By Kendra Leah, @Writing2Day

Built in 1895 by Seth Bullock, the first sheriff of Deadwood, his ghost is said to still play host to hotel guests and keep the hotel staff on their toes. My first stay at the Bullock Hotel was in 2009. I was actually a little bit leery to stay in a place that claims to be haunted as throughout my life I have had enough experiences with strange happenings to know that I am somewhat open to other worldly beings. At the same time, I must say I definitely had a sense of nervous anticipation that I might actually see an apparition.

The hotel did not disappoint. Every time that my husband and I would stand outside the door to our room, I could very distinctly feel the floor vibrating while my husband felt nothing. On the second night of our stay in room 302, I awoke to the strange feeling that someone was in the room with me and a male voice very clearly said, “Hi, Kendra.” It was strange that although this was definitely pretty freaky, it really didn’t scare me. My husband was still heavily snoring beside me and I got up to use the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom, I could hear the footsteps of someone walking back and forth outside the bathroom door. When I emerged, my husband was still in a deep sleep just as I had left him.

I related my story to our waitress the following morning at breakfast and she got me the book that the hotel keeps with stories from guests who have had experiences in the hotel. I knew that I had definitely had my name called out but could tell that my husband was really wondering if I had gone slightly off my rocker. It was very self-affirming to find that other guests who had stayed in the same room as we did had experienced the exact same thing. It is important to note that I had not seen this book or heard that Seth will sometimes call out a person’s name until after I had experienced it myself.

Forward to 2012. I was perusing Facebook when I saw an ad to come Ghost Hunt the Haunted Bullock Hotel with Chad and Mary Beth of American Ghost Hunter. My daughter and I are avid watchers of Paranormal State and I recognized Chad as the cameraman. Knowing that I had experienced something on my last stay, I immediately called my daughter and booked our tickets.

A wonderful weekend was had hiking in the Black Hills, souvenir shopping, taking old-time photos, singing karaoke and making some awesome new friends. Chad and Mary Beth are very gracious and easy to be around, as was the rest of group of more “experienced” ghost hunters. After having dinner at the Deadwood Social Club above Saloon #10, we all reconvened at the Bullock to head down to Seth’s Cellar and begin our investigation.

All of the lights were off except for some light coming from the exit sign and some light coming from under the doors. The K2 EMF (electromagnetic field) Detector and Tri-axis Detectors were on and waiting to hopefully light up. I must say that my daughter and I totally held hands the whole time! Any spirits were asked to make their presence known and we did get several small noises in response and the meters did light up many times during the hour. Questions were posed during several taped EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) sessions. It is thought that the recorder can pick up voices that the human ear can not detect. We were not disappointed as several instances were recorded of a male voice responding, “Hey.” The group then moved up to Chad and Mary Beth’s room on the third floor of the hotel (supposedly the most haunted floor) but not much new happened up there and it was decided it was time for a toddy and some karaoke.

For me the most notable thing that happened on day one happened in the middle of the afternoon in our hotel room. After a day spent hiking and knowing we would be up late, my daughter and I decided to take a nap around 4:00. We were both wakened suddenly around 5:30 to the sound of hammering above our bed. I told my daughter that they must be hanging a picture above the bed in the room against ours (our headboard was back to back with the headboard in room 302 which I had stayed in previously). We both went back to sleep unfazed as this was a perfectly logical explanation. When we went downstairs I decided to ask the hotel clerk on duty if there had been any maintenance in room 302 that afternoon and related the hammering going on. After asking us what time this happened, she informed us that the guests in that room had not checked in until 7:00 and there had not been any maintenance in the hotel for a few weeks. The room had been totally empty! It is said that Seth does not like it when the hotel staff is idle. Is it possible that he was waking us from our afternoon nap?

A couple of other things that are interesting to note is that everyone on the third floor was complaining about how hot it was. We had the temp set at 50 degrees in our room and it was still showing 75. After leaving Chad and Mary Beth’s room to return to ours, there was a definite chill felt in the hallway outside of our room. Also, my daughter and I both woke up at the same time in the middle of the night. I was thinking I needed to put my foot under the covers so nothing would be able to brush it while I slept and Arielle told me that she couldn’t be sure but she was pretty positive something had just brushed her foot which had been dangling outside the covers.

Before we went to sleep, we had an “evidence” review. Arielle had taken several pictures downstairs in Seth’s cellar. The one that particularly caught our eye was one taken looking at the bar and mirrored wall behind it. There was no one else standing around when she took the picture but in the photo there is very clearly a little boy or girl standing next to her with their hands over there eyes. I said to her, “It looks like they are playing peekaboo with you.” When we went back to Seth’s Cellar the following evening, we made sure there was absolutely nothing in the background that could have appeared in the photo.

After returning home I did some research on child ghosts in the hotel. At one time, the basement of the hotel was used to house women and children who had smallpox. Apparently a little girl named Sarah lost her mother to the disease in the basement before she herself also was taken. Her ghost is said to still haunt the hotel and lure children into the basement to play with her. Another interesting note is that when we were taken into the tunnels down in the basement, I very clearly thought I heard a child’s voice say, “Mama, mama.”

Night #2 in the cellar began early for us as we decided to forgo dinner to do some extra investigating with ghost hunter Vicki. The lights on the meters went off quite frequently and several small noises were made. During an EVP session, I had asked if the spirit knew my name since it had called it out to me before. On playback you can very definitely hear the “K” sound and a breathiness afterwards that sounds like the rest of my name, but the breathiness could be conjecture on my part. As we were very intently listening to the playback of our EVP session, there was a whole hell of a lot of noise that came from a table about 8 feet from where we were sitting. Enough noise that we all three screamed and ran halfway up the stairs from the basement before we all started giggling at what ninnies we were being! It sounded to me like someone had scooched their chair back from the table and accidentally knock the table as they stood up causing a whole bunch of things to fall at the same time. Let me tell you, I was not sticking around to find out what the heck it was. I was out of there! We did return to the basement but other than the meters lighting up the rest of the session was uneventful.

During the group session that night, Chad reported that the table he was sitting at was vibrating, as well as his chair. Several people saw a shadow that kept reappearing behind the bar and passing in front of the reflection off of the Jagermeister light, totally blocking it out and then the light would reappear. I never did see this happen but several people including my daughter did. It is important to note that no one in the group was walking around. More EVP’s were captured and I’ll be curious to hear what Chad and Mary Beth discover from these. My daughter also got another picture of the mirror and this time there was a different face in it and one I can tell you that does not look very nice. Several people also reported that their cell phones and cameras turned on by themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After some more toddies and karaoke, Vicki, Arielle and myself decided to head back down to the cellar by ourselves since we had luck that afternoon. When we got there, Jeff and Bob were already there so we joined them. For the next 45 minutes or so there was not much activity. Jeff and Bob decided to call it a night. It is interested to note that within minutes of them leaving, the EVP monitor started flashing. Is it possible that whoever was there with us was intimidated by a larger group? I’ve wondered if since my daughter is only 21, did the child ghost of Sarah feel more comfortable around her?

I really didn’t learn anything new as I already knew that there was something in the hotel. However, there is no doubt in my mind that something made a really big racket down in the basement while we were down there and was hammering on the wall behind our bed. In addition to the faces in the mirror captured on camera, we went all around the hotel taking pictures and have several with orbs in them, most notably an orb down by the floor outside of room 313 which is supposed to be the most haunted room in the hotel. As soon as my daughter gets her pictures uploaded I will add them to  this account. I’m looking forward to ghost hunting again with the crew.
See Related Posts: #BullockHotel #Travel

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Children of all ages (and adults, too) will be enchanted, delighted and entertained when they enter the World of Walt Disney. Who among us doesn’t remember the anticipation we felt as a child while waiting for the Wonderful World of Disney movie to begin on many a Sunday evening? Times have changed, but the magic of Disney has not.

With all the different attractions, theme parks, restaurants and resorts, Disney has provided everything you need for a relaxing vacation. There are a wide range of places to stay to fit everyone’s budget and if you stay at a Disney Resort you won’t even need a rental car to visit all of the attractions.

Not Just for Kids!After a day spent at the parks, schedule a spa treatment to help soothe aching muscles and tired feet at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Enjoy a classic Swedish, Sports, customized Aromatherapy Massage or a nurturing Mother To Be Massage. Couples Massage, Reflexology and Shiatsu treatments are also available.Depending on your child’s age, you can hire an in room babysitter or schedule your child to participate in supervised activities while you relax and rejuvenate, or take in the fabulous nightlife and entertainment.	Shopping, Entertainment & Fine DiningStep back in time to a 1940’s Atlantic coastal village and spend the day shopping on Disney’s Boardwalk, featuring the best in shopping, fine dining and entertainment.In addition to the fabulous entertainment you’ll find scattered throughout the theme parks, take in the nightlife at Pleasure Island. Spend an evening at the Pleasure Island Jazz Company, Comedy Warehouse or Mannequins Dance Palace, to name a few.
Disney World Theme Parks
With four unique and fascinating theme parks, you’ll want to spend at least a day at each. Below are some helpful tips to help you enjoy your visit. Please click the links above for details about each park and its attractions.The Magic Kingdom (Open 9:00AM-7:00, 8:00 or 9:00PM)Epcot (Open 9:00AM-7:00PM)Hollywood Studios (Open 9:00AM-7:00 or 7:30PM) Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Open 9:00 AM-5:00PM) Park hours can vary. Please check hours before visiting the park.

Helpful Tips for the Parks

• Allow plenty of time for each park. You can easily spend a day at each, with a dip in the pool back at your resort before/after dinner. Keep in mind you are going to do a lot of walking and standing in line in the warm Florida sunshine. Small children can tire out easily and become cranky. Perhaps you should allow for two shorter days at the Magic Kingdom to keep everybody in a good mood.
• Before you leave for your trip, purchase a book on the theme parks and familiarize yourself with ride locations, etc. The parks are big and having a general idea where you are going will cut down on wasted walking time.
• Arriving at the park early and riding some of the main attractions, like Space Mountain, first will greatly reduce your “stand in line” time.
• If you set aside two days for the Magic Kingdom, watch the parade on the first day and hit the popular rides during the parade on the following day to avoid long lines.
• If you’re staying at a Disney Resort, take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour when some attractions are open to hotel guests only.
• FASTPASS – Just pick up your designated ride time at the attraction and you can go enjoy the rest of the Park. When your ride time rolls around, come back to the FASTPASS entrance and have a great time.

Popular Ride Locations
TomorrowlandSpace MountainAstro OrbiterExtraTERRORestrial Alien EncounterFantasyland Peter Pan’s Flight Mad Tea Party Dumbo the Flying Elephant Liberty Square The Haunted Mansion The Hall of Presidents Frontierland Splash Mountain Big Thunder Mountain Country Bear Jamboree Adventureland Jungle Cruise Pirates of the Caribbean Swiss Family Treehouse Magic Carpets of Aladdin	This is just a partial listing of some of the many rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom. You’ll also want to check out the parade on Main Streeet during the day and the Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks and SpectroMagic Parade at night for a truly fantastic light show.Your favorite Disney characters can be found throughout the park at many different locations.

Where to Stay
Whether you’re looking for a luxurious hotel or a place to park the RV, you’ll find something to suit every budget and preference at the Disney World Resorts. For your convenience, we’ve listed them here according to budget. All resorts have pools, and on site restaurants starting with the Moderately Priced Resorts. Click the links for detailed resort descriptions, pricing and reservation information on the Walt Disney World website.

Value ResortsDisney’s All-Star Movies ResortDisney’s All-Star Music ResortDisney’s All-Star Sports Resort	Moderate Resorts Caribbean Beach Resort Coronado Springs Resort Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter Port Orleans Resort – Riverside	Deluxe ResortsDisney’s Animal Kingdom LodgeDisney’s Beach Club ResortDisney’s BoardWalk Inn Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney’s Polynesian Resort Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Home Away from HomeDisney’s Beach Club VillasThe Villas at Disney’s Wilderness LodgeDisney’s BoardWalk Villas Disney’s Old Key West Resort Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground		Other Deluxe ResortsWalt Disney World DolphinWalt Disney World Swan

Travel Suggestions

Stay at a Disney Resort and take the monorail or shuttlebus to the various parks. Unless you plan on venturing outside of the theme parks, you’ll save the expense of a rental car.

Approximately 144 miles North of San Francisco on California’s Highway 1, lies the quaint, seaside town of Elk. If you are looking for stunning ocean views and quiet serenity to get away from life’s everyday hustle and bustle, you’ve come to the right place. Redwood forests, lush green pastures, seaside cliffs and crashing surf make for one of California’s best kept secrets.

There is no quick way to get to Elk. Whether you take scenic Highway 1 up from San Francisco or come through wine country, you’ll be treated to winding roads along the Pacific Ocean’s cliffs and the Redwood Forests. Before you embark on your journey to Elk, spend a couple of days enjoying the highlights of San Francisco.

With so much to see and do in San Francisco, park your car and stay on Fisherman’s Wharf. From here you can walk or catch a cable car to many attractions and not have to worry about navigating the city in traffic. From the Wharf, you can take a cruise on the bay for spectacular Golden Gate Bridge views or cruise out to Alcatraz for a very interesting tour of the prison and grounds. Be prepared, you will need a jacket when you get out on the bay!

Afterwards, enjoy a meal at one of many restaurants with Bay views. Whether you’re in the mood for a casual meal or a more elegant dining experience, you will find some of the best cuisine right here on the wharf. Visit Ghirardeli Square and the Cannery for famous Ghirardeli Chocolate, unique shops and Bay view restaurants. There is even a History Museum of the City of San Francisco located on the 3rd floor.

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without hopping a cable car from the Wharf and touring the city. Be sure to get off at Lombard Street and take in the beautiful views, flowers and shrubs on the “crookedest street in the world.” Hop back on the cable car and continue on to Chinatown and downtown San Francisco, both offering abundant shopping opportunities. When you’re through, you can catch the cable car back down to the wharf for another evening of fine dining.

With so many beautiful beaches on the way up to Elk, pack a picnic basket and plan to enjoy your lunch on the beach at Jenner.

Here the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean along this beautiful stretch of the Sonoma Coast. Throw down a blanket, stroll in the surf and let the kids look for seashells.

This area is known for its seal that mate here and raise their young on the offshore islands. During the seal season, Park Rangers conduct seal-watching excursions.

Back on the road to Elk. If you’re wondering if you’re ever going to get there, don’t worry – you will. But where are you going to stay? There are many Bed & Breakfasts, Inns and vacation properties in and around Elk. We highly recommend the Sea Escape ocean front vacation home (7426 State Highway 1). Info & Reservations

Things To Do in the Elk Area

Ocean Kayaking

Launch through the surf at Greenwood State Beach on your own personal kayak tour of the Mendocino Coast. Glide through sea caves and kelp forests, see starfish, sea lions, birds, hidden beaches, ruins of the old shipping operations and incredible panoramic views of the Mendocino Coast. A professional guide will pilot your boat, so no experience is necessary. The standard tour is approximately two hours on the water and the cost is $95 per person. Longer outings, picnics and nighttime full moon tours are available by arrangement.
Visit Force 10 Ocean Tours for more info.

Mendocino & Fort Bragg

Spend the morning shopping in Mendocino then head up to Fort Bragg for an afternoon of deep-sea fishing or board the Skunk Train for a ride back in time through the Redwoods. Weather permitting, boats leave daily out of Noyo Harbor. Get your catch cleaned before you leave and take it back to the Sea Escape to cook up on the grill. Depending on the time of year, you can fish for salmon, halibut, rock cod, albacore or go crabbing. Whale watching excursions are also available November-March.

The town of Elk features several wonderful restaurants, but you’ll want to check ahead and find out what nights of the week they are open. You absolutely must have breakfast at Queenie’s Roadhouse Cafe. If omelettes are your thing, their’s are absolutely delicious and the fresh squeezed orange juice is like a sip of heaven.

With so many things to see and do, you will hate to leave this beautiful place. Take the time on your way back to San Francisco to go on a wine tasting tour or two as you drive through the Anderson and Napa Valley Wine Regions. May we suggest the Husch Vineyards, a small family winery located in the Anderson Valley appellation of Mendocino County.

Enjoy your stay on the Mendocino Coast! Come back refreshed and relaxed with many wonderful memories to savor for years to come.
See Related Posts: #Travel #Mendocino