Hey gang!

I left Atlanta, Georgia at about 5:30pm on Monday just after Dragon*Con officially wrapped. However, after only five (5) hours of driving I just didn't feel like blowing through non-stop for another seven (7) hours to get home to Greenfield, Wisconsin... so I pulled off of I-65 in Kentucky only to find that I've landed at Mammoth Caves. You've all seen this on Discovery and the Travel Channel I'm sure.

Well I needed a place to bunk down, so I got a room at the Mammoth Caves Motel. It was nearing 10:00pm, and I really wanted to get some food in my stomach before I knocked off for the night. Their little diner was already closed -- so it was either vending machine food or a short road trip. I was told that Cave City was only about 10 minutes away, and that they might still have a place or two open that was still serving food. Might? Apparently I didn't grasp the full magnitude of how small-town this entire area really was.

Well, after only about 5 minutes or so of driving while touching base with my family on my cell phone, I spot this old cemetery on my right. I slow down and couldn't help but say out loud "Oohh... look at the old cemetery..." when my cell signal to my mom suddenly cut out. I soon came to realize that getting a cell signal in this area was very unreliable at best.

I turned around and pulled into a little dirt and gravel area that appeared to have been cleared for visitors on the opposite side of the road.



I parked the car, and was immediately struck by the deafening sounds of the wildlife in this area! It was unbelievably loud, but after several minutes I soon got used to it and it then faded to ambient noise.

Luckily I had my 3-cell Mag flashlight in my car, and my camera because something later really caught my attention.



I slowly walked across the road and towards the cemetery, where it was absolutely pitch black as there were no street lamps or house lights to speak of. I didn't feel out of place there, and it seemed extremely serene. I walked around the gravestones, shining my flashlight on them and reading the names, dates, and inscriptions. I made my way around the southern perimeter where many of the gravestones are set back right in the woods. Some very old burials indeed.







There were insects galore flying around, so it didn't surprise me that a few ended up lighting up in a photo or two.



This one clearly looks like a moth with its wings extended in flight.



However, I only point this out so that you have a clearer understanding as to what was showing up in some photos soon after.

So I'm continuing to take photos with my flash, and here's the next one that has something on it that I didn't see at the time.



I was taking a photo of the gravestone clearly centered in this photo, but hadn't noticed that something watching me.



From this photo alone, I wouldn't have even given it a second thought -- just another insect or such, right?



See? More stuff flying in front of the camera and getting lit up by the flash.

But suddenly something catches my attention... I think it was an animal sound, like a cat, but not really -- it's hard to describe.

I then suddenly look to see these two glowing eyes at the far end of the cemetery at the edge of the woods. I froze for a moment to try and fix its position and gain a little perspective on how close or far away it was.



I tried lightening up the photo to try and clear it up a little and give some better reference points in the cemetery.



The really strange thing I noticed right away was how it blinked. First the right eye closed and then the left eye, followed by the right eye opening and then the left eye opening. It was a rather slow motion, almost intentional and not habitual -- if you understand my meaning. Very strange indeed.

Not until I got home and looked at these photos in their full 7.2 megapixel format did I discover some eerie images of these 'eyes'. Here the red boxed inset is seen in at full resolution...



To be honest, the above image sent a chill down my back. It almost looked surreal or photo-shopped. That's not how I remember seeing these eyes at all -- but this is how they showed up in my photos. Creepy as hell.

Here's another photo of 'blinky' as I have come to call him...



Lightened up for clarity and perspective...



And the red boxed inset at full resolution...



I soon found myself walking slowly back towards my car, keeping my eyes on 'blinky'. Just before I got to the edge of the road, I snapped this last shot.



Lightened up for clarity and perspective...



And again the red boxed inset at full resolution...



I did stop by again at about 3:30pm that next afternoon on my way home, and took this photo of where I believe 'blinky' was watching me from the night before. There was a very faint trail here, and the photo doesn't pick it up well at all -- but believe me it's there.



Here I pose by a gravestone pointing to where the creature 'blinky' was watching me.



Crazy stuff! All in all it was a great experience, and I would definitely do it again next year.

Oh yeah... so I did a couple of Google searches on this place only to find out that the Mammoth Caves area has been called the world's largest haunted place, and that there is actually an edge to a steep cliff just past the treeline. Good thing that 'blinky' was there to keep me away from that.

Yep just another crazy adventure to add to the "Life and Times of Ripstick".
Rick "Ripstick"

[img]http://www.Route73.com/USCM/images/Ripstick_Aliens_Legacy_Banner_2006.jpg[/img]

I think it's an owl!!! It didn't make sense until I thought about how it only blinked one eye and then the other. Also their eyes are close together. At least that's my thought.

Could have been the Chubacabra though...

You got balls brother. I would not have checked out a cemetary out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe, if my airsoft pulse rifle was charged and loaded...
Dave

Pvt.
D.Wong
A12/TQ1.0.12144E2

Outstanding. Now all we need is a deck of cards.Edited by: [url=http://p220.ezboard.com/bthealienslegacy.showUserPublicProfile?gid=dsw777>dsw777[/url]  at: 9/6/06 11:29 pm

I had thought of that too as I was typing up this story, but an owl walking around on the ground? That just seemed to rule it out -- unless there are some strange behavioral patterns of the owl that I don't know about. Besides, the noises that it appeared to be making were unlike any owl I ever heard of... and not a once did I hear an owl either.

As far as the eyes being that close together, I think it's an after effect of the flash giving the eyes sort of a halo, because they did not appear that close together when I was viewing it in person.

The Chubacabra is a good guess... but I thought its habitat was limited to Central America?

Good thing I wasn't loaded up with an airsoft and fully charged battery, otherwise I would have very likely tried to chase it down... and right off of the cliff!
Rick "Ripstick"

[img]http://www.Route73.com/USCM/images/Ripstick_Aliens_Legacy_Banner_2006.jpg[/img]

Huge... HUGE BALLS.

Thanks for the story Rick!

-Alex
"The M41-A. When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mofo in the room. Accept no substitutes."

Speaking as someone that has had a couple of oddball things happen while in graveyards, I think whatever it was probably could have killed you and eaten you at any time.

Sounds the story begining for the Twilight Zone or X Files.

Mike
A06/TQ2.0.22134E1
There is nothing more impressive than a bloody big Alien
wiggling on the end of a sharp stick!

Balls, I suppose, if you think that dirt with bones in it can hurt you.

I think it was an owl, too.

Neat pics.

My imagination is way too overactive to have even considered getting out of the car by myself. Yikes! My guess was that "blinky" was an owl because of the way it blinked its eyes in succession. I'm no expert, though...

Aw cmon Tread...a chupacabra is dirt and bones and attitude! At least that's what I heard on the Discovery Channel one night. But that's besides the point, Rip, nice pics man...I'm just surprised you didn't have your smart gun out. I mean you could have at least beat the crap out of anything that came your way:D
<span style="color:black;font-family:verdana;font-size:small;]"We got nukes, knives...sharp sticks!!!"

AH!!!! You came THIS CLOSE ->||<- to being ripped apart by a rabid Chupacabrowl!!!! One of the only known cases of a survivor!




Dude, funky experience! The blink thing sounds very owlish to me as well, but I've never heard of ground-walking owls in friggin' Kentucky!

<Off to Google!!!!>

The Burrowing Owl can be found in all states west of the Mississippi Valley, so it'd be a bit off the beaten trail for one to be in central Kentucky. According to the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, you can find these guys there:
OWLS ABUNDANCE SEASON

___ Eastern Screech Owl r YR
___ Great Horned Owl r YR
___ Snowy Owl r T
___ Barred Owl c YR

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

So, either you ran into a very lost Burrowing Owl ("I KNEW I shoulda' taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"), or some other critter that, unknown to us (like THAT'S hard! ), can blink it's eyes seperately.

Interesting!!! Of course this also illustrates why you should carry a SUREFIRE instead of a MagLite. Preferably attached to a USP .45 or a 12GA shotgun

Jesse
"Happiness is a warm smartgun."

How do you know it was walking around on the ground? It could've just been sitting there, perhaps with a nice tasty mouse it had just snagged.

The New Adventures of Jim Henson's Chubacabrowl Babies, Saturday Mornings this fall on ABC!

Not really... I dig this kind of stuff. Besides Alex, I had a whole platoon of U.S. Colonial Marines behind me to watch my... oh wait, nevermind. I guess in all the excitement I forgot that Dragon*Con was over and I was on my own for this mission.

You've never seen any of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" films I take it.

Hmmm... what sort of graveyard stories might those be Noeland? Do tell!

It sort of does, doesn't it? I'm glad it didn't end with a cliffhanger (literally) like the introduction teasers often do.

Yep... that was absolutely no place for someone with an overactive imagination -- which would have probably gotten us both killed. The owl theory does seem to be growing in popularity... I sure wish I knew for sure.

Thanks Chris! I don't think walking around the cemetery at night with a 5-foot long smart gun would have been in my best interest should a park ranger or local resident happen to pass by. Just how would I explain that?

A rabid Chupacabrowl? Okay Jesse, now it sounds like we're getting somewhere. Thanks for the Discovery Channel rundown on the indigenous owls in this area -- great stuff!

Duly noted!

Very possible! The cat-like noise I heard could have very well been the screech of a small animal suddenly getting snatched by "Blinky the Lost Burrowing Owl" after he swooped down from a tree.

Those eyes in the photos still freak me out though.
Rick "Ripstick"

[img]http://www.Route73.com/USCM/images/Ripstick_Aliens_Legacy_Banner_2006.jpg[/img]

There's also the vocalizations of the Burrowing Owl itself. Veddy veddy intarestink!

Voice: Burrowing Owls are very vocal, and have a wide range of different calls. The main call is given only by adult males, usually when near the burrow to attract a female. A two-syllable "who-who" is given at the entrance of a promising burrow. This call is also associated with breeding, and territory defence. Other sounds called the "rasp", "chuck", "chatter", and "scream" have been described. Juveniles give a rattlesnake-like buzz when threatened in the burrow, and adults give a short, low-level "chuck" call to warn of approaching predators. This is usually accompanied by bobbing the head up and down.

What can I say? I like birds
[img]http://www.visionforgestudios.com/jesse/props/images/babysparrow.jpg[/img]
This is a baby white-throated sparrow I carved for my Mom several years back.

Jesse
"Happiness is a warm smartgun."

I saw a family of burrowing owls over in Mountain View marshlands here in the Bay Area. They kept popping in and out of their burrows like prairie dogs.

Jesse! That is awesome I thought it was real till I read underneath.
Dave

Pvt.
D.Wong
A12/TQ1.0.12144E2

Outstanding. Now all we need is a deck of cards.

For a second I thought this was the graveyard I read about many many years ago where orbs can be seen floating above the grave stones.............it became a tourist attraction. Anyone know if this is the palce or where the place is?

But I agree, big balls there Rick.

I was in the jungle a few years ago and there was a creature in the trees with glowing red eyes............I got a picture but no matter what zooming and enhancing I did I could not make out what it was. I should post and let you guys take a look.
[img]http://www.colonialmarines.net/Banner.jpg[/img]

Yes please, post pics of the beastie. The more Cryptozoology the better.
<span style="color:black;font-family:verdana;font-size:small;]"We got nukes, knives...sharp sticks!!!"

Yea yea yeah!

I'm in Canada. I see Bigfoot every friggin weekend. I've never been quick enough to snap a pic (damn warm up time on my digital).

One time I did get a shot but it was a fat hairy camper with a bad diet.


Yes I'm kidding. But I wouldn't be surprised if Sasquatch was in my backyard right now.


Rick- the eyes remind me of a lemur or something. But the owl on the ground theory fits the independant blinking eyes best.

[img]http://snap-lib.onu.edu/libdata/mad/Mouse%20lemur%201.jpg[/img]

Here's a pic of a mouse lemur at night. Unfortunately lemurs are native to Madagascar.

Kevin

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TgDnAloXyJBkYBZV7s*Kj9!1Bc8b0FJ!WEmX8BpHJk8yRyABH697OsLy1Bm1knQrHcDDdHqDnRAmyoDB6vy6w!ASmCM57J8W6cyCxY8Y84TWwwCw7UVNAA/Burton%20004.JPG[/img]

"I know I'm human. And if you were all these things, then you'd just attack me right now, so some of you are still human. This thing doesn't want to show itself, it wants to hide inside an imitation. If it takes us over, then it has no more enemies, nobody left to kill it. And then it's won."

Edited by: [url=http://p220.ezboard.com/bthealienslegacy.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ssgtburton>SSgt Burton[/url]  at: 9/8/06 4:54 pm

I don't care what is was at night in a grave yard I'd be freaked out of my mind.

So yea Big brass ones ya have there Rip.

Big cojones there BRO!!!

So, did you ever get sumthin' to eat?


Sgt. Adams- USCM
A02/TQ1.0.12133E1

That was cool. I remember findin a graveyard in houston in one of the older areas. I was walking down some really old street, all the homes look 70 years old, there were trees on the side of the street I was walking, with the freeway beyond the trees.

Suddenly I see a shape in the trees, it was a tombstone. No fence, nothing to mark this was a graveyard. Downtown houston was only a few miles away. I looked closer and I could see lots of tombstones. A whole graveyard just sitting there across the street from old homes, a corner store.. bus stop...

I wouldn't find it odd to see a graveyard out in the country with no fence or markings... but it took me by surprise to see that so close to downtown houston.
[img]http://www.angelfire.com/al/metalalien/pictures/tom_alien_banner.jpg[/img]