Part 2: Paranormal Experiences
Two years ago when I attended my first paranormal conference at the Stanley, I awakened the socialite that I am. I met some new people and grew my Twitter following list 10 fold. At the time, Fact or Faked was still on the air so I was giddy with fan star-gazing from meeting Ben and Bill in addition to the Ghost Hunters members there. My focus was on meeting celebrities and other fans and the paranormal experiences I knew I was bound to have.
Since then, I feel truly a part of community. Who knew that I could create a sense of family through social media and look more forward to seeing friends again than encountering ghosts...where it all started.
When I arrived, I met up with my friend, Janet and her friend, Amanda. I met Janet through Twitter and FoF chat rooms and we met in person last year when she came out for a Beyond Reality conference and I just crashed for a bit to chat. I am really happy to meet Amanda and now call her a friend!
Janet, me, and Amanda in Rocky Mountain National Park
I then met Mike Couch, who organized this event for his charity, Lost Limbs Foundation. Mike and I have conversed for the last year in planning this event and I've helped where I could. I also helped him put on his event at the Fairplay Hotel in southern CO last year but regrettably couldn't attend. We finally met in person, gathered up Ben Hansen, and we all went out for lunch at Mama Rose's restaurant in beautiful downtown, Estes Park.
At the restaurant, we met up with Rose and Connie who are a part of my meetup group, Colorado Ghost Hunters. Rose and I have been chatting for a long time as well but this was the first we had met. This trip was starting to be full of new friends and it had just started!
The gang at Mama Rose's.
Mike, Ben, and I
Mike needed to head back to the hotel but Janet, Amanda, Ben, and I decided to take advantage of the free access to Rocky Mountain National Park, a generous offer in celebration of Veteran's Day. Before even entering the park, we stopped to witness a bull elk scraping his antlers along a river.
After our mini tour, it was time for the lectures, which didn't start on time but that was ok because it left more social time!
I had become Twitter and Words With Friends buddies with Rosalyn but hadn't met her yet. She is so wonderful!
I didn't realize that Karl was going to be there, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Paul of Ghost Hunters International was not shy and took some great pictures with us!
After the evening was done (after lectures and investigation), a small group of us attempted to continue socializing at the bar. Strangely, the bar closed early. We ended up chatting in the hallway, forming a few different groups, sharing stories and asking questions of the celebrities that joined us. We finally convinced Mike to just continue in room 401 since it wasn't being used and to avoid keeping any guests up by hanging out in the hallway.
The rest of the night ended up being mostly Ben telling us some of his crazy stories from childhood and behind-the-scenes events we didn't get to see from the show. I wish I could share some of what we heard but not sure that I really can! To summarize: UFO encounters, levitation, weird stuff happens at Area 51, unexplained occurrences, and Austin sleep walks/talks.
Before leaving for home, I got in one last hug from Mike, Ben, and Rosalyn. After telling Ben about sleeping in 401, he indirectly dared me to sleep in the tunnels next time...as I told him, "challenge accepted!"
It was a great weekend overall. I am so glad I was able to go and I can't wait until next year! Keep checking the Lost Limbs Foundation website or Facebook page for details when they are finalized but block your calendar now for November 14-15, 2014! If you book your room at the Stanley before the end of this year, Mike will be providing discounted event tickets.
Part 1: Lectures
Part 2: Paranormal Experiences
No comments:
Post a Comment