I said sometimes we do paranormal and sometimes we do strange. This is a strange temple it was built by a man who loved eastern culture and he really never stuck around long enough to enjoy the place let alone witness an alignment of the stars and moon with his gate of prophecy.
The property needs work still its typical to see boards on all the windows and doors at least right now it is. There is allot of spider webs along the wall at the entrance and the obelisk need restoration work. If you look at the gate of prophecy on each side something is missing perhaps statues or plaques embedded into the wall. This temple has seen its fair share of abuse and neglect maybe one day the new owners will fully restore it to its former glory. It is kind of strange to see a Kingdom Hall to the right of the temple and a large house on the other side but then again maybe they find it strange they are bordering such a strange temple that so very few know about it!
After toking one up at the court I decided it was time for a trip to Natural Arches/Bridges State Park. This place is not to far from the Santa Cruz Board Walk. As historic as it is its also a very beautiful part of the Pacific Ocean!
Natural Arches/Bridges State Beach
This is one beach nobody should miss if you are heading out to Santa Cruz. You have to understand that yeah its a beach with allot of people coming here to party. But it also is a place of history which dates back before the Spaniards arrived so this little natureous area along the ocean has been the site of many uses. While the natives had villages here they were nearly wiped out when the Spaniards brought disease almost the entire tribe. Eventually early pioneers came here after California became a state and Mexico along with Spain lost this place to American Pioneer Ranchers.
The Uypin tribe a branch of the Ohlone Indians use to inhabit these lands utilizing this beach and the forest that surrounded it. For hundreds of years they watched Humpbacks and other whale migrate along these shores with their tail breaching out of the water. When the white man came to the area the Spanish had missions the grazed cattle here. Eventually a hotel, dairy farm, Brussels sprout ranch, housing for the Anttonelli Mill Pond, South Seas Movie set and undeveloped housing. Today not so much so its all really gone but people come here to journey along the oceanic cliffs, bird watch, BBQ, swim and hike around some of the nature trails.
Over the years many people lost there life on this very beach. Keep in mind this is not a big state park but its big enough to spend sometime exploring tidal pools or some of the history. I did a little bird watching I also sat on the beach for a little bit. With my ADHD I really cant stay still I have to go go go and so that is what I did. If you look out into the water there is a massive arch where the waves of the ocean pass through it. Keep in mind there use to be three arches in all but due to storms they have collapsed leaving the last one standing.
I did a hike along Moore Creek but you can also hike out to the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve if you feel bold. I feel bold so my plans were to go do some hiking see some nature. The thing about ghosts is that they can be found anywhere all these places I hike around at sure nothing may stand the ranches might be gone. But when you walk on a trail or through the woods exploring you might be walking over what use to be an old homestead where someone lived out there days. You just do not know for certain but if you do not do it up you surely will never find out now will you?
I had fun walking in tidal pools to cool off however the ocean ehhh its a bit to cold for my liking. There is allot of bird life here as well so pay attention. My second adventure after hiking in the wetlands was to climb a sea cliff or rather land bridge that us to connect to this giant series of rocks out in open water creating the first arch. Since the arch is gone you can only walk out so far but its dangerous. You could fall off the cliff and get hurt or even die. I climbed the slippery sandy rocks to the top then walked across the rocks on this narrow land bridge with the ocean below me on both sides. Who knows if sharks lurk below or if one fell if they might get swept out to sea! The ocean was very rough nobody was swimming there was a couple of people doing some surf gliding. It was pretty cool to stand out over the ocean what a great view of the bay.
Jarrod and I eventually would hike to the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve. It resides below the cliffs north of the park along the coastline. The waves are pretty big so they were crashing into the rocks and we had gotten wet a little but it was fun. You can also see a couple miles away the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The cliffs are riddled with these bright purple and yellow flowers. This time of year or rather in the Spring the state park is rather colorful.
We had to climb quite a few rocky shelf's to get down to the bottom of the cliffs. You might climb up on a flat area below the cliffs where the ocean soaks your feet then be stuck having to climb down a wall to the beach and back up on some rocks. Its a rugged coastline but if your looking to get in some good old fashioned rock climbing then this place would be a good start. Jarrod and I were hiking along the ocean but the tide was coming in. You do not want to be down here below the cliffs when it happens if the water comes in to far which it was you could get swept out to sea or worst get thrown against the sharp rocks. So our time here was very limited believe me.
There are pools of water within the rocks where you can find starfish and crabs its pretty cool. Jarrod and I found this massive bundle of buoys, sea weed and got knows what else that was washing up. It had to be almost 200lbs when he could not pull it in I ran out there helped grab it dragging it across the beach. Who knows this may have been fishing for great whites for all we know. We found this sea shelter or small cave also that we sat in for a bit watching the ocean out in front of us. Trust me there are allot of sea caves found along the Cali coast if you hike along the cliffs you will find them.
The tide was coming in so the rocky shelves do extend out into the water. I was standing on one as water was hitting me and a gust of wind blew. My hat had gotten caught in the wind and blew into a channel. When I say channel I mean between these two massive rock faces separated by about 20' of ocean or sand. The channel was filling up with each wave coming in from the tide more or less crashing every time. I waited about five minutes and the waves kept pushing my hate towards us. When the water receded my son ran real fast between the rocks grabbed it and ran as the waves came towards him. It was good team work really on both are parts. My hate is suede its nice my friends like it and hell I liked wearing it on the beach except that the winds almost carried it off forever lol.
You can climb around allot if you look above the reserve there is a building its actually the Seymour Discovery Marine Center. We would actually visit it the next day after we did our investigation at the Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery. Also this is where NOAA is located and the Long Marine Laboratory! Monterey Bay is home to some of the richest marine life in the world. As a matter in fact just off the coast where I was hiking is Submarine Canyon which is larger then the grand canyon. Everyday new ocean life is being discovered in this canyon and besides with all the strange USO/UFO reports surrounding this area just off the coast its prime real estate for a guy like me to be exploring!
The Discovery Center gives you a real look into a marine research lab. I had gotten to pet sharks, star fish, sting rays and see a variety of aquatic life. They have recreated many oceanic environments here for the public to enjoy. Also on site at the entrance is a Blue Whale Skeleton at a length of 87' one of the largest in the world. Just above the cliffs is also the skeleton of a Gray Whale that had become stranded in the San Fran Bay. The Blue Whale washed up not to far from where we were hiking at the reserve so really everything kind of ties into eachother here.
I have to say I seen some very weird aquatic life here they even have a massive whale vertebrae. All in all its worth the stop if your a lover of the ocean like me. Honestly over the years my heart has grown to love all forms of nature whether its birds, dolphins in the ocean or plant life in the forest. The discovery center has great views from on top of the cliffs, flowers and you can whale watch here. Jarrod and I were directly below the same cliffs that we would stand on the next day. At the time we had no idea that the ocean laboratory for the Monterey Bay area was directly above us.
We would have to make it back the tide was coming on in but we did do some more rock climbing to make our way along the cliffs and down to the sandy beach. We were pretty far north into the reserve at times I had my son take photos of me standing on the rocks as giant waves hit them splashing me everywhere. This is a great place it was worth paying the fees to enjoy the state park.
When we had gotten back onto the beach we played some football and boy was it hard to run in the sand. I dove a few times to catch some balls for sure and have no regrets lol. I had one happy kiddo and I got my exercise for the day. Nothing like playing football thousands of feet on top of the world or at sea level to me football is football ill play anywhere anytime!
The beach was still busy even though we were nearing sunset. The one thing I notice about this place is that it kind of draws in a very young crowd. I kind of felt like an old peeping tom on the beach. I mean there is allot of free love going on here people humping, french kissing, touching, making out etc etc. The problem is there are allot of little kids and well if I was a parent I am not sure id want to bring my son or daughter to this place. I mean there was a group of women and men making out like an orgy going on while I was playing football lol. Ehhh so goes life if you want to bare all its better you then me LMAO. The ocean appears to make people horny meanwhile I am chasing the ghost of the Ohlone Tribe!
If you hike on the north side of the state park their is a Monarch Butterfly Trail of course the butterflies were all gone because they already have left the building. You see this state park is one of the largest over wintering sites in California. They come here in the Fall roosting in the leaves and trees then begin their amazing journey for 1500 miles across the west laying eggs. In the winter months Id say between October and Mid February you can see them roosts and clinging together. When it warms up they search for nectar and dew breaking out from their clusters during the cooler weather. The clusters kind of look like leaves so its easy to miss them. I was sad I did not get to see any Monarchs but I have seen them recently further to the north which means that the ones I probably were viewing at one time may have wintered here last year ago!
This is a nice state beach its really an important part of Santa Cruz's history! Santa Cruz is a strange place at one time it was home to more serial killers then anywhere else in the country. Alfred Hitchcock sought to inspire his audience by writing his stories here and tried to integrate some of the more creepy looking places into his works. The natives have been here for centuries and the first white men to stand on these shores were the Spanish. Its ashamed that only one arch stands what will they do if this one also collapses? When you look at massive rock formations that protrude out of the water in the ocean one can imagine that back a few centuries ago wooden ships were often thrown into them and sank. People died on beaches like this and the ocean is very fierce here then again just miles away is the Big Sur which is perhaps the surfing capital of the Pacific West Coast.
Trust me if you head out to Santa Cruz you have to visit this place its a must. Hike along the creek which drains out into the ocean and wetlands. Their is allot of bird species and marine life surrounding this beach. There are woods if you need shade and up at the top of the hill you can BBQ. Its a bit packed and hell when I was leaving the parking lot to people needed to get a room. Id prefer to call this place make out beach because ill tell you what man everyone seems to be hornier then a toad meanwhile here I am looking at the sky with my tripod in search of a UFO that could fly out of the bays deepest trench!
After my journey along the ocean climbing wet rocks nearly falling and cracking my head just as almost being swept out to sea I was ready for a serious change in pace. I decided to visit Evergreen Pioneer Cemetery. This is an amazing burial ground built in a small canyon and the mouth of it on a hillside. It is rumored to have various haunting's and contains many notable historic figures of the Santa Cruz area. I could not wait to finish the evening off here thus we would head off to the regions oldest burial ground and I ended up have a ghost encounter of my own here!
Santa Cruz Historic Evergreen Cemetery
Let me just start off stating that this is a very gorgeous cemetery which has many different sections including the Grand Army Of The Republic/Civil War, Chinese, Potters Field and even a Masonic section. The cemetery was erected in 1850 and contains many notable figures. While many pioneers are buried here including Judge Washburn, Louden Nelson and Isaac Graham the same man who founded Roaring Camp when he built the first sawmill west of the Mississippi. Roaring Camp was a small settlement that resides near the redwood grove at today's Henry Cowell State Park which we had visited earlier that day.
Everyone from Gold prospectors, artist, Chinamen, Yankees, Civil War veterans, masons, infants, lawyers, mountain men, authors, politicians and early residents of Santa Cruz can be found here. Santa Cruz is an old city as a matter in fact it was a small Mexican Village that begin as a Catholic Mission. So before the cemetery was even here it was under Spanish rule and keep in mind just a couple miles from the ocean.
The one thing I learned about the cemetery is it had many notable interments and historical figures. It also had over 2,000 people who were laid to rest. I was very excited to visit this place it also is tiered meaning it sits on a hill and goes far back into this gulch which is said to be haunted by the ghost of Jackson Sloan who was a farmer gunned down by a vigilante. Supposedly his gravestone has never been found and people refer to his spirit as restless. This gulch supposedly is in the back of the cemetery but all we found were graves that were tipped over and a bunch of old bottles of booze.
I was hoping to see Sloan's apparition who is said to wear a broad brimmed hat and a long black jacket. While reports say he haunts the gulch others say he haunts the cemetery. I am thinking the gulch behind the cemetery where pioneers often road there through buggies through is where many folks had sightings at. Whether or not the gulch is located in the cemetery the fact is years spent by locals trying to see his spirit have often seen it in this very cemetery. All I seen when I was here is a couple gothic kids that thought they were vampires lol.
As a matter in fact when I first entered this graveyard which has a nice white picket fence at the very front of I entered the gate I came a across a couple nice bucks grazing with a few does. We actually got pretty close to them wish I took more film but I did get a few nice photos at least. I mean this is a city cemetery yet deer roam it as if its not a big deal. People tend to forget that Santa Cruz is overshadows by the mountains and the San Lorenzo River also flows through here so this means that their is plenty of wildlife to see here including in the town cemetery.
Its kind of a dark cemetery it resides in the woods many of the trees are very old. Their are big giant limestone rocks up on the hills behind the graveyard. Their is also many large stone walls including this old crypt built into the side of the hill. Many of the graves are in peril I seen some that were broken, tipped on their side, smashed to pieces and vandalized. But also the massive storms that hit this cemetery from the ocean probably took a toll on this place over the years too. Its evident trees have fallen before on some stones mother nature at its best I guess you can say.
I had a list of notable people buried here so my goal was to seek out Marie Homes a prostitute that killed herself. Strangely here stone went missing and then some hiker find it in the woods 12 miles away and today its restored. I also visited Isaac Graham a true mountain man who founded the first water powered saw mill in Felton and overthrown a Mexican governor forming the town of Roaring Camp. Then their was Louden Nelson once a slave that came to Santa Cruz as a free man who opened up a school that had closed for children. Their were many more notables I found to while exploring the cemetery.
I will say the cemetery has a creepy feel to it not all cemeteries to but if you climb the stairs into the gulch it goes very far back where you will find some of the oldest graves. I found this one area where all these graves were crumbling or where some construction was going on. But a part of the cemetery is really torn up as you go into the gulch which has graves that are overgrown and on steep hillsides as you take this walkway through it. But back here is an area the cemetery suffered the worst with piles of gravestones some look as if someone took a sledge hammer to them and some walls were cracked in half probably caused by earthquakes.We found one gravestone a tree fell on probably during a storm.
But the stone walkway in the gulch is very nice work not something you see often in graveyards. The sun was setting took there was some event going on across the street so music was playing really loud. This makes it kind of hard for me to do any sort of EVP work but I tried. I did get some EMF readings in the cemetery even heard a strange noise sounded like a woman screaming in the woods towards the back of the cemetery. Supposedly the lady in white not only haunts Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery but her ghost has been seen in the woods at Evergreen Cemetery too. It seems this entire area of Santa Cruz has quite a few ghost stories it also had quite a few serial killers in the area so some of the victims buried in Evergreen were victims of fowl play.
Their is a Masonic section its not big but a white picket fence enclosure does contain some gravesites while some masons were buried outside of the enclosure. On a hill near the gulch is also a Chinese section with this giant memorial with Chinese writing its pretty cool. The civil section of the cemetery is off to the side and completely fenced off from Evergreen Cemetery. The grass was super green here but it also was growing quite high. Id say that cemetery had about 35 to 50 monuments and graves of Civil War Veterans. Their is a nice historic piece you can read before entering this section of cemetery.
Their is quite a few brick walls here including this plaque which has a really nice piece about the pioneer section of the cemetery. I found this one massive stone slab broken in half one of the half's of this tombstone was simply laying on top of the edge of this wall. Someone obviously put it there and it has to weigh a few hundred pounds. No less many nice older pioneer gravestones and not to far from here I heard a branch snap maybe more deer? Their is plenty of nature here including many naturally growing flowers to see especially this time of year and oh man their are some nice views nearby of the Santa Cruz mountains and being it was sunset I could not ask for more.
But I was getting kind of tired however a stroll through the cemetery was very lovely especially after the day I had spent adventuring at the Henry Cowell Redwoods Grove, Roaring Camp, Felton Covered Bridge, Bigfoot Museum, Mystery Spot, Court Of Mysteries and a few hours at the beach at the Natural Bridges State Park it was simply time to get back to my hotel to call it a day. It was a long day from early morning till nightfall almost. But the nice thing about being on the ocean is the days are longer so I was able to get more then enough done but boy was I beat.
When I had arrived at the hotel we had ordered on in which included some spicy habanero wings, two pizzas and cinnamon bread. It was good but my night was not done my son went swimming and I took a nice dip in the Jacuzzi with an ice cold beer to go with it to relax my body. I still was in pain from taking a terrible fall in the ghost town of Purissima and ending up getting a thousand thorns that broke off in my skin when we had gotten stuck in underbrush for three hours while trying to climb out of this ravine and get to the road. You can only imagine how exhausted I must had been being on a five day road trip and exploring from morning till night and we still had two more days to go on this trip. It felt so good to close my eyes in that Jacuzzi and enjoy that beer. Nobody pays me to do what I do I mean honestly the work I do is for you guys so that you can enjoy these locations on our website, see the pictures, watch videos and in the process even get to enjoy the strange.
I would turn in after the Jacuzzi we had a big day ahead of us once that would start off at the Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery, Seymour Discovery Marine Center, Road Trip through the Santa Cruz Mountains, La Exaltacion De La Santa Cruz/Holy Cross Church and The Arboretum at the University of California. That also does not include my drive up the Pacific Coast to my hotel up in San Francisco that we had to check in at so we could spend our final day of this trip on Angel Island. So day 3 was about the half way point of our project in Santa Cruz and San Fran. We still had more adventuring and journeying to do but we were slowly making progress on this trip and these were some gorgeous little gems. State tuned for our final report which will include Day 4 and 5 of this Pacific Coast Adventure.
Peace,
Lord Rick
PS All reports are subject to further editing and alternations this is only a rough draft.