We started our business in March of 1988 just outside of Bozeman, Montana, with only a few consignments, no salesmen, and a dream. A desire to build a business we could be proud of. We have always operated under a win-win philosophy of doing business. We need to make a fair profit to remain in business and you, our customer, need to receive a fair deal each and every time. This business philosophy has taken us far from our humble beginnings. We now have a beautiful facility and a team of employees who all believe that a “win-win” policy is the only policy to have.

As we have grown so has our product line. we have shopped many manufacturers just as you are shopping for a dealer. We looked at quality, value, service after the sale, and industry reputation. As a result of this process we are offering for sale:

Jayco, Bigfoot, Starcraft Trailers, Trail Lite, Roadtrek, Phoenix Motorhomes as well as Starcraft Marine boats.

We appreciate the faith our customers have in us and do not take that for granted. We strive to earn your business and maintain a reputation of being ethical and honorable. Big Sky RV Inc is a good choice.

Best Price Guarantee

We want to get you on the road enjoying your RV sooner, so we don’t play games with pricing. Because rates, incentives and inventory numbers change so often, we don’t display prices directly on our site, but it’s easy to get the Big Sky RV Best Price for any model you’re interested in.

Simply click on the RV you’re researching in our Inventory, click on the Best Price button above the model details, fill out the form, and we will promptly contact you with our Best Price, as well as an e-mail with an informational snapshot detailing the RV you’re shopping.

Our prices won’t be beat. Don’t hesitate to contact us about the Best Price Guarantee.

Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss in Sanctuary. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

When it comes to tackling problems of a technical nature, Henry Foss is your man. Whether it’s cracking a multi-digit encrypted code or breaking down a seemingly impenetrable firewall, there is no one better qualified or more likely to get results. However, as a member of Dr. Helen Magnus’ Sanctuary team, Henry is more than just a gifted cyber-hacker. A descendant of her father Gregory’s first weaponsmith, he has designed many of Sanctuary’s weapons and is in charge of its defenses. Our beloved techie also has some hidden “talents” that he calls upon only in the more extreme of situations.

Introduced in the Sanctuary webisodes, Henry made the leap last fall to the Syfy Channel’s TV incarnation of the show as a recurring character, and this (second) season is now a regular on the series. On this particular Monday afternoon in June, actor Ryan Robbins, who plays Henry, has been tapping into his character’s techie side while filming the season two episode Veritas. Although the dialogue seems to roll effortlessly off his tongue, it took a bit of practice for him to get to this point.

“To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking at first because of the nature of Henry,” says Robbins. “As the tech and weapons guy, my character has a lot of tech-talk and scientific babble, which was initially intimidating for me. Also, he was supposed to be the comic relief, and while I’d done comedy before, having to get a handle on being the funny guy in an otherwise dramatic series was, for some reason, difficult and I put some pressure on myself.

On the job with Henry. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“Prior to this I’d been playing a lot of bad guys and killers, so this was a wonderful opportunity and a terrific acting challenge for me. So I just went with it and committed to the material and let myself have a good time, and so far things seem to have worked out.

“Henry changed quite a bit from the webisodes to the first season of the TV show. In season one of Sanctuary there was definitely more depth to my character as well as an air of mystery. Then later on, there was also a darker side to Henry that was revealed, with him being an Abnormal and having the werewolf beast inside him. That was a part of him that he couldn’t control and it gave me even more levels to play in terms of relationships with the other characters.

“So there were a lot of different directions to go in any given scene, which is a gift as an actor. Henry is such a neat character because he’s so complex and his humor comes out of , not necessarily positive things, but rather from his efforts to overcome certain obstacles. What’s the saying, ‘Tragedy plus time equals comedy,’ and I think Henry is the epitome of that in a lot of ways. It’s almost like this running joke that he always has to be overcoming something, otherwise he’s not Henry. Things can’t always go right for him, you know? So many things just go wrong, but he’s constantly trying, and that’s what you’ve got to love about the guy – he just won’t quit. At the end of the day, he’s going to take care of business, but it can’t be easy for Henry.”

There is more than the eye can see with Henry Foss. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

Having first directed Robbins in the two-part Stargate Atlantis episode The Storm and The Eye, Sanctuary executive producer Martin Wood later called the actor about playing Henry in Sanctuary’s two-hour Internet pilot. “My Atlantis character [Ladon Radim] was only supposed to have a two-story arc and then get killed off,” recalls Robbins. “However, Martin told me, ‘I like you, and I don’t want them to kill your character off.’ So instead they killed a background character, and I stayed on. Ladon ended up becoming the leader of the Genii people, which was great and a lot of fun for me.

“Martin directed most of my Atlantis episodes, and when Sanctuary came up, the story is that he told [series creator/executive producer] Damian Kindler about this guy named Ryan Robbins who he should cast as Henry. And Damian was like, ‘Ladon from Atlantis? But he’s not funny,’ but Martin said something along the lines of, ‘But the guy who played him, Ryan Robbins, is kind of an oddball. He would be perfect for the role.’ So they phoned me and I thought it sounded really cool, and being part of a show that was groundbreaking seems like a good idea, too. Then, of course, we wound up getting a first season on Syfy and now we’re doing season two, so hopefully we’ll be around for a while,” says the actor with a smile.

During season one of Sanctuary, Henry worked with Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), her daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), Magnus’ former patient and longtime friend/confidant, Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl), and her new protegé, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), in the preservation and protection of centuries-old creatures called Abnormals. In the episode The Five, the Sanctuary itself falls victim to a series of mysterious attacks. The culprit turns out to be a snake-like creature, and in order to stop it, Henry reveals that he, too, is an Abnormal, more specifically, a werewolf. Before shooting this episode, did Robbins have any idea that his character harbored a hirsute alter ego?

Henry and Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) try to work through yet another crisis facing the Sanctuary. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“We talked at the end of the webisodes and leading up to season one about this being a potential storyline for Henry in the future,” says the actor. “Although it remained kind of vague for a time, I started off in season one playing Henry as having some sort of mystery, because I think characters with secrets are always more interesting to watch. So when it eventually came out that he’s a werewolf, it seemed very natural and not entirely surprising.

“If you go back and watch previous episodes, you can see that Henry is maybe hiding something about himself, and I love it. I think it works really well and creates lots of dynamics. For example, people living with an illness or other difficulty might go for days and days laughing an enjoying themselves just like everyone else around them. However, when they are reminded of that illness or situation they’re in, they will fall into a funk and realize, oh, yeah, I’ve got to deal with this. For the most part, though, you try your best to get on with life. Originally, I feel Henry looked at his condition as being some sort of disease, but he’s since been able to embrace it. I still don’t believe he’s entirely comfortable with it because he’s still learning how to control it.”

The following episode, Edward, - for which Robbins won a Canadian Leo Award for Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series – finds Henry contemplating surgery as a way of exorcising his werewolf persona. He changes his mind, though, when his abilities help him and his colleagues save the life of a fellow Abnormal. “I really enjoyed Five and Edward because they were quite dramatic and, again, interesting background stuff. I’m a comic book fan and I love origin stories, and it was cool to see a hint of an origin story for my character,” he says.

Henry at work on yet another invention. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“I also had a lot of fun shooting Nubbins, which was directed by Peter DeLuise. I just felt like was taken to comedy school in all the best ways, and gratefully and happily so. Peter knows comedy so well when it comes to timing and rhythm and sticking to it. I can’t begin to explain how much I learned from him about hitting comedic beats, including stuff that you never even saw on the screen.”

In Sanctuary’s two-part season one finale, Revelations, Helen Magnus’ archenemy, the Cabal, unleash a biological weapon designed to turn Abnormals against humans. Ashley and Henry are captured when infiltrating a Cabal weapons facility to try to stop the development of the bio weapon, and the Cabal attempts to permanently turn Henry into a werewolf.

“Man, were those ever intense episodes, especially the torture scenes with my character,” notes Robbins. “It was weird because although I don’t have a fear of needles, I don’t especially like them. There’s this scene where over and over again this woman had to inject a needle into Henry’s arm, and I just kept thinking, ‘Jeez, I know they’re prop needles, but if that thing seizes up even a little bit, then it’s going into my arm.’ So it wasn’t hard to play the fear of the needle,” chuckles the actor. “On top of that, I’m strapped into this chair and here’s Alex Diakun, who is a sweetheart of a guy, doing such an incredible and convincing job of playing the creepy and menacing doctor.”

Ashley (Emilie Ullerup) and Henry are cornered by the Cabal in "Revelations." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

Thanks to Henry’s Abnormal abilities, he and Ashley are able to escape from the Cabal, but not before the organization turns Ashley against her teammates. At the start of  Sanctuary’s second season, she and five others are transformed into super-Abnormals whose sole purpose is to bring down the entire Sanctuary network. Despite the dire circumstances facing their characters, Robbins and the rest of the show’s cast as well as crew could not wait to return to work.

“When we came back for the second season, it felt like coming home,” enthuses the actor. “There was this level of confidence and one of, ‘OK, people dug what we did last year, so let’s keep going.’ So I think we all felt like we were maybe able to take a few more risks. Last year was one of discovery for all of us, and the episodes were written that way. In season one, Will Zimmerman was not only the new guy, but also the viewers’ reference. He was seeing everyone and everything for the first time, and in doing so, we were introduced to other characters and discovered things about them for the first time through Will’s eyes.

“Well, this year, we hit the ground running. I mean, Will is here and he’s one of us. Now we’re a real team and we’re moving forward with a fury and on-fire. In the season opener [End of Nights], the action, the tension, the storytelling, everything was ramped up. Season one was cool, but season two is exceptionally cool.

Henry and Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) working side-by-side. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“As for Henry, I feel like I have an even better understanding of him this year,” continues Robbins. “I love playing this character and I feel now like I can trust in my acting as well as my instincts and not have to worry about whether or not this or that comes across or if my subtext shows. I actually like watching Henry on the screen, and that’s a big deal for me because I don’t like watching myself all that much.

“We just finished shooting a wonderful Henry episode called Fragments, which was directed by Steve Adelson and guest-starring Anne Marie DeLuise. To tell you the truth, all the episodes have been really good so far. There have been some nice Henry/Bigfoot and Henry/Magnus moments this year. We’ve played it that Bigfoot has always known Henry’s secret, so they’ve had a very close connection. And now that my character has embraced his Abnormal side and is trying to deal with it, there’s this amazing bond that has developed between them. Henry has an amazing bond with Magnus as well, and now he and Will get to be buddies, too.”

In the aforementioned season two story Veritas, Henry helps Will and new team member Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) find evidence that will prove Helen Magnus is innocent of murdering Bigfoot. The episode is Robbins’ first time being directed by Sanctuary’s leading lady, Amanda Tapping.

Ryan Robbins and Anne Marie DeLuise in "Fragments." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“She’s a tyrant. There’s the cracking of the whip and all the screaming and yelling, not to mention the potty mouth. Other than that, it’s been fun,” jokes the actor. “Seriously, Amanda is awesome. I’d work with her again as a director in a heartbeat and without question. Amanda is an exceptional and wonderful individual in everything she does, acting, producing, directing, it doesn’t matter. She’s one of a kind, and it’s completely inspiring to be around her. And the crew really loves Amanda, too, especially today. It was only a 10-hour workday instead of a 12-hour one. Look how happy these guys are to be getting out of work now in this fantastic weather.”

Robbins was 12 years old when his desire to become an actor surfaced, but like most people that age, he did not know how to go about it. “I went to a very progressive arts-oriented high school with an intense theater program, and there was a teacher there named Drew Kemp who was sort of the catalyst that inspired me to pursue acting,” he says.

“My first big job was as a circus performer, and following that I moved back to Vancouver where a friend of mine who was a stuntman, suggested I try that as a way to break into acting, especially given my circus experience. I had a martial arts background as well, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it’s not a good way to break into acting, at least it wasn’t for me. I had an accident and ended up compressing my spine. From there, I helped form an experimental band called Hellenkeller, which took off. We had a good run for about six years, and during that time there was a filmmaker who was also a fan of the band and she put me in one of her movies.

Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Henry. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“I guess I did OK in the film because from there I got an agent and began getting acting jobs. When the band eventually broke up, I was working as an actor, so I feel that perhaps it was meant to be. I just kept following my gut. I don’t like to say no to any opportunity, so I had a series of opportunities that presented themselves and I just wanted to seize them. Fortunately, they led me to where I wanted to be, so here I am making a go of things.”

Walking Tall, Catwoman and Passengers are among the actors’ feature film credits, while on TV he has appeared in several made-for-TV movies as well as guest-starred on such series as Dark Angel, The Outer Limits, Smallville, Supernatural, The Guard and Battlestar Galactica.

“I actually worked as an audition reader for the Galactica miniseries,” says Robbins. “That’s where I got to know [producer/director] Michael Rymer, and he offered me a role, which turned out to be at the very beginning of the miniseries. I’m the old man at the armistice station, and Number Six [Tricia Helfer] comes in and asks, ‘Are you alive?’ My character tells her, ‘Yes,’ and she says, ‘Prove it.’ So they kiss and then the place blows up and it starts a whole new war. Forty years of peace ruined by blowing me up.

A contemplative moment for Henry Foss. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions

“I kept in touch with Michael, and in the show’s third season he brought me in to play a bartender called Charlie Connor, which I did on-and-off for two years. It was a blast and that show is one of the best experiences of my career. That cast was amazing and the crew was phenomenal. Mary McDonnell [President Laura Roslin] and Edward James Olmos [Admiral William Adama] are incredible forces. They love this craft along with the environment of being on a set, and I learned a ton from my time on that show. In years to come, I think people will look back and realize what a relevant piece of history that program was, even though it was set in the future.”

Besides Sanctuary, Robbins can also be seen in the web-based Sci-Fi/Fantasy series Riese and in episodes of the upcoming Syfy Channel series Caprica. He recently completed two films, Smile of April and The Masculine Mystique, and will soon start work on Wrecked. It has been a busy year for the actor, and that is music to his ears.

“I never had a back-up plan and I don’t have a retirement plan either,” says the actor with a smile. “I don’t want to retire. I want to drop dead on a film set when I’m 100 years old. I believe in my heart and soul that I’m supposed to be doing this and I don’t ever want to stop.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions, so no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

BY DEREMY UNDERHILL

10. Bloody robot takeover of Earth still YEARS away.

9. Nation’s awesome flag consists of inspiring stars and stripes, not a big dorky leaf.

8. As of this writing, neither Gosselin is believed to have acquired weapons of mass destruction.

7. At least mysterious alien visitors are sticking with those anal probe thingies rather than nuking cities.

6. Ex-Nazi mad scientists have yet to clone Hitler.

5. Every time Obama shoots a three-pointer, a rainbow-colored unicorn angel gets its wings.

4. Surviving members of the Beatles still outnumber Phil Collins.

3. Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from being on the next episode of Maury, not President.

2. Bigfoots pretty much leave us alone, even during their rut.

1. One word: GRAVY

Photographed by JohnnyRokkit

Opening Night

10.28.06 – 11.25.06

Derek Albeck, Chris Anthony, Van Arno, Bigfoot, Blinky, Andrew Brandou, Dan Brereton, Brezo, Ron Brown, Kelsey Brookes, Ryan Rubnis, Dave Burke, Sean Christopher, L. Croskey, Gayle Etcheverry, Natalia Fabia, Korin Faught, Sarah Folkman, Lauren Gardiner, Antonia Gribnikova, Andrew Hem, Jason Houchen, Sylvia Ji, Caia Koopman, Danielle Lamberti, Tiffany Liu, Jason Maloney, Inky Dreadfuls, Carrie McNinch, Chantal Menard,, Brandi Milne, James Naccarato, Joe O’Neill, Erik Otto, Annie Owens, Joshua Petker, Carlos Ramos, Joey Remmers, Scott Saw, Kathy Stacio Schorr, Jophen Stein, Sean Stepanoff, Nathan Spoor, Sage Vaughn, Vibe 1

– License

We have lift off... of my new book, Lost Days!

The official launch is underway.  The “BUY” button has been activated and you are free to buy the book from Amazon!  Here’s the extended description of the book:

 

While snooping in their Granddaddy Hank’s garage one afternoon, Hayley Wilkes’ little brother Grover discovers a decades-old newspaper clipping. It details the tragic death of their grandfather’s first wife when the car she was driving careened off an icy mountain road in Lake Roosevelt, Washington. Yet when her body was discovered, something was missing: her four-year-old son, Crew. Searchers could find no trace of the boy and gave him up for dead…until the toddler was discovered in the woods, alive and well, fourteen months later.

 Since then, everyone has considered Crew to be a bit “touched” in the head. Hayley thinks he’s downright crazy―and not in the fun way. And for a teenager trying to fit in, being related to such a nut isn’t doing her social life any favors. Nonetheless, she can’t help but be fascinated by her uncle and intrigued by the mystery of his past. How could a little boy survive for an entire year in the woods? Someone must have taken care of him, but who? The more time she spends with Crew, the more Hayley realizes he’s tormented by those long-lost days. Determined to ferret out the truth, she launches an investigation into the heart of a forty-year-old mystery. As she digs for clues, Hayley forms a tentative friendship with her crusty uncle and comes face-to-face with a legendary creature whose mere existence has long been the source of fevered debate.

 Led by a precocious young heroine and packed with quirky characters, family drama, and more than one very scary monster, Lost Days is an endearing and surprisingly relatable coming-of-age story about the strength of family. More importantly, this intriguing young-adult novel suggests that being different may not be so bad after all.

I didn’t forget, even if AP did. Enjoy.

And since I’m all about stabilized videos: Bigfoot!

Read a book! Win a laptop computer!

First things first, an important rule to follow:

PLEASE, DO NOT post the answer to the qualifying question on Facebook or any other public forum, including, but not limited to blogs, messageboards, other social media sites, etc. And don’t send out a mass email to friends and family with the answer. They always make their way back to me, and it makes things very awkward.

And now for the qualifying question:

What is the name of the Bigfoot that injures Owen?

Obviously, you will have to have read the book in order to know the answer, and that is the point of the contest.  You are welcome to purchase the book by clicking here, Lost Days.   But purchasing the book is not necessary.  I would never make you purchase the book.  That would be a real jerky thing to do.  You can download the PDF for free by clicking here, Lost Days – Free PDF Version

Here are the rest of the rules:

1. You must be a member of the Lost Days Facebook group in order to be eligible to enter the contest.

2. Lost Days Facebook group members must provide the correct answer to the qualifying question to be officially entered in the drawing.

3. There are no limits to the number of times Lost Days Facebook group members can attempt to correctly answer the qualifying question.

4. Spread the word bonus – If you provide the correct answer to the qualifying question, you can earn extra entries for each member that joins the Lost Days Facebook group based on your referral.

5. You must provide the correct answer to the qualifying question by January 4.

6. A video of the drawing will be posted on the Lost Days Facebook group on January 10.

7. The answer to the qualifying question can be found in either the paperback version of the book, Lost Days or in Lost Days – Free PDF Version

8. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer to the qualifying question on Facebook or any other public forum, including, but not limited to blogs, messageboards, other social media sites, etc. And don’t send out a mass email to friends and family with the answer. They always make their way back to me, and it makes things very awkward.

9. Send the answer to lostdays@rwridley.com with the subject line “I know the answer.” The subject line is very important because it helps me streamline the process, so please remember to use it.

10. The qualifying question is… What is the name of the Bigfoot that injures Owen?

11. Second Drawing: The second laptop will be for the top 10 people with the most Spread the Word Bonus Points. What are Spread the Word Bonus Points? Simple, whenever someone joins the Lost Days Facebook Group and leaves a comment saying “I’m a fan because (your name) sent me.” You get a Spread the Word Bonus Point (provided you answer the qualifying question correctly). To give everyone ample time to get the word out, I am holding the second drawing on January 17. BTW – You can start spreading the word now.

De feiten.

Op 2 februari 1959 vond in de voormalige Sovjet Unie in het Oeralgebergte een vreemde, raadselachtige moord plaats. Tien goedgetrainde bergbeklimmers uit Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinenburg) begonnen onder de leiding van Igor Dyatlov aan een beklimming van de berg Otorten. Negen van hen kwamen onder zeer ongewone en mysterieuse omstandigheden om. Hun tent was ijlings verlaten en hun lichamen werden op verschillende plaatsen in de buurt gevonden. De lichamen hadden allen een onnatuurlijke oranje kleur en op hun kleding werden verhoogde stralingsniveaus gemeten. Na vruchteloos onderzoek schreef de politie hun doodsoorzaak toe aan de “onoverwinnelijke natuurkrachten”.

Op dinsdag 19 februari 2008 verscheen er in “The St Petersburg Times” een artikel in het Engels, geschreven door reporter en stafmedewerkster van deze krant Svetlana Osadchuk, met als titel “Mysterieuse dood van 9 skiërs nog steeds onopgelost”. In dit artikel wordt uitgebreid ingegaan op vele aspecten van deze mysterieuse affaire. Hier volgt een zo nauwkeurig mogelijke vertaling van dit artikel met aansluitend enkele peilingen naar de mogelijke oorzaken. Onderaan op de foto links vier van de tien deelnemers aan deze expeditie, van links naar rechts : Ludmila Dublinina, Rustem Slobodin, Alexander Zolotaryov en Zina Kolmogorova en rechts een foto van Igor Dyatlov.

“Top secret” aangelegenheid.

Negen ervaren cross-country skiërs verlieten in alle haast hun tent die was opgesteld op een helling van het Oeral gebergte. Dit gebeurde in het midden van de nacht terwijl ze eveneens hun ski’s, voedsel en warme jassen achterlieten. In hun nachtkleding maakten deze jongelui zich hals over kop uit de voeten en renden ze de besneeuwde helling af in de richting van een dicht bebost gebied. Het was min 30 graden Celcius en geen enkele van hen zou deze bittere temperatuur overleven. Experten die deze zaak onderzochten waren verbijsterd en oordeelden dat de groep door een “onbekende en onweerstaanbare kracht” om het leven kwam. Het onderzoek werd abrupt afgesloten en het dossier als “top secret” geklasseerd. Deze gebeurtenis die 50 jaar geleden plaatsvond blijft een van de grootste mysteries van de Oeral. Onderaan een kaartje van de Oeral in Rusland.

Begin 1990 werden de gegevens in verband met dit incident vrijgegeven, maar vrienden van diegenen die stierven zoeken nog steeds naar antwoorden. Bij Yury Yudin de enige die deze expeditie overleefde brandt er nog steeds één vraag op zijn lippen : “wat gebeurde er die nacht echt met mijn vrienden ?”

Yudin, samen met negen andere studenten van het “Ural Polytechnic Institute”, begonnen op 28 januari 1959 met deze skiloop expeditie naar het Otorten gebergte in het noorden van de Oeral. Nabij Vizhai, de laatste nederzetting aan de voet van het gebergte, werd Yudin ziek en bleef daar achter. Onderaan links een foto van Yury Yudin uit die tijd en rechts een afscheidnemende Yuri Yudin terwijl hij L. Dublinina omhelst en Igor Dyatlov toekijkt.

Wat er met de negen andere expeditieleden gebeurde werd gereconstrueerd aan de hand van hun dagboeken en fotografisch materiaal. Als documentatie voor het schrijven van dit artikel werden kopies van de dagboeken, foto’s en archieven geraadpleegd.  Op 2 februari zetten de skiërs aangevoerd door Igor Dyatlov, 23, als schuilplaats voor de nacht, hun kamp op langs de helling van de Kholat-Syakhl, een berg nabij de Otorten. Volgens onderzoekers werden hun tenten rond 5:00 pm opgesteld afgaand op foto’s van ontwikkelde filmrolletjes die ze in hun achtergelaten bagage terugvonden. Zie hieronder een foto ontwikkeld van een gevonden filmrolletje. De foto toont de opzet van het kamp op 2 februari 1959 rond 5 uur in de namiddag.

Het is niet duidelijk waarom de negen skiërs deze plaats uitzochten. Ze hadden makkelijk de berg kunnen afdalen naar een bebost gebied waar ze beschut zouden zijn voor de extreme weersomstandigheden. Een omweg van ongeveer 1,5 km. Yuri Yudin, die hierover werd geraadpleegd, denkt dat naar alle waarschijnlijkheid Dyatlov niets van de afgelegde afstand wilde prijsgeven of hij wou het kamperen op een berghelling eens uitproberen. Op het moment dat de groep het instituut verliet en aan de expeditie begon, had Dyatlov beloofd een telegram te sturen van zodra ze terug in Vizhai arriveerden na hun skitocht. Hij dacht dat dit rond 12 februari zou zijn. Maar volgens Yudin vertelde Dyatlov hem dat de groep zeer waarschijnlijk enkele dagen later zou terugkeren dan oorspronkelijk gepland. Daarom was er niemand bezorgd wanneer de groep op 12 februari niet opdook.

Op 20 februari echter werd er door de familieleden aan de alarmbel getrokken en werd er door leraren en studenten van het instituut een zoektocht op touw gezet. De politie en het leger zouden enige tijd later met vliegtuigen en helicopters in aktie komen.

Een raadsel.

Een reddingsteam van vrijwilligers vond het verlaten kamp op 26 februari. “We ontdekten dat de tent half opengereten was en bedekt met sneeuw. De tent was leeg en al hun spullen, de schoenen inbegrepen, waren achtergelaten” vertelde Mikhail Sharavin de student die de tent ontdekte. Zie foto onderaan.

Volgens onderzoekers werd de tent langs binnen opengescheurd en ze vonden voetafdrukken van acht of negen mensen in de metersdikke sneeuw. Men kwam tot de vaststelling dat het voetafdrukken waren van mensen die alleen sokken droegen, één enkele schoen of blootvoets waren. De voetafdrukken van de groep werden door onderzoekers nauwkeurig onderzocht en ze konden geen bewijsmateriaal vinden dat er een gevecht zou hebben plaatsgevonden of dat buitenstaanders de tent waren binnengedrongen. De voetafdrukken, die langs de helling naar beneden liepen naar het bos toe, hielden na 500 meter plots op. Sharavin vond de eerste twee lichamen aan de rand van het bos, onder een geweldig hoge spar. De twee slachtoffers Georgy Krivonishenko, 24 en Yury Doroshenko, 21 waren blootvoets en hadden alleen maar hun ondergoed aan. In de nabijheid lagen verkoolde resten van een vuurtje. Volgens Sharavin waren de takken van de spar afgebroken tot op een hoogte van ongev. 5 meter, hetgeen veronderstelde dat een skiër in de boom was geklommen om naar iets uit te kijken, misschien het kamp. Er lagen ook gebroken takken verspreid in de sneeuw. De volgende drie lichamen, Igor Dyatlov, Zina Kolmogorova, 22 en Rustem Slobodin, 23 werden tussen de boom en het kamp gevonden. Alles wees er op dat deze drie een poging hadden ondernomen om naar het kamp terug te keren. De authoriteiten openden onmiddellijk een gerechtelijk onderzoek, maar de lijkschouwingen konden niet aantonen dat er boos opzet in het spel was. Dokters bevestigden dat deze vijf aan hypothermia (onderkoeling) waren gestorven. Slobodin had een schedelbreuk maar deze kwetsuur zou niet de doodsoorzaak geweest zijn.

Het duurde twee maanden vooralleer de overige vier skiërs werden teruggevonden. Hun lichamen werden in een ravijn gevonden, 75 meter van de spar verwijderd en bedekt met wel vier meter sneeuw. Deze vier slachtoffers, Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel, 24 – Ludmila Dublinina, 21 – Alexander Zolotaryov, 37 en Alexander Kolevatov, 25 schenen een traumatische dood te hebben gevonden. Thibeaux-Brignollel’s schedel was verbrijzeld en Dublinina en Zolotaryov hadden verschillende gebroken ribben. Dublinina had geen tong meer. De lichamen vertoonden echter geen uitwendige kwetsuren. Deze vier waren beter gekleed dan de anderen, en diegenen die eerst gestorven waren hadden klaarblijkelijk hun kleren afgestaan aan de anderen. Zolotaryov droeg Dublinina’s jas en muts in namaak bont, terwijl Dublinina’s voet in een deel van Krivonishenko’s wollen broek gewikkeld was. Heel het gebeuren werd nog raadselachtiger toen bleek dat na onderzoek hun kleding gecontamineerd was met een hoog stralingsniveau. Na enkele maanden echter werd het onderzoek afgesloten en de onderzoekers kwamen tot de conclusie dat er geen misdadig opzet in het spel was. Het dossier werd in een geheim archief opgeborgen. Skiërs en andere avonturiers werden voor een periode van drie jaar uit dit gebied geweerd.

“Ik was toen 12 jaar maar kan me de geweldige weerklank, die dit incident bij de bevolking teweeg bracht, goed herinneren. Dit niettegenstaande de pogingen van de authoriteiten om bij verwanten en onderzoekers, de zaak stil te houden” zegt Yury Kuntsevich, hoofd van de in Yekaterinenburg gevestigde Dyatlov Stichting die nog steeds proberen dit mysterie te ontrafelen. Het feit dat het lokale MANSI volk de negen skiërs zouden hebben gedood als wraak omdat ze hun gebied waren binnengedrongen was voor de onderzoekers een voor de hand liggende theorie. Er werden echter geen bewijzen gevonden om deze theorie te ondersteunen. Noch Otorten, noch Kholat-Syakhl werden door de Mansi beschouwd als heilig of plaatsen die taboe waren voor vreemdelingen. Deze theorie werd verder ontzenuwd door een dokter die in 1959 de lichamen onderzocht heeft. Hij bevestigde dat de kwetsuren met zo’n geweldige kracht waren toegebracht, dat dit niet het werk van een individu kon geweest zijn, ook was er bij de slachtoffers geen zacht weefsel beschadigd. Uit de dossiers bleek ook dat volgens deze dokter de aangewende kracht kon vergeleken worden met de gevolgen van een auto-ongeval.

Heldere vliegende bollen.

In het jaar 1990 bevestigde hoofdonderzoeker Lev Ivanov dat hem door regionale authoriteiten werd opgedragen de zaak af te sluiten en alle gegevens als geheim te klasseren. Hij zei dat de authoriteiten bezorgd waren door rapporten van verschillende ooggetuigen, inclusief het meteorologisch instituut en het leger, dat in februari en maart 1959 in dit gebied “heldere vliegende bollen” werden waargenomen. Ivanov bevestigde ook dat hij toen vermoedde en er nu bijna zeker van was dat deze heldere vliegende bollen een direct verband hadden met de dood van deze groep studenten. De in 1990 vrijgegeven dossiers bevatten de getuigenis van de leider van een groep avonturiers die toen diezelfde nacht in dit gebied 50 km meer zuidwaards kampeerden. Hij beweerde dat zijn groep vreemde oranje bollen waarnam die door de nachtelijke hemel vlogen in de richting van Kholat-Syakhl. Onderzoeker Ivanov achtte het niet onmogelijk dat in de loop van de nacht één skiër dit vreemde luchtfenomeen had opgemerkt, zijn tent verlaten had en met zijn geroep de anderen had gewekt. Het zou kunnen dat toen ze in de richting van het bos wegvluchtten er een bol ontplofte, en op die manier de dood veroorzaakte van de vier met ernstige verwondingen en ook Slobodin’s schedel verpletterde.

Ook Yury Yudin, de overlevende, vermoedt dat een explosie zijn vrienden gedood heeft. Hij zei dat de geheimdoenerij die rond het incident hing suggereert dat de groep onbewust een militair testgebied moet zijn binnengedrongen. Het stralingsniveau aangetroffen op de kleding ondersteunt deze theorie. In verband met de doodsoorzaak van deze groep was er volgens Yuri Kuntsevich, hoofd van de Dyatlov Stichting, nog een ander raadselachtig element m.a.w. de aangezichten van de eerste vijf lichamen waren op onverklaarbare wijze gebruind.

“Ik heb de begrafenis bijgewoond van de eerste vijf slachtoffers en herinner mij dat hun aangezichten eruitzagen alsof ze diep gebruind waren” zei Kuntsevich. Yury Yudin zei ook dat er in de vrijgegeven documenten geen enkele aanwijzing stond in verband met de toestand van hun inwendige organen. “Ik weet dat ze voor nader onderzoek in speciale containers werden gestopt” zei Yudin. Er werden echter geen aanwijzigingen gevonden dat er zich nabij Kholat-Syakhl een explosie zou hebben voorgedaan.

Geen spoor van kruisraketten.

Volgens Alexander Zeleznyakov, expert op het gebied van Soviet raketten en officieel functionaris van het Ruimteagentschap Energia, zou een kruisraket gelanceerd vanuit de Baikonur Cosmodroom in Kazakstan het noorden van de Oeral hebben kunnen bereiken, maar er zijn geen aanwijzigingen gevonden dat er destijds een lancering plaatsvond. Een ander lanceerplatform in de voormalige Soviet Unie, Plesetsk, werd pas einde 1959 in gebruik genomen. Zeleznyakov zei ook dat er destijds geen projectielen van andere platformen hadden kunnen worden afgevuurd omdat die toen nog niet bestonden. Het Ministerie van Defensie en het in Yekaterinenburg gevestigde regionale Ministerie van Justitie bezaten hierover ook geen verdere aanwijzigingen gezien de ouderdom van deze zaak.

Yury Kuntsevich bevestigt dat hij met een team recentelijk dit gebied nog had bezocht en er een schroothoop aantrof die er op wees dat in het verleden het leger daar experimenten had uitgevoerd. “We kunnen niet zeggen wat voor soort militaire technologie daar werd getest maar de katastrofe in 1959 werd door mensen veroorzaakt” zei hij. Volgens Yury Yudin zou het kunnen dat het leger het kamp eerst had gevonden vooraleer het reddingsteam het ontdekte. Onderzoekers hebben Yudin dan gevraagd of hij, voor ieder voorwerp gevonden op de site, de eigenaar kon identificeren. Maar hij kon ze niet allemaal thuisbrengen, o.a. een stuk geweven stof waarschijnlijk afkomstig van een legerjas, een bril, een paar ski’s en een onderdeel van een ski, konden door hem niet geïdentificeerd worden. Yudin beweert ook dat hij documenten hed gezien die erop wezen dat reeds op 6 februari een gerechtelijk onderzoek werd opgestart dus 14 dagen vóór het reddingsteam het kamp bereikte.

Dyatlov’s vrienden hebben ook de mogelijkheid onderzocht of dit incident niet kon veroorzaakt zijn door een sneeuwlawine. Een kamp opzetten op een berghelling zou de bovenste sneeuwlaag misschien hebben verstoord, zodanig dat dit enkele uren later een lawine veroorzaakte. Dit zou dan de opengereten tent verklaren die de skiërs dan van binnenuit moeten hebben opengesneden om uit de tent te geraken. Maar deze theorie klopt ook niet helemaal omdat de skiërs te voet het kamp verlieten en meer dan een kilometer gelopen hebben in een temperatuur van minus 30 Celcius. Thibeaux-Brignollel moet minstens buiten westen geweest zijn omwille van zijn verbrijzelde schedel zei Mikhail Kornev, een dokter verbonden aan de militaire academie. Maar zijn vrienden zouden hem ook kunnen gedragen hebben omdat onderzoekers niet juist konden uitmaken of er zich acht of negen paar voetafdrukken in de sneeuw bevonden. Volgens Kornev was het best mogelijk dat ook Dublinina en Zolotarev nog hadden kunnen rondlopen met hun gebroken ribben omdat de situatie zo extreem was.

Recentelijk kwamen zes voormalige redders en 31 onafhankelijke experten in Yekaterinenburg bijeen in een poging dit mysterie te ontrafelen. Zij kwamen tot het besluit dat het leger in dit gebied geheime testen had uitgevoerd en op die manier onvrijwillig de dood van de skiërs hadden veroorzaakt. Maar volgens de deelnemers aan deze vergadering ontbraken hierover nog veel gegevens en ten einde dit incident volledig in beeld te krijgen is het noodzakelijk zowel het Ministerie van Defensie, het ruimteagentschap en de FSB hierover te consulteren. (de FSB is de huidige Russische staatsveiligheid en de opvolger van de KGB) Deze conferentie werd georganiseerd door de “Ural State Technical University”, de Dyatlov Stichting en verschillende niet-gouvernementele organisaties.

Wat er met deze groep echt gebeurd is op 2 februari 1959 zal misschien voor altijd wel een raadsel blijven. Het gebied waar de groep het laatst hun kamp hebben opgezet zal nu officieel “Dyatlov pas” heten. Tot daar het artikel gepubliceerd in “The St Petersburg Times”.

De mogelijke oorzaken.

Het Mansi volk.

Zoals reeds eerder vermeld in het artikel werd door onderzoekers gesuggereerd dat het lokale MANSI volk de groep zouden hebben gedood als wraak omdat ze hun grondgebied waren binnengedrongen. Dit is zeer onwaarschijnlijk omdat de inwendige kwetsuren bij sommige skiërs door een zogenaamde “onbekende en onweerstaanbare kracht” werden veroorzaakt en niet door een of meerdere individuen. De inheemse bevolking van de Oeral vertegenwoordigt maar 1/5 van de totale bevolking in dit gebied en er komt nog bij dat specifiek de Mansi’s met uitsterven bedreigd zijn. Er zouden er nog maar een kleine 200 overblijven woonachtig in geïsoleerde dorpen in de wouden. Onderaan een foto van zo’n nederzetting.

De sneeuwlawine theorie.

Kamperen op een berghelling zoals dit het geval was bij de negen skiërs betekent een reeël gevaar voor lawines. Op hellingen steiler dan 15 graden bestaat er gevaar voor lawine’s en de helling juist boven de kampeerplaats bedroeg 22 tot 23 graden en 50 tot 100 meter hoger bedroeg de helling zelfs 25 tot 30 graden. Deze theorie is echter problematisch omwille van volgende argumentatie :

a) de skiërs verlieten te voet het kamp en hebben nog meer dan 1 km gelopen – b) het hoge stralingsniveau dat op de kleding werd aangetroffen en de staat waarin de lichamen verkeerden spreken dit tegen.

De Almas.

In de bergachtige gebieden in Rusland waaronder de Oeral regio worden er geregeld waarnemingen gedaan van met pels bedekte creaturen die kunnen vergeleken worden met de Tibetaanse Yeti en de Noord-Amerikaanse Bigfoot, maar er ligt geen wetenschappelijk bewijs voor van hun bestaan. De Russische media publiceren geregeld deze verhalen. De mogelijkheid bestaat dat deze creaturen (indien ze bestaan) de groep skiërs zouden hebben aangevallen om welke reden dan ook. Deze wezens worden in de Kaukasus, het Pamir gebergte en de Oeral, de Almasti of ook de Almas genoemd. Almas is het Mongoolse woord voor “wilde man”. Er zijn af en toe rapporten over Almas die boerderijen aanvallen op zoek naar voedsel maar over het algemeen worden ze getolereerd en meer beklaagd dan gevreesd. Ze zijn meestal tussen de 1,50 en 1,80 meter groot, zien er menselijk uit maar ook een beetje op apen gelijkend. De Almasti kunnen met de Yeti vergeleken worden maar hebben kortere armen, minder haar (pels) op aangezicht en lichaam dan andere humanoiden. Ze worden verondersteld van bessen te leven en soms vallen ze schapen aan maar zouden alleen maar hun lever eten. Ze kunnen heel moeilijk worden waargenomen en worden ook nooit ergens dood aangetroffen. Sommigen hebben geprobeerd deze creaturen neer te schieten maar naar verluidt sterven deze jagers later onder mysterieuse omstandigheden. Onderaan een artistieke voorstelling van een Almasti of Alma.

Russische wetenschappers speculeren dat deze humanoiden een overlevende soort is van de eerste Paleo-Asiatische bewoners van Siberië. Volgens Marina Popovitsj, auteur van het boek “Het Sovjet Dossier UFO” houdt deze sneeuwmens de Russische onderzoekers al heel lang bezig. Er werden door de Academie van Wetenschappen van de voormalige Sovjet Unie verschillende expedities uitgezonden om meer te weten te komen over dit mysterieuse wezen. Tijdens deze expedities werd veelal vastgesteld dat de Almasti in die bepaalde streken opdook waar er relatief veel Ufo’s werden waargenomen. Heeft de combinatie UFO-Almasti iets met de dood van onze negen skiërs te maken ? Een vraag die we voorlopig niet kunnen beantwoorden.

Nucleaire ramp.

Het Dyatlov pas incident gebeurde in een periode van de koude oorlog en het ijzeren gordijn. Journalisten die iets over deze zaak publiceerden werden zwaar gecensureerd en onderzoekers konden geen dossiers raadplegen omdat ze gewoon verdwenen waren of als geheim opgeborgen. De mogelijkheid van nucleaire testen of opslag van nucleair afval in dit gebied door de voormalige Sovjet Unie werd  in het artikel reeds vermeld. Ook hierover onbreken documenten en dossiers omdat ze nooit werden vrijgegeven. Volgens Dr. Zhores A. Medvedev is deze theorie best haalbaar en hij verdedigde deze stelling in een artikel in “New Scientist” in 1976.

Reeds in 1958 werd er door de voormalige Sovjet Unie regelmatig nucleair afval in metalen 55 gallon vaten gedumpt in relatief ondiepe kuilen in het Oeralgebergte. De vaten met radioactief afval werden met vrachtwagens tot in de kuilen gebracht en dan werden ze door bulldozers met aarde gevuld. Dit was reeds enkele jaren aan de gang maar roestvorming op de vaten veroorzaakte lekkage. Volgens Medvedev vond er in 1958 in het Oeralgebergte als gevolg daarvan een geweldige en niet voorziene nucleaire explosie plaats die hij vergeleek met een vulkaanuitbarsting. De ontstane radioactieve wolk verspreidde zich over honderden kilometers en duizenden mensen werden besmet. Dit werd vrijwel onmiddellijk door de nucleaire industrie en ook sommige politici in het Westen ontkend. Ze beweerden dat er geen gevaar bestond en dat Medvedev het niet bij het juiste eind had. Maar hij repliceerde hierop met het schrijven van een boek over dit incident met als titel “Nucleaire Ramp in de Oeral” gepubliceerd in 1979.

Dit zou wel eens de oorzaak kunnen geweest zijn van het verhoogde stralingsniveau op de kleding van de groep skiërs omdat de bodem daar toen heel waarschijnlijk nog zwaar gecontamineerd was. Ook het verbod om dit gebied nog te betreden gedurende een periode van drie jaar wijst in die richting.

De M-Zone.

In februari en maart van 1959 werden er  mysterieuse heldere en oranje bollen waargenomen in het gebied waar de skiërs toen vertoefden en die volgens getuigen in de richting van de Dyatlov pas vlogen. Sommige onderzoekers beweren dat deze Ufo’s iets te maken hadden met de dood van deze jongelui en dit was ook de mening van hoofdonderzoeker Lev Ivanov. De M-zone of de zogeheten Mysterie-zone werd in 1989 ontdekt en is gesitueerd in de Russische Oeral regio nabij het dorp Molebka en heeft een omtrek van ongeveer 70 vierkante kilometer. Onderaan een kaartje van deze M-zone.

Pas aan het einde van de jaren ‘80 werd men zich buiten Rusland bewust van het bestaan van deze zone en de geheimzinnige zaken die er voorvallen. Zelfs vele Russen hadden er geen weet van. In deze zone zouden o.m. veel Ufo’s zijn gesignaleerd en nabije ontmoetingen met buitenaardsen hebben plaatsgehad. Na het uiteenvallen van de Sovjet Unie in 1989 ondernamen ufologen diverse expedities naar de zone. Een van de onderzoekers Valeri Jakimov, woonachtig in dit gebied, deed tijdens zijn eerste expeditie naar deze zone in 1989 opmerkelijke waarnemingen in de lucht waaronder : kleine witte en oranje bollen op betrekkelijk geringe afstand van elkaar. Hij zag zelfs een witte lichtstraal uit de bollen schieten.

De geoloog A. Batoerin beweert echter dat deze heldere en gloeiende bollen van geologische aard zijn. Bij actieve breuken in de aardkorst komen vaak dergelijke verschijnselen voor : bollen, zuilen en stralen die voor Ufo’s worden aanzien. Onderaan enkele foto’s genomen in deze zone.

Lezers die meer informatie wensen over deze mysterieuse zone kunnen een interessante, in het Engels geschreven, Russische website bezoeken : www.ufo.ural.ru/paz.htm

Conclusie.

De tien deelnemers aan deze skitocht die nu het “Dyatlov pas” incident genoemd wordt waren afkomstig uit SVERDLOVSK (Yekaterinenburg regio) en deze plaats ligt eigenaardig genoeg midden in deze M-zone (zie kaartje). Deze zone werd pas in 1989 ontdekt maar het is opmerkelijk dat in 1959 het jaar waarin de expeditie naar de berg Otorten plaatsvond er in deze regio reeds heldere vliegende bollen werden waargenomen. Dit is 30 jaar eerder en, alhoewel de “Dyatlov pas” in het noordelijk gedeelte van de Oeral ligt en de M-zone in de centrale Oeral, manifesteerden deze luchtfenomenen zich toen ook in de noordelijke Oeral.

Of ze nu van geologische of exotische oorsprong waren, het ziet er naar uit dat de dood van de negen skiërs toch iets te maken had met deze vreemde luchtfenomenen. En als het verhaal van de nucleaire explosie, gesuggereerd door Medvedev, klopt moeten we ook hier een verband zoeken met hun nucleaire contaminatie. De juiste toedracht zullen we heel waarschijnlijk nooit te weten komen.

 *************************************************************************************************

Bronnen :

Literatuur : “Het Sovjet Dossier UFO” Marina Popovitsj

                     “De Sovjet UFO Dossiers” Paul Stonehill

Websites :

www.sptimes.ru

www.ufo.ural.ru

www.bigfootencounters.com

http://mysterious-places.suite101.com

http://freeinternetpress.com

www.cryptids.net

Bekijk ook eens mijn linkpagina met relevante links over dit en andere onderwerpen.

url :

http://cosmos.linksysteem.com

CITAAT

Een wonder is niet het breken met wetten, noch een fenomeen dat zich buiten de wetten om voltrekt.

Het zijn wetten die voor ons onbekend en onbegrijpelijk zijn, zodat wij het als een wonder ervaren.

George Iwanovitsj Gurdjieff (filosoof 1873-1949) 

Read a book! Win a laptop computer!

…Will be posted on Friday.  Sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you.  I just wanted to give you a heads up.  Actually, I did mean to tease you.  Don’t hate me.  If you’re confused, and don’t know what I’m talking about, click here to get up to speed.

No, we don’t believe it, either. C’mon … look at her!

Megan Fox

But since the headline comes from our partners-in-crime over at the Weekly World News — and since Megan Fox is kind of the patron saint of our blog, whether cast against her will into the movie we wished we could see, or pressganged into promoting Appy Newz — we would be remiss in letting this report from the world’s “only reliable news source” pass without comment.

Plus, this is an excellent time to remind you that our very own Weekly World News iPhone app is perfect for putting flesh on all your Megan Fox fantasies.

No, it won’t make her naked!

But, did you know that in addition to being a man, Megan Fox is also an ancient alien?

Or did you know that Megan Fox gave birth to Bigfoot’s Baby?

It seems fantastic, but it’s in the pages of the Weekly World News … so it must be true!

If you’d like to compose your own spin on the truth with our Weekly World News app … maybe by plastering the faces of your own loved ones on some of the most shocking covers in journalistic history … then click on the button below to buy Weekly World News for iPhone right now!

But whatever you do, don’t you dare put Megan Fox’s face on Bat Boy’s head. That would be going too far …!

I get annoyed with advertising more often than not, but here are two commercials that weirdly make me laugh and I thought I would share them.

They are for beef jerky and cable, respectively, and if you find yourself craving either one of those things after watching these, then the system works.

Me as "Evening Adventuress"

Steampunk costumes are glorious things. My own effort was not contest-worthy (though I still had fun wearing it), but I was blown-like-a-zeppelin-in-a-hurricane away by the grand prize winners; a wheelchair tricked out  with everything from a dangling faux gaslight to a metal-tubing cupholder, and a man with a wooden cabinet backpack that had moving gears, Tesla lights, and an array of other steamish objects too vast to describe here.

My quick take-aways from the weekend:

Most SF/F fans believe Bigfoot is also SF/F, judging by the Mystery Animal Panel.

Autographing tables really should be located someplace near the attendees.

Girl Genius is a funny and top class comic.

Panelists in the know mentioned Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi and Catherynne M. Valente  as some of their fave, upcoming novelists. My Amazon wishlist runneth over.

Concensus from the 2012 Apocalypse panel I sat on was that the big change will be a spiritual transformation rather than an all out Armageddon as in the movie. Whew! I can drive again without checking for yawning sinkholes to Hell every two minutes. And does this mean anyone can be Pope in 2012?

It is possible to go an entire weekend eating nothing but Con Suite and Green Room food. And those who do, really appreciate it.

With the exception of one argumentative dealer, SF/F people are the nicest and most mannerly of crowds. Maybe it’s because we have so much practice at keeping our monsters in our heads where they belong.

WindyCon36 attendees

Read a book! Win a laptop computer!

This is the 38^th installment of my new book (launch is this week) Lost Days.  I hope you’ve been reading carefully because the answer to the qualifying question is in one of the previous posts. Qualifying question for what?  For your chance to win a free laptop computer.   Click here to read the rules for the drawing.  Basically, you  read Lost Days for a chance to win a laptop!  If you don’t want to read the free online version, it will be available for sale on Amazon this week!.  Good luck.

I didn’t sleep a wink after Grover and I turned the lights off and settled in for the night.  My brain fought with itself all night.  I went from thinking the pictures were real to knowing they had to be fake and back again over and over until all my thoughts felt like racecars speeding around in my head.  It was maddening.  No matter what I did, I couldn’t shut it off. 

I gave up trying to sleep about two in the morning.  I sat up and watched Uncle Crew’s FROG from my window.  He didn’t go out probably because three guys had broken into his room a couple of nights before.  He was waiting for them to come back.  They wouldn’t.  Even I knew that.  They hadn’t found what they were looking for, and there was no reason to risk getting caught looking in the same place twice. 

J-Rob stepped out on the stoop at the top of the stairs a couple of times and smoked a cigarette.  I drifted back to our conversation on the porch.  I played every word over along with every motion he made.  He had a lot of nervous ticks.  Comes with being crazy I guess, but there was one that seemed out of place.  A few times he would pat the pocket of his coat, the pocket that had the jump drive in it.  Then it hit me.  He meant for me to find that jump drive.  He wanted me to see the pictures. 

The natural question followed, “Why?”  I thought about putting on some shoes and running outside to ask him, but I knew he would deny it. 

His face glowed orange each time he took a drag from his cigarette.  If he saw me watching him, he never let on.  I didn’t know much about him, but I knew he loved my uncle like a soldier loves his commander or a boy loves a hero. If I had to guess why he gave me the jump drive, it was so I could help.  He would never betray Uncle Crew by asking me outright, but if I volunteered, then he was off the hook.

I quickly ditched that idea.  How could I possibly help?  I was a kid, a test-taker still trying to make my way through Homer’s Iliad and the quadratic formula.  I couldn’t help myself through high school, how could I help them… with whatever it is they were doing.

I tried one more time to lay back down in bed and fall asleep, but this time all I thought about was Joyner.  I hated myself for believing that he could actually be interested in me.  What a jerk I was.  I felt like a complete and total fool.  The horror slowly engulfed me as I realized that I would have to see him at school. 

I gave up trying to sleep and quietly left the room.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I just wandered through the house aimlessly until I reached the living room.  I didn’t turn on the lights, choosing instead to sit on the couch in the dark.  The pale light of a half moon shined through the window.  I sat and listened to the sounds of the early morning.  The house settled causing barely audible pops and the wind outside whirled.  It was amazing to hear nothing make so much noise.  I heard a floorboard creek and almost let it pass without a thought.  It suddenly dawned on me that floorboards don’t creek on their own.  I became stiff.  Another creek.  Something out of the corner of my eye moved.  I turned and saw a dark figure swaying by the fireplace.  I screamed.  The figure jumped and sprinted past me.  I was screaming with more intensity as I realized that it was a real live person hiding in my grandparents’ living room.  The man jerked the front door open and disappeared into the darkness just as granddaddy and mom came rushing down the stairs. 

“What the hell…” granddaddy started to say, but stopped when he saw the front door wide open.

“Honey,” mom said running to my side. 

I was a blubbering mess.

Granddaddy eased up to the door and peered outside.  He shut it when he realized no one was there. 

“What happened?” mom asked sitting next to me and allowing me to bury my face into her shoulder.

“A man,” I said as I sobbed.

“Man?” Granddaddy said.  “In the house?”

I nodded pointing over to the fireplace.  “He was over there.”

I heard the kitchen door open.  Uncle Crew and J-Rob barreled into the room. 

“What’s going on?” Uncle Crew asked.

“Heard some wild screaming,” J-Rob added.

Granddaddy looked at me with more concern than I have ever seen in an adult.  “Hayley said she saw a man in the house.  Front door was open when I came down the stairs.”

J-Rob didn’t hesitate.  He ran to the door and opened it.  Growling like a wildman, he jumped out onto the front porch in an attack posture.  If I hadn’t been scared to tears, I would have been laughing.  He stepped back inside.  “Nothing.  I’d say he’s halfway to Peoria by now.”

“What did he look like?” Uncle Crew asked.

I shook my head, and attempted to say that I didn’t know, but all I could manage was a series of squeaks.

“We should call the police,” mom said stroking my hair trying to calm me down.

Granddaddy grimaced.  “Police have been out here enough.”

“But a man was in your house, daddy,” mom said sternly.

“I know,” granddaddy said, “And they’ll ask questions, none of which Hayley’s going to be able to answer because she didn’t get a good look at him.  It’ll rouse the neighbors and just bring us attention I’d just as soon avoid.”

“Daddy, call the police,” mom demanded.

Nana Taffy came down the stairs holding Grover’s hand.  “What happened?” she asked.

Granddaddy rubbed his grizzled face.  “A lot of excitement.  No one’s hurt…”

“A man broke into the house and daddy refuses to call the police,” mom said.

“A man?” Nana Taffy said pulling Grover in close.  “Oh my.  Why would he do that?”

“Who knows?  Probably a drunk got lost on his way home,” granddaddy said.

“A drunk?…” You could hear the outrage in mom’s voice.  “It could have been a burglar or rapist or serial killer for all we know.”

“Connie!” Nana Taffy shouted as she covered Grover’s ears.

“It was me,” Uncle Crew said.

I looked up at him astonished.

“What do you mean, it was you?” granddaddy asked.  “You were in the house?”

“No,” Uncle Crew said.  “They’re after me.”

“And me,” J-Rob added.

Granddaddy dropped his shoulders and shook his head.  “No one’s after you boys.”

“No,” I said.  “It’s true.  Someone is after them.”

“Enders,” J-Rob said.

Granddaddy started to shuffle toward the stairs to go back to bed.  “Sun will be up in a couple of hours.  We should try to get some sleep before it’s too late…”

“They broke into my room the other night,” Uncle Crew said.  He hesitated before he continued.  “Hayley saw them.”

All eyes turned to me.  “There were three of them.”  I cast my head down feeling ashamed now for not telling them sooner.

“You saw them from your room?” mom asked.

“No,” I looked to see if Uncle Crew would step in and save me, explain what I was doing, how I was able to see the three men, but he simply nodded.  “I went up to Uncle Crew’s room after he and J-Rob left the other night…”

“Why would you do that?” Granddaddy asked.

“Sh… she had her reasons,” Uncle Crew said trying to suppress a nervous facial tick.  “We’ve talked about it.”

I didn’t know if he was trying to save me or keep the subject of the camera from coming up.  “They broke into the FROG while I was there… I mean I wasn’t exactly in the room when they came exactly.  I was hiding in the tree right outside the back window.  I couldn’t see any of them.”  I considered telling them about Joyner, but quickly changed my mind when J-Rob spoke again.

“Gotta be Enders,” he said.

Granddaddy turned to him and asked in a strained voice, “What’s an Ender?”

“Assassins,” J-Rob said.  Uncle Crew squirmed.  “Of sorts,” he continued.  “They work for developers, the timber industry, oil companies, any outfit trying to get their hands on government land.”

“This isn’t the time, J-Rob,” granddaddy said.

“Tell ‘em, Crew,” J-Rob pleaded.

Uncle Crew had a look in his eyes like someone was pointing a gun at his head.  “They… they clear vulnerable protected lands from endangered and at risk wildlife.”

“You mean like Bald Eagles?” mom asked.

“No,” Uncle Crew said with slightly more confidence.  “Lower profile endangered species. Animals that don’t get a lot of attention except from a few animal rights groups.”

“And by vulnerable protected lands,” Nana Taffy said.  “You mean what?”

“I mean those government-owned, protected lands they’re considering selling to pay down the federal debt.  The Enders eliminate any evidence of endangered species from those areas and the developers make their case that there’s no reason to keep the land under protected status.”

“Why do you call them Enders?” Grover asked.

“Because,” J-Rob said, “they end entire species just to make a stinking dollar.”

“And this has to do with Bigfoot?” mom asked.

“No,” I said.  “Owls.”

She looked at me ready to ask how I knew, but I didn’t give her a chance.

“That’s what Elizabeth Starling was doing in Little Grand Canyon.  She was collecting evidence that an endangered species of owl used that area as its habitat.”

“They don’t just end animals,” J-Rob said sounding disturbed.

Mom jumped up.  “Daddy did you hear that.  The men who killed Elizabeth Starling were in this house.  You have to call the police.”

Granddaddy considered her demand.  “I’ve heard a lot of things here tonight.  Not a lot of which I put much stock in.”

Nana Taffy said sternly, “Hank Stanton you pick up that phone and call the police.  The neighbors be damned.  I promise you that if I have to do it myself, you will not soon live it down, do you hear me?”

He grumbled and marched past everyone and headed for the kitchen to make the last phone call he ever wanted to make.

After a bit of positive press in W.Va. for Sasquatch Watch of Va., Carmine heads east and just happens to get a lead on a video in an adjoining state while he is out there.  More press, more superlatives and suddenly he has found a video even better than P&G.  His “crew” is amazed by it and he now represents the owner of the video.  Just more of the monthly buzz to see if it gets better traction than the nail, the photoshopped pics or the last ground breaking video?   Time will tell but this road seems awfully familiar.

First, apologies for the lack of content update but rivers and life outside the world of bigfootery called.  We have recently returned from a bigfootery related trip that was an eye opener for the staff here, you can look forward to a few articles on who we met, what we did and what  we learned.  Some of it was downright cloak and dagger.
 
But back to the topic above, waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Readers will likely remember the early summer flap with Leigh Hart and his attendance at a conference in Ohio.  He managed to play the organizer and those in attendance as suckers, his op-ed piece upon returning to NZ lit up bigfootery and some of the attendees pretty well.  Greater bigfootery was aghast at his impudence, scathing blogs were written, nasty emails to Hart and to his publishers were written and he eventually offered an apology of sorts.
 
And throughout this whole sad saga only The Bigfootery Enquirer had the critical thinking skills and chutzpah to ask the difficult questions of how and why this happened.  Our conclusion was that Keating, the sole proprietor of the lucrative event, allowed it to happen as part of his obsession for appearing in the media, even if he ends up being played the hick.  That obsession, combined with a total lack of due diligence,  let Hart slip in and act like a legit documentarian with a free run of the event, and even a short appearance on the dias.  It took us literally minutes to turn up Hart’s background, which was almost exclusively comedic, and some of it left us laughing heartily.  A comedic great white shark from down under was let loose in Ohio and the results will certainly be some blood in the water.
 
The first hints of what the Mysterious Planet episodes may look like are coming out via Moon TV’s YouTube channel.  We are pretty sure some of the snippets are from Ohio and we hope bigfootery is ready for the other shoe to drop.  Will we ever see the whole episode for Ohio?  Not sure, but hopeful as a good laugh is sometimes hard to find.  Also note just how polished the opening sequence is, it puts Monster Quest to shame.

For those that were embarrassed in the op-ed piece, and those that will be poked at in the TV episode, be sure to thank the media whore who profited from putting you out there to be ridiculed.   On second thought, media whore is a bit strong, he is more of a media slut.  On third thought, whores do it for money, yahh, Keating is a media whore.

Looks like a tree to us.  But judge for yourself.

By Conspiracy Theorist Nicola Novakowsky

Bigfoot is a creature that comes from the hollow Earth like Reptilians and Jersey Devil creatures. Because Bigfoots come out of subterranean areas of the Earth, they are often assumed to be Reptilian aliens. This can be no further from the truth. Bigfoot creatures are not sinister creatures like the Reptilians. Bigfoot creatures are absolutely benevolent and could not harm a fly. If you’ve ever wondered why so few have actually seen Bigfoot, it’s because Bigfoots are quite shy. They are probably the most shy beings in the known universe. The main reason they do not leave behind any footprints is explained by the fact that they hover just 2 inches above the ground.

The Bigfoot Hovers Just Two Inches Above The Ground As You Cannot See In This Photo

Bigfoot is not an endangered species like the Jersey Devil. There are actually more Bigfoot organisms than Reptilians and humans combined. It’s not completely known why Bigfoot creatures have not defeated the Reptilians and stopped the Reptilians’ slow and sinister takeover of Earth. Many speculate that the Bigfoots have good faith in humans to keep control of their own power on the surface of the Earth. Some also speculate that the Bigfoots will come and help humans at a critical time when humans need help the most.

If you ever encounter a Bigfoot, do not take fright. If you take fright, the Bigfoot will assume you to be irrational and will not take the time to reveal any wisdom to you. Instead, if you see a Bigfoot, be prepared to ask important questions like, “what is the meaning of life?” The Bigfoot will be prepared to answer this and other important questions. If you come upon what appears to be a Bigfoot and it is trying to maul you, then it is obviously not a Bigfoot and is some kind of ape that escaped from the zoo. Do not get this confused with Bigfoot.

Remember to do your own research and discover your own facts!

Positive Action League shirts are now available to everyone!!

Girls, if you want one, size 8 – 12 are available at $35 each.

Cherub and Shorty, PALA girls

PALA me. I prefer to be behind the camera, unless you have champagne or gin handy.

Back

Shirts are also available in guys and Bigfoot sizes at the same price, $35.

Rob, Scotty, Cherub.. PALA FUN

www.positiveactionleague.org

Get involved!!

I shall do also….WHEN MY COMPUTER STOPS CRASHING!!

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/team_kilimanjaro

Ah, the fears of childhood… young  minds, trying to make sense of world that makes no sense… we project fantasies onto the world from the darkest parts of our minds, and some not-so-dark parts.  The same holds true for a lot adult fears as well.  I know that my active imagination invented so many reasons to fear certain things that, once I really thought about them, seemed pretty stupid.  So just for fun, here’s a list of irrational fears from my childhood.  When I started this list, a few other fears came to mind… I thought about clowns, jello with fruit suspended in it, those things where you have to put all the pieces in before the time runs out or it pops up and sends them flying everywhere… but those fears seem pretty rational to me.  These are just a few things that probably shouldn’t have scared me, but did.  So without further ado, and in no particular order… here are my Top 9 Irrational Childhood Fears… why top 9?  Because I like to be different, and if that means less work for me, so much the better!

#9  Shoes on the Side of the Road

Actually, this still freaks me out.  For some reason, and I’m not sure when it started or what might have started it, whenever I see a shoe on the side of the road, my mind says, “There’s a foot in that shoe!”  That’s the first place I go to, and I don’t know why.  I get images of the shoe with a severed foot inside.  I can’t control it, the images just flash in my head for a while, and then fade away.  I have this fear that one day, when the images have stopped, I’ll be walking along a roadside somewhere and I’ll stumble upon a shoe with a foot inside.

#8  The Scene From The Little Mermaid Where King Trident… is that right?  no that’s the gum… oh well… When King Whats-His-Face Destroys Ariel’s Treasures From the Surface.

Okay, that’s not a picture of this particular scene that I’m talking about, but I’m not going to spend a lot time googling Little Mermaid screencaps.  This scene of destruction literally made me cry… I’d have to get up and leave the room until it was over.  He was just mean.  It was loud and angry and it just plain scared the hell out of me.  I mean look how much bigger he is!  That’s your kid man, how you gonna do something like that?  What a poop-head.  (That’s what my little kid mind thought, my grown-up mind would probably have said shit-head.)

#7   Doors at the End of Hallways

I don’t know where this fear came from.  It didn’t even have to be a creepy-looking hallway, any hallway with a door on the end would do the trick.  I grew up Catholic, and for some reason my image of hell always consisted of a fiery abyss that was locked away behind a door at the end of a long hallway.  The longer the hallway, the scarier it was, and of course that fear carried over into the room itself.  A room at the end of a hallway was a very unsettling place for me.

#6   Harry and the Hendersons

Long story short, it made me afraid of Bigfoot… specifically, I was afraid that Bigfoot would emerge from his hiding spot at night and peek in my window.  Why that very specific fear?  I have no idea, but I’m still in the habit of pulling the blinds shut the opposite way… ya know because Bigfoot was really tall so if I shut the blinds the opposite way it would block his line of sight.  Always the little thinker…

#5   Air Conditioner Vents

I guess I was just a really paranoid kid.  In my mind, I’d always imagine someone or something watching me through the vents.  I swear I even saw eyes a couple of times.  Despite my very active imagination, I eventually got over it.

(and ya know what’s fucked up?  I photoshopped that picture with eyes I got off a movie poster for Harry and the Hendersons)

#4   The Lollipop Guild

Let me sum up this fear with a simple equation:

Now I want to be clear that I wasn’t afraid of little people in general.  I was, however, wary of the ones who huffed helium and danced like possessed Kewpie dolls.  I think one of the creepiest things about the Lollipop Guild was the fact that they looked like adults dressed up as kids.  Ya know, on a similar note, the Oompa Loompas also scared the ever-living shit out of me.  I’m starting to think this was a pretty rational fear after all.

#3   Teen Wolf

Michael J. Fox dressed up as a werewolf is just creepy.  I happened to walk into my aunt’s house one day when they were watching the movie.  It was the scene where he was flipping around the gym, remember that craziness?  That shit made no earthly sense to me, and for some reason, I was really afraid of werewolves after that.  I mean, look at that picture and tell me that doesn’t freak you out.  Maybe in my head it got all lumped in with fairy tales about the big bad wolf… I don’t know.  Either way, my parents couldn’t actually convince me that werewolves didn’t really exist, so instead, my mom told me that she had lived in that town all her life and she’d never ever ever EVER seen one… and that’s the origin of one of my signature childhood phrases… those oh-so-cute lines that make them tell this story again and again, “Dere’s no big bad wolfas in ‘dis town.”  Yes, unfortunately I did have a hint of a Cajun accent when I was little.  I did spend the crucial years of my language development in Gueydan after all.  I honestly don’t know where I got that extra “a” sound at the end, but that’s what it was… “wolfas”.

#2   Secret Bear

Like most 80s children, I was a big fan of the Care Bears.  I had a few of the stuffed bears to cuddle and love, but one in particular stands out in my mind:  the talking “Secret Bear”.  You would pull a string coming out of his rear-end and he would utter several enigmatic, vaguely creepy phrases in a voice like an asthmatic pedophile.  He would quietly tell you, “You’re my secret friend”  or that “you can tell me anything”… which you could do with confidence since he followed that phrase with an even creepier “I promise I won’t tell.”  I fell for it too.  I can’t believe I told him all that stuff… Granted, this toy is probably a lot more scary in retrospect than it was at the time.

and my #1 Irrational Childhood Fear

Pirate Teddy Ruxpin

Now, initially Teddy Ruxpin wasn’t scary… pirate Teddy kind of freaked me out though.   One day… I guess I must’ve been about four years old, I was sitting in my parent’s bedroom playing with Teddy Ruxpin.  Being an extraordinarily bright child, I was curious as to the inner workings of the toy.  I wondered what made his eyes open and close, his mouth move, etc.  In my quest to satisfy my curiosity, I inadvertently broke Teddy Ruxpin.  In short, I poked his eye out… literally, the plastic eyeball popped out in my hand.  It was actually pretty traumatic for me.  My attempts to put it back in didn’t really work out so well and my parents, of course, discovered what I had done.  My mom put poor Teddy away for a while, out of reach but unfortunately not out of sight.  He sat on the top shelf in my closet for a while, his empty eye socket staring down at me, a constant reminder of the damage I had inflicted upon the poor, innocent tape-deck teddy bear.  Well we eventually missed Teddy Ruxpin, so my mom came up with a solution.  She put an eye patch on the bear, and for years after that, we had a pirate Teddy… and while that sounds rather intriguing as some kind of buccaneer-themed lingerie, I assure you it’s a different thing entirely when you’re talking about a one-eyed talking teddy bear.  (He really looked like that too, sans the hat of course)

So there it is… an extra special glimpse into my life.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this neurotic little stroll down memory lane with me.

Done!  Sorry for the lateness, yesterday was busy!  But since that included finally getting my hands on a copy of Wilco: The Album, I think I’ll forgive myself.

Wilco will love you, baby.

Big thanks to our bro Jason Cutinella for including our new LTD Hawaii-exclusive Swinger in the November/December issue of Innov8 Magazine.  Innov8 is the official in-flight magazine of Hawaii’s inter-island carrier, Go! Airlines.

So if you happen to find yourself on a Go! flight in the coming months, reach into the seat back pocket in front of you to check out the new issue of Innov8 (which has a sick custom designed cover by acclaimed artist Bigfoot).

By the way, did you know you can actually snowboard in Hawaii?!  Yup, it’s all about Mauna Kea volcano shreddin’ in the islands.