The southwest is vast and mysterious and so are its legends! From untamed deserts to Wild West towns and historic establishments, we went in search for it all. Many of the locations we visited were places I’d had on my personal bucket list for years. So without further ado, as part of our year-long road trip, we bring you the continuation of our Paranormal Explorations in the American Southwest…

Historic Wickenburg, Arizona

About an hour northwest of Phoenix, Arizona is the little historic town of Wickenburg. It was a sunny morning when we took a self-guided tour of several locations dating back to the 1800s within the town. Its parlors, hotels and train station are all said to have encounters of unseen members of centuries past, still lurking about.

One of the most interesting landmarks is an old oak tree that grows in the middle of town and was used as a makeshift jail for nearly thirty years. The sheriff chained town trouble makers to the tree until they sobered up.

Another historic site is the town’s first rail-side hotel, which is rumored to have a few extended stay guests. We walked around and peered through its many windows but didn’t spot any historic patrons.

All in all, Wickenburg is rich in history and spirit activity according to the locals. Worthy of a day trip on your way to or from Phoenix in our opinion.

Vulture Mine, Wickenburg, Arizona

Now just a few miles south of town through the cacti-laden desert, is the Vulture Mine. Sadly, the old mine is only open one day a week to a small number of visitors. Side note: learn from us, if you are going to come through this area, plan ahead and get there early on a Saturday for this limited access tour for seeking potential tommy knockers.

However, we did walk around the property and observed the many decaying buildings and envisioned what the mine was like back in its operational days.

One can easily imagine the harsh lifestyle these old miners and prospectors lived in. There’s plenty to see above ground from the entrance in this ghost mining camp.

And it was a good reminder for me to appreciate whatever challenges I have compared to the difficult life these miners endured. Ghosts of the mine 1. Matt & Kristin 0. This time anyway.

Sedona, AZ

This land of pine tree strewn and irregularly stacked mountain mesas should be on everyone’s bucket list simply for the beauty alone. Although, many claim that Sedona’s red rocks hold mystical and spiritual powers, and that it is even a portal to other dimensions.

People seem to come here from all over the world looking for mental and spiritual encounters. During our 8ish mile hikes we looked high and low for the supernatural.

We walked through desert landscape, trekked up muddy and icy trails, peered off the tops of icy bridge cliffs and spun to admire 360 degree views at Devil’s Bridge and Doe Mountain. It took our breath away. Standing roughly 2,000 feet high on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by nature’s endless beauty, it finally came to me. Our incredible planet speaks to us, if we but take the time to stop and listen.

If some want to call it mystical, spiritual or magnetic energy, that’s fine, however I think our planet simply communicates to us through the splendor all around us. Whatever reason you seek Sedona, I know you’ll find an awe inspiring landscape and if you lend a conscious ear, you’ll hear and feel the planet speak to you.

The climb was worth the panoramic views! #destinationtreeontheroad #redrocks #sedona #arizona #doemountain #panoramicview #hikeandbehappy #wanderlust #crosscountryroadtrip #coconinonationalforest

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jan 24, 2016 at 10:06am PST

We recommend you grab a beer, find a cliff, sit down and listen to nature.

P.S. You MUST drive through Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff…it’s like a mini Grand Canyon as you weave through the bottom of the canyon and ascend up to the snowy top.

Horseshoe Café, Benson, AZ

An hour’s drive East of Tucson, Arizona is a teeny tiny old railroad layover town with a deliciously haunted café called The Horseshoe Café. According to the staff, one of the previous owners is an active spirit here and often peeks out through the windows of the second floor.

She is said to haunt the building and can be quite temperamental. Her favorite post mortem activity is to knock glasses off counters and toss coffee ground trays right out of the machine, as well as rearrange utensils for guests. Basically she likes to make a mess for employees to clean up and they aren’t shy about sharing their experiences with you. She must have it in for just the workers because I attempted on several occasions to have her knock stuff off the table next to me. Even directly asked her to, but to no avail.

When you’re not looking for ghosts, we highly recommend you try eating the food. It’s all made from scratch and quite delicious…and the portions are enormous!

Tombstone, AZ

Ahhh, another long time ghostly bucket list destination of mine. Plus, this town is packed with history! We loved it. We first checked out the original courthouse and gallows (I say original because the entire town burned to the ground back in its prime, save for a small handful of buildings and had to be entirely rebuilt).

On a side note, while at the courthouse we learned that there were over 60 different types of barbed wire used by ranchers. Crazy! And that there is a monumental payload of silver about 500 feet away from the town that was buried in a mineshaft by an unexpected watery cave in, never to be dugout again. Even crazier.

After the courthouse we strolled through town in the early morning and walked by the OK Corral where the famous shootout took place and is a rumored hot spot for paranormal activity.

We looked and listened our way through the area, but with plenty of normal activities like construction, tour guides in their western wear, tourists and tourists shops, we agreed that what we saw was all pretty normal rather than paranormal. Still, I believe that the entire town is full of spirits. It felt entirely possible that we wandered by invisible eyes as we strolled under porches and past alleyways.

Eventually we made it to the Birdcage Theater, claimed to be the most haunted place in town.

There is a welcoming woman who shared that the male spirits love to play with her hair.  Kristin held on to her ponytail, and we took our time exploring while also taking pictures and videos. This place is a treasure trove of theater antiquities and has an old brothel/casino below.

We experienced nothing out of the ordinary and our photos turned up nothing strange. However, it definitely feels like a place that holds more than just historical objects.

During the afternoon this town is extremely touristy (wagon rides, fudge shops, souvenirs, etc), but at night, this place takes on a whole new feeling. Talk about exhilarating! I walked the empty streets by myself and highly recommend adding this place to your own bucket list, both for a day tour and a dark night walk.

Believe it or not, this does not conclude our paranormal adventures in Arizona…stay tuned for highlights from the old 1880’s mining town, Bisbee. And for more of our non-paranormal (but still awesome) Arizona adventures, checkout the highlights of our Desert Drifting here and take an off-road adventure with us on The Apache Trail.

Cheers!

Matt

Our Paranormal Quest continues! As we’ve been traveling across the country on our year-long road trip, we’ve made it a point to explore some unusual and historic locations. First, we shared mysterious locations spreading from the east to west coasts and now our paranormal quest continues through California…

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA

Let’s see, a six acre house, complete with hidden rooms, haunted stories, staircases to nowhere, séance chamber, more windows than the empire state building and continuous construction 24/7 by an army of construction workers directed by an incredibly paranoid, pint-sized widow for nearly 40 years. What else can I say? This place has it all.

One can’t help but feel that this place is a beacon for the unusual. We didn’t feel uncomfortable here, although our guide said he refuses to go in the basement anymore, with or without people. Much of the house is closed to the public so it’s hard to say if there are or aren’t spirits in the dark, off-limits, mysterious parts of the house. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed. (I am curious what we may have captured in a photo that we possibly didn’t see in person). Regardless there was much to take in, even without the cameras.

We walked through the old barn full of priceless Tiffany glass that had never been installed and climbed the easy glider staircases with 2-3 inch high steps that would occupy an entire room like a maze in order to traverse to the next floor (making it easy for a small, old woman to ascend). The staircases to nowhere, windows in the floor, ceiling and walls and constant construction were all an attempt by Mrs. Winchester to keep the millions of souls killed by Winchester guns at bay.

With the shear complexity and randomness of the house, there could have been ghosts all over, though we didn’t physically spot any on this visit. Overall, this is the most bizarre mansion you’ll ever experience. Definitely check out the large expanse of meticulously maintained landscaping all around the grounds. Haunted by the gardener? Perhaps not, but worth admiring nonetheless. We recommend going early on a weekday to avoid heavy crowds.

Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, CA

Deep within the iconic Yosemite Valley, surrounded by towering pines and magnanimous granite cliff walls stands a snow covered legend. The Ahwahnee Hotel. Looking like a log cabin accented version of Stephen King’s immaculately built hotel from the movie The Shining, this place does not disappoint the senses.

In the air is the scent of dueling hardwood toasty fireplaces mixed with gourmet cooking wafting from the kitchens. Patrons with spiced wine and hot chocolate are sitting in plush chairs fireside while listening to gentle sounds of a melody being played on the baby grand piano. Could you ask for a better warm place to hunker down out of the cold falling snow? No wonder this place still has spirits that linger around.

We gave ourselves a personal guided tour of the hotel and weren’t shy about searching through its many floors for the rumored spirit activity. After our scenic two person ghost hunt, the only feeling we both agreed we experienced while we were there was that of a warm welcome.

If the Ahwahnee Hotel does have a few extended stay guests still around they seem to be as welcoming as the environment there. After experiencing this place I can’t say I blame them for not wanting to leave. My only regret in coming here is that we didn’t stay for the weekend. We would love to go back. If you’re going to go here, stay for a day or two so you have ample time to roam the Hotel and grounds in an attempt to meet its permanent residents.

Joshua Tree National Park

Though we covered this location in detail in another blog, I had to mention this story-worthy backdrop simply because of the energy emanating from the very ground here. What seems like a lifeless void of scrub, cacti and Joshua trees, is actually a thriving ecosystem, perfectly adapted to such a harsh environment.

On two different occasions we drove through the immense and pitch-black park in the bitterly cold pre-dawn hours to catch a glimpse of some of the best starry skies in the country (followed by unreal sunrises). BUT, what I didn’t tell Kristin is that I also wanted to catch a glimpse of one of the many UFO’s claimed to dart around and even land out here.

As stories have it, not only have these camera-shy, flying, escape artists been seen about the park, but there’s also stories of Native American spirits that roam the area. Regardless of these supposed encounters with the paranormal that I had hoped to see, we didn’t actually happen upon any of them while there. Whether real or a product of people’s overactive imaginations, I can’t say for certain, but we can say that this park is certainly full of beauty and energy that is just beckoning you to come search for its legends.

That’s it for paranormal California…if you want to see more of our non-paranormal (but still amazing) adventures in California, check out the overview and pictures here. And stay tuned for our next batch of paranormal locations in Arizona!

Cheers!

Matt