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!
Patterson/Gimlin Bigfoot Cast Autographed by Bob Gimlin
Believe It Tour is hosting an on-line auction to raise funding for our on-going travel and education projects. The auction will be filled with fantastic items ranging from signed books and original art to services and other merchandise.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and corporate sponsors we are able to create our unique trips and outreach programs. This year the team will be embarking on two adventures we’re calling “Old Haunts” – the first part will be in Michigan and the second takes us to Hungary. Please help us make these programs possible today by bidding on your favorite auction item.
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.
“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?
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.
The road was calling and the Believe It Tour crew was listening as we set out for the 22nd Annual Bigfoot Conference and Expo in Ohio. The annual Ohio Bigfoot Conference started on May 14th and was held at the Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center located at the beautiful Salt Fork State Park in Lore City, OH. The conference hosted by Don Keating of the Eastern Ohio Bigfoot Investigation Center or EOBIC promised to be an exciting one given the list of speakers and guests.
When we arrived Friday morning, we were thrilled to be part of a hike on the Morgans Knob Trail that’s a popular spot with a number of local cryptozologists. According to our guide, the park has been host to numerous Bigfoot encounters over the years. The hike was a great opportunity to meet some new folks and hear some amazing stories about encounters that have happened across the country.
The Friday evening events started with a meet-and-greet where the guests had an opportunity to mingle with the speakers and talk with other cryptozoologists. Immediately following this, Believe It Tour hosted a Pre-Conference discussion where we explored things like technology and its use in cryptozoology research and how various groups share information on a global level. The point of our casual and interactive event was to bring a variety of researchers together to foster open communication and explore some new ideas together.
Saturday was another beautiful Ohio day and again we were fortunate to be invited to a private luncheon honoring Bob Gimlin. The event was a great opportunity for everyone to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. As I walked around snapping numerous photos I was able to take part in some great discussions on Sasquatch investigations and hear some wonderful tales of Bigfoot encounters.
The conference started Saturday afternoon with a large number of people in attendance. The speaker roster included Bob Gimlin, Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Larry Lund, Tom Yamarone, and John Horrigan. A special guest also in attendance was Esteban Sarmiento. As I was manning the Believe It Tour booth I wasn’t able to listen in to the lectures, but I heard great feedback from people at the event. I also heard that Bob Gimlin absolutely captivated his audience with his talk, which wasn’t hard for me to imagine.
Saturday ended with a group of friends gathered around a roaring campfire, that later became the lodge fireplace when the rain started, where we all talked about Bigfoot and the conference. It had been an amazing day that only got better when the talented Tom Yamarone treated everyone to a late evening of fantastic music and singing.
It was a wonderful weekend filled with exciting stories, discussions about new science and technology being used in the research world, and connecting with some great people. While it was a long drive to Ohio it was definitely worth it. I’m definitely looking forward to next year’s Ohio Bigfoot Conference.
The 2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference in Tyler, Texas promised exciting guests, some interesting topics, a great vendor area, and a lot of fun, which it didn’t fail to deliver on any count. The event took place on Saturday, 9/26/09, with around 425 people from California to Maine in attendance for the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy’s (TBRC) annual event. The event featured 12 fascinating speakers and a retail area with some unique and exciting merchandise. The exciting day was rounded out with a dinner featuring Peter Matthiessen, world-famous naturalist and two time National Book Award winner. The event also featured Bob Gimlin, of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, as a special guest.
Bob Gimlin and Loren Coleman
In addition to Peter Matthiessen the list of speakers was an impressive one. The morning speakers were Daryl Colyer and Jerry Hestand, both TBRC investigators, and Alton Higgins, a biologist with TBRC. The afternoon was action packed with speakers Robert Swain, artist, Esteban Sarmiento, primate biologist, Chris Bader and Carson Mencken, both sociologists, John Bindernagel and John Mionczynski, both wildlife biologists and TBRC advisors, Bill Dranginis, developer of the “Eye Gotcha” wildlife camera, and Loren Coleman, cryptozoologist and author. The lectures ranged on topics from new technology used in the field to the role of environmental conditions on sightings. There were also many personal stories and reports of sightings sprinkled throughout many of the presentations. The controversial subject of turning Bigfoot into a profitable business venture was even broached.
Believe It Tour / Bigfoot Surplus Vendor Table
This year the event featured a large vendor area that had everything from high-tech gear and art to books and dog treats. Not to miss out on the fun, Believe It Tour was at the conference with a table full of exciting new merchandise. We even had a special Texas t-shirt to commemorate the conference. We had a great time talking to everyone that stopped by our table and appreciated the opportunity to meet with some of our Believe It Tour fans who followed our recent 2009 CA tour.
The day was rounded out with a fundraising dinner at the Tyler Discovery Science Place. The dinner gave everyone the chance to mingle on a more casual level and all of the speakers were extremely accessible and happy to talk to people about a subject close to their hearts. After the dinner Peter Matthiessen regaled the audience with a number of fascinating stories during his presentation.
The crowd at the event was a mix of old friends and a number of new faces, which made for an exciting time and no one was quite ready for the day to end. I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say I can’t wait for the 10th annual Texas Bigfoot Conference next year.
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