GHOST HUNTING AT BLACK STAR CANYON

There are several apps that you can now download to your phones.  One happens to be Ghost Radar and since we were going to be going to Black Star Canyon, which is said to be one of the most haunted places in CA, I thought it would be fun to give it a try.

What it claims to do is locate ghosts.   It has a like a radar screen on it and when a ghost or energy force is located it shows up just like planes do on the radar at the airports.

It also has tons and tons of words that a ghost is somehow able to manipulate and speak to you. 

I went with two friends and turned on the Ghost Radar.  Now I'm not saying it works or that it doesn't.  I'll let you decide for yourself.

My friend had the phone and she would tell me when and where a blip would show up.  I would hurry and click a photo in that direction.

It wasn't long after we started into the canyon that our first "hit" came.  Click.  The first photo was taken.

You can see for yourself that a distant away from us, there is an orb in the photo.

I also clicked several pictures where there was nothing showing up on the Ghost Radar.  Strange thing is there weren't any orbs in any of those photos. 

Again, I'm not saying if the orbs are ghosts or not.  I'm just taking you along on our hike and showing you the photos so you can decide for yourself what happened.

As we walked we noticed how dark and creepy it was out.  We talked about how because of that, our imaginations could really make us think we see or hear something.

Then we notice walking towards us there were some people ahead.  We could see their flash lights and hear them talking as they got closer.

It turned out to be four teens.  They were heading back towards the cars and I said "hi" as they were getting ready to pass by.  They stopped and asked if we knew of any of the stories about Black Star Canyon and where any of the locations were that people claimed to have have seen any.

I told them I used to give tours here and so I did know the stories, locations and have even had a few strange things happen to myself and to those who had been with me.

I told them that where we were walking people claimed to have seen a lady in white.  It was then that one of the guys got really excited and said "Oh man!  I told you I saw something.  I told you!!!"  The other guys then started to get nervous and was jumping around and saying things like "That freaks me out!"  and "I believe you now".

Turned out one of the guys said he saw the lady in white and she was standing by a tree back where they came from.  As he looked harder he saw her walk behind the tree and then before she was fully behind the tree she disappeared.

I told them they were welcome to come with us and I would tell them more stories and legends and show them the hot spots.  They were thrilled to go.  It was one of the boys birthday and they had heard stories and had always wanted to go.

We reached the mine area.  It's been closed off for many, many, many years.  Yet, several people claim to hear voices and yelling coming from the location.  They also have seen many shadow people in this location.

The boys walked over to check it out and low and behold the Ghost Radar showed a blip.  So, I clicked a photo.  If you look at the photo above you can see an orb right above the blocked off mine entrance.

Three of the guys moved away and was waiting for the others.  The radar went off again.  This time my friend told me there were two ghosts right were the three guys were.  Funny, there are two orbs in that photo.

There is also what looks like another fainter looking orb up higher on the right side but I believe that is actually part of the trees/bushes.  Also, the two yellow lights are signs.  They are glowing because of my flash.  I wasn't sure what the red glowing thing was that is to the left of one of the guys but I think it most likely is the reflection of another sign or post.

We stopped in one spot where turned off the flash lights and just listened.  Everyone was quiet and we felt like we were being watched or followed.  We heard some sounds like something or someone was walking in the bushes/tree area. 

We just brushed it off as most likely some kind of animals.  I did search for some kind of animal tracks on the trail perhaps of a mountain lion, rabbit or opossum.  There wasn't any.

When you look at the photo you can see what appears to be lots and lots of orbs. 

Were these the lost souls of the Indians that were massacred by the fur traders in the early 1800's?  Did we hear the foot steps of miners that had died on the job? 

Or was it just the noise of animals and perhaps the orbs are just dust.  After all, it was breezy there.  The only thing that makes me question of it was dust (because after all dirt and wind will make dust kick up) is that the other photos didn't show up like these.

We reached another area that we heard noise out in the distant.  We also saw what appeared to be two glowing objects.  Were the the eyes of some kind of animal peeking out and watching us?  Or was it something else?  Again, it's up to you decide.



For some reason my camera was unable to take a photo when it was pointed in the direction of the two glowing objects.  I stood in the same spot and pointed the camera in another direction four times and each time, the camera took a photo.  But, when I turned back to this spot...nothing would show up.

At one point we came across yellow tape that said Caution.  It was tied to a tree but looked like it was torn down. 

One of the boys said he had a sinking feeling in his stomach as we were walking along this area.  Could it be where something bad had happened in the not so distant past?

The other side of the patch also had the tape.  Only it was on this side the Radar went off again.  On the upper right side you can see another orb. 

Now, I feel I must tell you that while we were there, it was so dark in spots that I couldn't really see what I was pointing the camera at.  It wasn't until I came home and downloaded the photos that I saw what the pictures caught.

We stood around and talked a bit.  We tried to put all the words that the Ghost Radar had spit out, together to see if we could figure out what was being said.

I don't remember all the words but there was material, roots, broken, end, Casey, Thomas and things like that.  We couldn't figure out anything. 

We had to turn around and head back to our cars because at 10:00pm the police come and give tickets. 

It was on our way back that we came across the scariest thing!

This giant spider was crossing the path.  YIKES!

As we were walking back, the radar went off a few more times.  Each time an orb or more was captured. 

You can see from the photos that these orbs are never in the same spots so I know it wasn't something on my camera.  If they were just dust, I believe there would be tons of dust from us walking, the wind blowing and all.  So I really don't think it's dust at all.  I doubt if they are bugs because I didn't notice any bugs and I highly doubt a bug would have followed us for three hours along the trail.  No, I don't have any reason for what would have made the orbs.

Plus, like I said, only the photos I took in the locations of where the Ghost Radar said there was something, had the orbs.

We had a fun time.  We were all tired from our hike too.  No one knows if we had any real paranormal experience that night.
 
But, just before the trail ended the my friend that was holding the phone with the ghost radar on it says she heard her name called from behind us.  She said it was clear and loud.  The only thing was... no one was behind us. 

What do you think?  Do you think the ghost radar works?  Do you think it's just a coincidence that the radar showed something was there and then those photos showed up with orbs?  Or do you think it was just the wind and darkness playing with our minds?

If you want to read more of the legends of Black Star Canyon you can read my old post from 2010 here.  You can also read my post about when I went to Black Star Canyon with another group here.

MOANS, FOOTSTEPS AND SHADOW PEOPLE ~ OH MY!

I am now a partner of Orange County Ghost Tours and Events and this past weekend we took a group up to LA to do a tour of one of the most haunted places in CA. Linda Vista Hospital.

I have been here before but find it so interesting to go to. This is an abandoned hospital that had been closed down due to the fact there were to many unexplained deaths taking place here.

This is the driveway that pulled up to the ER.

Years of layers and layers of paint are peeling away. It is said that even though the building has been abandoned for years, many of the workers and patients still roam the hall ways and are often still seen and heard.

Many believers and non believers of Ghosts have reported seeing someone looking out the windows when no one has been inside.

The lights are reported to turn on and off even though the place is empty and locked up.

I can't help but wonder how many people pulled these doors open to get treatment inside, only to never walk out alive.

What really happened in this hospital most likely will never really been known. We can only go by what has been documented and reported. We will try to determine what is true and what are made up stories.

It is said that Howard Hughes was once at this hospital. However, my investigations have show this is not true.

He was involved in an accident not far from the hospital and an ambulance was dispatched out to him, bringing him to another near by hospital. Mr. Hughes wanted his regular surgeon to work on him so the ambulance went to Linda Vista and picked up the surgeon.

Mr. Hughes was never brought to Linda Vista though the rumor still remains.



Our group broke up into three smaller groups. I lead one group and we started out by going through the underground tunnel that connects the main hospital to the building across the parking lot. That building used to be the Mental Ward.

It is in these tunnels the bodies of those who died at the hospital was brought so they could be placed on ice until they were removed for burial.

This area is a very active spot for the paranormal. Voices have been heard and full body apparitions have been seen.

Photos of a little girl, who is said to run around down here, have been taken.

The night we were there it was actually very quiet. We didn't have any activity here.



This area is down in the basement and now has what appears to be jail cells. This room originally was used as an unauthorized morgue until State came in a fined the hospital for doing that. The hospital was forced to stop storing bodies here and it had to be turned into a storage area.

There is a creepy feeling when you are in here. It's hard to explain but it is almost a feeling of sadness and fear tied in together.

Also, while we did our investigation, all the lights were out and it is super dark. At times you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. All these photos were taken with a flash so it makes it look completely different then it does in person.



This is up inside the Mental Ward. The original wall paper and floor tiles still remain.

Two people in my group claim they heard sounds and saw shadows of someone walking into one of the rooms while we were in this area.

Several of us also heard what sounded like talking and footsteps coming from down this hallway.

We followed the sounds down the hall but was unable to see anything. We did some EVP work which is where you try to capture voices and sounds on an audio recording. I have not listened to my recordings yet so I don't know if I caught anything and I have not heard back from the other members to see if they did either.

This is the room two people saw what they described as a shadow figure walking into. So we did some more EVP work.

I have to admit I didn't hear or see anything here.

While we would walk into rooms like this knowing full good and well that it was done either by vandals or by a film crew, it still would startle us.

Picture walking in a super dark room with only a flash light and then that flash light captures this.

While we were in the Mental Ward our walkie talkies stopped working. No one could hear us when we called out, though we could hear them. They also started to make strange sounds that sounded like a mix of different voices on there and long ringing noises.

When we went back out we spoke to Security who were out in the parking lot the whole time. They said their walkie talkies also acted up the same time as ours. They too heard the strange sounds and very clearly heard "Help Me".

They were not hooked up to the same station as our walkie talkies so we knew we were not hearing each other.

It's very possible that a spirit was trying to use our radio to make contact.

Perhaps during one of our EVP sessions when we asked if there is anything anyone needed they were able to use the radio waves and some how put out Help Me onto the waves of the security people.

No one could figure out how or why this would have happened to two different sets of walkie talkies that weren't even running on the same station but yet not effect the other two that were on the same station.

In this area of the basement several people have heard, seen and felt paranormal activity.

We had no type of activity in here.

Inside the main part of the hospital you really get a strange feeling. One just because you are walking around in the pitch dark but then you come across items that were once used when the hospital was up and running.

You can't help but wonder what took place in these rooms and if anyone died while laying in a bed or hooked up to some sort of machine.

Were these people really treated as poorly as the reports say? Did the staff really neglect the patients and allow so many to die?



You shine your flash light and find meters that were once useful to the daily operation of this hospital and now are stopped in time.

The cafeteria still has most of the equipment there. In days gone by this room was very active.

People eating there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Talking about the patients and wondering if they would get better or not.

Staff taking their breaks and sharing in the daily gossip.

How many cups of coffee was served from this machine? To many to count.

The exam rooms were a bit creepy as they often had exam tables still in them. I couldn't help but wonder what type of treatment were given in these rooms.



This was the lobby area of the main entrance. Here people would check in or inquire about patients.

I'm sure many people received word that their loved one didn't make it while standing in this room.

Anything to do with babies always gives me a strange feeling. Were any of them allowed to die because it was just inconvenient to keep them alive? Did they die from lack of proper care?

I hate to think that could be true but apparently the reports say it is.

This door make me question where it once was? Why would they have a cut out window with metal in there? Was this a door to a room where they didn't want to enter because the patient was crazy or could harm someone?

Several people claim this gurney moves by itself. It has been pushed against the walls and down a hall.

Is there an orderly still hanging around? Perhaps a Dr. trying to get the patient to the operating room?

It didn't move while we were there. At least not that we saw.

It was down this hallway that we all heard the sounds of a woman moaning. We called out and said to make a louder noise so we could tell which room they were in. A few seconds later a louder moan was heard. This happened three different times.

We went down the hall to find where the moan was coming from but it stopped.

However, there is an orb in this picture. Could that be the spirit that was trying to get our attention?

We found a bottle full of medicine that was from 1984. It was Anectine Succinylcholine chloride. At the time we had no idea what it was used for.

I later looked it up and found out it was a skeletal muscle relaxant used in surgeries and emergency tracheal intubation. It is must be used very carefully as it is known to cause cardiac arrest in several patients.

Could this be one of the medications that was misused by the Drs?

Since we are not allowed to remove anything from inside the hospital we left it where we found it. Though I now wish I had removed it and gave it to security to dispose of properly. I did send an email and ask them to locate it and remove it.



Many film crews film at Linda Vista Hospital and a lot of the movies that are made there are Horror films.

They do not always clean up after a shoot.

Knowing this did not make it any less creepy when we came across several wall full of what appeared to be blood. Some with hand prints, some with words written and some with just blood splattered about.

Remember we are in the dark with only the dim light of a flash light as we come upon things.

I've never been a fan of dolls. They always gave me the creeps. So when we found this one laying in the hallway all I could think about was a Twilight Zone that had a doll come to life and said things such as "My name is Chatty Kathy and I don't like you" then "My name is Chatty Kathy and I'm going to kill you."

I brought this up while we were there. One of the other investigators recalled that same show and started to get really freaked out so we had to move on.

While standing down at this end of the hall we were doing more EVP work. It was then that three of us saw a shadow person walk from a room on the left side over into a room on the right side.

I have to admit this was something I was not expecting to see. We quickly went down to the other end where we saw the figure and tried to figure out what could have caused the shadow.

We were unable to come up with any reasonable explanation and all agreed what we saw was definitely paranormal.

After our investigation we were discussing what we saw and it turns out another team saw a shadow figure in this same hall only in a different area.

It has been reported that the ghost of a Dr. Edward had been seen several times making his rounds at night. Perhaps that is what we witnessed.

This chair has been reported to move on it's own. As if someone is sitting in it and pushing themselves across the floor or turning around in it.

We did some EVP work here and waited a fairly long time to see if we could catch any activity but nothing happened.

This hallway was where we all heard footsteps coming down it. Only no one was there. The footsteps sounded like an adult man walking down.

The really strange thing is the last time I was here I heard the same thing.

This area has also been the location of many reported sightings of ghostly figures, voices been heard and footsteps walking down the hall.

Whatever it is has never been able to be explained by any of the paranormal groups that have been there.

Our night was filled with mostly quiet time. However, we did have several unexplained things happen while we were there.

We all left Linda Vista Hospital the same as we arrived there, believing that this place is the home of many lost spirits who are trying to reach out to the world they once left behind.

IF I PLAN IT... WOULD YOU COME???

I've been working with a friend of mine who is a Travel Agent and we have been looking into putting together a group cruise.

This would be a fun cruise. Also, it would be a different cruise. This would be a Ghost Hunting Cruise.



We would go searching for Paranormal activity in reported haunted locations. Places full of history, wars, witch trials and murder.

On board the ship we would have classes in using the latest equipment, understanding your evidence, lectures from experienced Paranormal Investigators.

I was thinking going to the New England States and into Canada would be a great trip. So much history is there. Of course the Salem Witch Trials. Plus one of the stops would be to Halifax which is the largest location of Titanic victims being buried.

I think this could be a fun and very informative trip. Plus a great way to meet other bloggers and paranormal investigators. Of course, you would not have to have any experience in ghost hunting because we would show you the ropes.

Or, if you have no interest in ghost hunting but would like to go on the cruise to meet fellow bloggers that would be great too.

So, here is my question. If we put this trip together would any of you be interested? If so, how many.

This wouldn't be until next summer so you would have a year to save up and plan.