Are you still looking for that one-of-a-kind item that will absolutely thrill and completely excite the people you’re getting gifts for this holiday season? Here are some great ideas to help fill Santa’s bag.
Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost Shirt
There is still time to order from our Believe It Tour store. You’ll find merchandise like the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost T-Shirt, which is perfect for late night paranormal investigations. Extraordinary artifacts from mysterious places like sand gathered from what is thought to be the Lost City of Atlantis off the Island of Bimini. There are even some fun toys for all of you Zombie lovers.
Now when you want to get specific with your favorite cryptozoology subjects you can head over to our other store, Bigfoot Surplus. The original supplier of Bigfoot merchandise that has something for everyone from active field researchers to pop culture followers. The most popular item is the real Bigfoot track cast from the Patterson Gimlin film site of 1967. Followed by the favorite Bigfoot t-shirt designs for men, women, and children. There are even some special holiday items that are perfect stocking stuffers.
Patterson Film Site Track Cast
If you’re interested in supporting other active cryptozoloogists or Bigfoot researchers there’s even a holiday Bigfoot gift bag stuffed with many of the favorites from Bigfoot Surplus that are offered at a special price. A portion of the proceeds from this holiday gift will be going to our friends at the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
If you want to be reminded of Bigfoot all year round, our friend Sharon – The Bigfoot Field Reporter, put together a 2012 Bigfoot Researcher Calendar with each month featuring a different Bigfoot researcher. (It even features your’s truly along with fellow Believe It Tour explorer, Diana Smith, for the month of June).
The countdown has begun, so hurry and finish up your Christmas shopping with some very unique gifts that all the cryptozoology enthusiests, ghost hunters, or UFO trackers on your list will really appreciate and love.
Driving Through Monroe, Michigan in Search of Cryptids
The Believe It Tour crew decided a quick stop in Monroe, Michigan was in order to see the infamous spot where a frightening incident occurred in 1965. This was an encounter that was rather unique since it took a violent turn when a Sasquatch hit one of the witnesses in the face.
It was mid August when Christine van Acker and her mother encountered a Bigfoot in Monroe. The cryptid reached into the car and hit van Acker in the eye giving her a black eye just before the two women quickly drove away. At the time of the incident the media picked up the story and published a photo of van Acker’s injuries and a drawing of the creature that attacked her.
As the Bigfoot encounter happened 45 years ago we knew it would be a challenge to find anyone still living in the town with first hand knowledge of the incident. However, it was still part of the adventure to drive through the area where such an encounter took place.
The Believe It Tour fundraising auction is going full swing with several collectible items already sent off to winning bidders. However, don’t worry about missing out since there are still more great items to be posted.
Today, we started accepting bids for one of the highlight items in the auction. It’s an authentic Bigfoot footprint cast from the legendary Patterson-Gimlin film site of 1967 in Bluff Creek, California. Not only is this one of the most famous tracks for Bigfoot enthuiests, but it’s been signed by Bob Gimlin, which makes this a very collectible piece.
In addition to the winning bid receiving the plaster cast, the lucky recipent will also receive a 5×7 photo of Bob Gimlin autographing the cast. The photo will look great displayed next to the cast.
Bid on the Bob Gimlin autographed Bigfoot cast – CLICK TO BID
To view all the other items up for auction and to keep an eye out for up coming items please visit the Help Support the Tour page. Thanks and good luck bidding!
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a week ago that I arrived in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia to attend “The Sasquatch Summit – a Tribute to John Green.” It was actually very late Thursday evening that I flew into Seattle to meet up with Brad Pennock our California Believe It Tour connection and Loren Coleman of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
As soon as we all landed we headed to our hotel in Bellingham, Washington to rest up. Then the next morning we had a short trip across the border into Canada. Even with several photo stops at various sasquatch related sights we arrived at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort early in the day, which was something that turned out to be a real treat. As we were sitting in the restaurant ready to have a quick bite, in walked John Green along with his wife. They joined us and we spent the time telling stories and looking out over the beautiful view of the lake and mountains.
Shortly after that more people started showing up and the meet and greet officially began. This kicked off a weekend full of events. There were talks by many well known figures in the bigfoot community and the main event was a tribute dinner for John Green.
The entire event was well attended and as most bigfoot conferences are now it was also well documented. Flashes and videos were going crazy with so many photo ops with legends like Bob Gimlin, Al Hodgson, and John Green. We were as much part of the frenzy as the rest. Here’s a short video collage to give you a sample of the what it was like to be there.
The name Sasquatch! is a little misleading to Bigfoot fans for an event since it’s actually the name of a music festival and not something related to the world of cryptozoology. Started in 2002, the event has now grown to become one of the best indie music festivals in the country.
As Sasquatch! takes place in the state of Washington I’ve used this as an excuse to travel back out west to satisfy two of my favorite hobbies, Bigfoot research and great live music. Typically, I would fly out to Seattle, rent an SUV, and head into the mountains. As I had packed a tent for the music festival I’d first spend a few days in the woods searching for tracks or other signs of evidence of Bigfoot before heading to the music festival. A few of the trips also included a visit to a small Bigfoot museum and a Sasquatch Symposium.
In the beginning, Sasquatch! was only a one-day event, but it’s now expanded into a three-day weekend festival. Located in the middle of Washington, at the Gorge Amphitheater, most of the attendees stay in the large campground adjacent to the Amphitheater. Making friends was easy as tents were lined up side by side. When asked why I traveled so far to the event, I’d share my stories of searching for Bigfoot. This usually sparked conversations of sightings and stories that my new friends had from growing up in the Pacific Northwest.
In fact, in 2008, when I began Beleive It Tour, I had the idea of documenting some of the stories at the music festival as part of our trip. Once the show was over we then continued on to our other destinations across the country. That just goes to show you that wherever you go there are fascinating stories to discover and share.
I missed going to Sasquatch! last year, but I’m eagerly awaiting the announcement this weekend of the 2011 lineup announcement. I’m hoping the news will be a reason to find my way back to Sasquatch!
“Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide” aired last night on the History Channel. Of course, I had to watch it. Being a bigfoot researcher since the early 90′s and having many friends in the bigfoot community, I was curious what others in the field thought about this show.
After the show ended I sent out the question to see what kind of responses Believe It Tour would get back. There was also a good bit of chatter on many of the facebook pages frequented by bigfoot fans. For the most part the comments all tended to be the same. Many people agreed that the production level was very well done, but the show only served as a new package for the same standard information.
While weeding through the comments there were a few other points that came up often. One particular observation was the lack of mentioning Bob Gimlin. A strange omission due to the fact the Patterson-Gimlin film was such a big part of the show.
However, the experts in the field can be the toughest critics as know all the details of their subject, so it can be a challenge to find something new with a topic they know so well. Maybe the best thing to do is to step back and view it with a new set of eyes. To see it the way a majority of the viewers had. Having more shows like this, with a high level of professionalism, will benefit the bigfoot community in the long run even if the subject matter is well known.
Please share your thoughts on “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide.” Thumbs up or thumbs down?
The Bigfoot Surplus logo design incorporates the profile of Patty from frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film inside a star.
Even weeks after the Ohio Bigfoot Conference is over, I have to admit that I’m still blown away by what I saw there. It wasn’t a true Bigfoot sighting, but as an artist the type of Bigfoot sighting I did have was certainly a highlight.
While standing at the table next to the Believe It Tour display, I noticed the commotion over a guy that was showing off his tattoo. Turns out he had a fairly large Bigfoot Surplus (a Believe It Tour Company) logo tattooed on his arm. It looked great.
The image, which originated in the 90′s, is now going to be around for at least the rest of “his” life. I immediately went over to thank him and tell him what a great feeling it was to have someone like my art enough to have it actually tattooed on them. Then all I could do at that point was give him a pile of stickers and one of our new t-shirts. A mere gesture for his commitment, but how can you really top that?
Here’s some more proof that time really does fly. For several years in a row, on Memorial Day, I would travel out to Washington State to get a fix of two of my interests, music and Bigfoot. Typically, I would fly into Seattle, pick up an SUV, and head for the mountains. With the goal of dropping back down to the Columbia River Gorge, in central Washington, to attend the Sasquatch Music Festival.
On one particular year I really lucked out and was also able to attend a Bigfoot Conference. I had a table for Bigfoot Surplus at the conference since Believe It Tour hadn’t been started yet. It was the first time I met Bob Gimlin, the man who was with Roger Patterson when they captured the famous film of Bigfoot in 1967. I also became friends with Tom Yamarone, who you may know from his Bigfoot songs. My old friend Brad Pennock, who has since been on some Believe It Tour adventures, even came up to Washington from San Diego to travel along. I look back now and realize this was the early stage of Believe It Tour. In honor of this, the first official Believe It Tour kicked off at the Sasquatch Music Festival a few years later as a symbolic first step for the Tour.
Typically, the trips were not always as social as that one year. Packing my camping gear, I’d usually find remote spots to get in some Bigfoot research and to just simply enjoy nature. I was always learning what I could about the Pacific Northwest and I’d follow up on any cryptid sightings that I’d hear about while talking with the locals.
The camping gear also came in handy as the Sasquatch Music Festival grew into a weekend long event. For music fans the line-up of bands, playing at one of the most beautiful venues in the United States, is definitely worth the trip. For me, it was a way to really enjoy life.
It’s now been two years since my last trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival and the start of what has become far more than an unusual and unique road trip. Believe It Tour celebrates the concept of exploring life like all of us did as children and takes adventures outside the limitations of everyday life.
Atmospheric Night Glow (image: Naval Research Laboratory)
Cutting-edge science is shedding some light on a recently discovered phenomenon called Atmospheric Night Glow. It seems that naturally occurring Night Glow is created by solar winds interacting with hydrogen and oxygen ions 56 miles high in our atmosphere. This interaction causes the ions to release their energy in the form of a soft light or night glow. Unfortunately, this night glow can’t be seen with the human eye, but it can be viewed using special cameras that can see into the Short Wave Infrared or SWIR portion of the light spectrum. The new SWIR cameras can record video in normal daylight just like your average camcorder, but they can also record daylight type video on the darkest night without additional illumination or by using image intensified devices such as Gen 3 night vision or Thermal cameras.
Even though the price of these cameras is currently high, roughly 40K, the price will come down as demand increases. These cameras are currently being used by our military as well as NASA, but I believe within a few years, the SWIR cameras will become common place just as standard security cameras are today.
Now on to the really interesting stuff!!!
Is it possible that creatures like Bigfoot, the Mothman, or other animals have the ability to see or navigate at night by utilizing Night Glow? I’ve conducted some basic research on the subject and haven’t reached a conclusion. Heck, science just recently discovered the Night Glow phenomenon, so it make take them some time to fully understand it and things that may utilize it. I did witness flocks of geese flying at night when I scanned the heavens using a Thermal camera, so it may be possible geese can see into the SWIR spectrum and use ground identifiers to help guide them while flying at night. There are many Bigfoot eyewitnesses who have talked about seeing the Bigfoot creatures deep red eye glow during night time sightings. Maybe the creatures eyes are reflecting Night Glow?
This is something I’m following with great interest, so as I learn anything new or science has another breakthrough I’ll keep everyone here at Believe It Tour posted on the latest.
A great resource to learn more about SWIR, view some images, or see some new equipment is Sensors Unlimited
This week my latest issue of Transworld Surf magazine arrived. Like most magazines, I tend to flip through the pages being wowed by the photos before reading a few of the articles that catch my attention. As I was walking up to my house from the mailbox, I noticed from the cover that this was the special surf travel issue. Two of my favorite things…surfing and traveling. I just knew the magazine would be full of inspirational content.
Mike at Crescent City Lighthouse - Northern CA
Well, at this point the story gets even better than I imagined it could. Once I got in the house and really started looking at the magazine I discovered one of the main articles was titled, “Muting Bigfoot – Going North of the Comfort Zone in the Pacific Northwest.” Now I’ve been around marketing long enough to know how to target your audience. However, this was beyond simple marketing — it seemed like it was printed just for me. There was surfing, traveling, and Bigfoot all rolled into one thing. What could be better than that?
As many times as I have explored the pacific northwest searching for Bigfoot with Believe It Tour and enjoying the natural beauty of places like the majestic redwood forests, I have to admit I’ve always been somewhat reluctant when it came to bringing my surfboard along to surf north of San Francisco. For those of you that wonder why, the waters and beaches up that way are the most rugged and menacing looking spots I’ve seen. Then you top that off with the large number of great white sharks (or the “big man in the gray suit” as some local surfers in Crescent City, CA told me they call them) patrolling the coast. I can’t say I’m big fan of combining all of those things in a surf spot.
The shear harshness I’ve just described happened to be the theme of the magazine article. The author pointed out how the simple task of getting to the waves and being in the water can quickly turn into a life threatening adventure. To quote the author, “Walking down trails to check spots, we figured we were as likely to spot Bigfoot as we were of stumbling on some great new spot.”
As you might guess the story of the pro surfers talked mainly about the conditions and the local vibe during their trip. It only mentioned Bigfoot as a description about how remote and burly the pacific northwest was rather than the cryptid’s significance to the area. However, for me the article had all the right elements to capture my attention and I hope I was able to share a little of that with you.
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