Road Trip 2011 Part 2

[Barek Halfhand]

Road Trip 2011 Part 2
by Barek Halfhand

The gargantuan propellers seem surprisingly graceful spinning in the distance as the wind farms of pastoral north central Indiana suddenly dominate the landscape and have come to serve as my symbolic gateway to The South...If I didn’t view this spectacle as fanatically futuristic I may have been compelled to fulminate over the irony of these immense landscape transformative edifices compared to the energy output of a single conventional fossil fuel/nuclear power plant but I digress...

The aromatic night air changes rapidly as the miles stream by...everything from fertilizer to fern wafts through the opened windows, but the country and mountain purity of this pollution free expanses of the open road are something that you rural folks probably take for granted ...

This return trip entailed some new and some return visits ...a new site was an antique mall plagued by a cantankerous old spinster the owner hesitantly confided is clinging to some of her worldly possessions purchased legitimately by the dealer at an estate sale ...

A tip lead me to the site of 2 failed businesses where growing anxiety over bankruptcy and liquidation evidently lead one to drastic measures of desperation and sadly resignation ...

Another new site by a trusted confidant lead me to a shack in the woods that where I literally felt the resident entity glowering in my direction from the rickety wooden porch ...the tin roof (rusted) created a hot box effect that baked the hay stored within and created a musty, sour smell...visible holes in the floor called for careful circumvention ...

A new twist in one of the return sites was the insight of a local that noticed me in the parking lot (out of state plates are a source of intrigue in this particular area) and while I was not immediately forthcoming as to reason for photographing the cemetery opting to attribute my interest one of historical study, he related an enticing tidbit of local lore associated with the site...The tragic story of teen sweethearts planning on a wedding after graduation turned from a simple postponement of the nuptials to sorrow when the young man’s call to service lead him to the European theater of WW1 and sadly; his death... his body was returned and interred with honors at this site where legend contends that the young woman anguished for months grave side, mourning the loss of her paramour ...It is said that the specter of her grieving at the beside his memorial marker is still a fairly frequent occurrence ...the girl herself never married, died young for reasons unspecified and was buried elsewhere downstate ....

The closed down daycare center has a sordid history and I would prefer not to speculate or fill in the blanks that exist on this one ...the site has strewn debris and mattresses on the floor with assorted paint cans sitting next to it leaving little doubt that this now abandoned building plays host to huffers and assorted other transients...there is a strange substance splattered on the walls of the kitchen and the cabinet doors are all hanging open, giving the appearance of a temper tantrum ...there are still board games neatly stacked on the shelves of 2 of the hallway closets...there is an awful, stale sense of stagnation and putrefaction inside, the basement door hangs wide open, the staircase steep and devoid of handrails ...the caliginous cavern below was illuminated only by the faint light of square window of a single outside door leading outward and up via cracked concrete steps...the basement fireplace still bore the remnants of a recent fire and piles of discarded clothing, beer cans and liquor bottles littered the floor ...an odd line of wooden chairs arranged like they were intended to accommodate an audience of some sort were situated to the left of the fireplace...the fetid stench of decay rapidly became intolerable and as my discomfort level rapidly rose, a horsefly bit my leg creating a surprising about of pain for such a small insect ...I finished with the basement photos and promptly departed ...

This was my 3rd visit to the old creek side mill and the weeds have definitely gained a foothold on the aluminum sided, wooden floored structure...the bottom windows and door are now boarded up and there are now “No Trespassing” signs posted so this edition was limited to outside shots ...the is still a dour presence lingering here and whether you ascribe to the ecumenical perception of negative entities as “demons” or not is irrelevant, the discordant nature of those that dwell in shadows is clearly tangible to those with unfiltered sensibilities and unfettered by the blinders of convention ...I could literally hear the muffled cackling as I slipped down the bank of the creek next to the north wall, stopping just short of the rushing water...his sense of humor hasn’t changed since 2 visits ago when I almost plunged through the second floor rotted planks ...

The old church in the bad section of town was merely a fortunate happenstance and 2 quick phone calls granted me access...the old TV, stoves, oak hutches, 2 upright pianos, standup wooden mirrors and antiquated recording equipment long with other assorted oddities stored inside undisturbed in this less than secured building left me perplexed ...a tree branch grew through a broken window from the outside and seemed to be reaching towards the roof in defiance of the entire constitution...I wasn’t able to glean much in the way of site history as I embarked on some post-visit research and phone calls but apparently the church was lead by a particularly pernicious pastor that was accused of “abuse of authority” but my source wasn’t sure of the specific allegations...he was eventually transferred following mounting complaints leveled by the congregation, that again weren’t specified...

The covered bridge was a welcomed diversion from the norm and as this new addition was another referral, the details surrounding the nature of the alleged activity were also sketchy...as promised and by request, the exact location of these “Road Trip” sites will continue to remain undisclosed to prevent the attraction of “ghost hunters” and others looking to glom onto the latest wave of paranormal culture popularity, but the bridge is in fact a known historic site...the legend collectively recollected here relates to a woman battling an ultimately debilitating terminal illness who, as part of her self prescribed convalescent therapy enjoyed spending several afternoons a week at this location...she seemed to find solace by the mountain air and bubbling brook beneath the bridge and the scenic overview from the path leading from the main road ...Reports of continued presence at the bridge following her losing the battle against whatever disease she fought are still rumored today but my source disavows any personal experiences here at this site that he himself frequents with his dogs in tow ...shortly after my arrival at the bridge an SUV full of teens showed up and much to my chagrin; frolicked in the knee high creek thus depriving me of the solitude I prefer on these excursions.. In resignation I opted for an insouciant photo session, thus treating the location like more of a tourist attraction than the site of purported paranormal activity ...of course after collecting a sufficient amount of stills and videos, I started my ascent to the parking lot as the raucous teens began to grate on my nerves with their high decibel joviality and I was at the time in my then irritated state; lacking the appropriate parlance to request that they dial it down a few notches ... In a moment of clarity and terse introspection I realized what a cantankerous coot I was becoming by such intolerance as I plodded up the path looking downward at red-dirt soiled shoes A sudden ”hello” startled me...I returned the greeting as my head snapped back upward just glimpsing the middle aged woman in a sun hat passing me heading downward and the other direction ...it wasn’t until I reached the summit and the gravel parking lot moments later that I made the connection and spun around to look back down the path ...of course nobody was there ....

Here are the (compressed to 1MB) photos...some have been slightly sharpened or color enhanced (07-2011) total....b
http://s1082.photobucket.com/albums/j367/HalfhandFiles3/Road%20Trip...

Here's the youtube video:

"Haunted Road Trip":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyxHJuAemHA



























































































































































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