I just returned from a stormy midnight run to the
Paso Robles Inn. My nocturnal visit was precipitated by my ongoing research project for a profile essay I am writing about the place for my English composition class at
Cuesta College. A couple of days ago I decided I would visit tonight while a predicted powerful Pacific storm rolled into the region overnight. It was dead still as I plied the deserted streets of Paso Robles near midnight en route to my destination. Upon reaching the Paso Robles Inn I was immediately struck by the presence the place gave me. As I began to capture these images I was cordially challenged by the night watchmen who carefully and conscientiously monitored my movements during the brief time I was allowed onto the property. My passage home along Spring Street took place awash in an atmosphere alive with the sound of wind and the scuffling of leaves and an occasional piece of litter traveling down the street the same direction as I northbound. The signal light at the intersection of 13th and Main Streets was doing something weird by turning yellow along the north-south axis every other minute or so and then immediately blinking back to green without the east-west axis receiving a green light for any duration of time and without there being any cars waiting at the light to disrupt the north-south bias. As I approached my cross street a sheriff patrol car pulled out of it and southbound onto Spring Street slowing momentarily to check me out carefully. To this I responded with a friendly but fearless stare-back and knowing nod of my head. Two blocks later I was safely home and am still downloading, both physically and metaphorically what I just experienced.
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| Version #1 of the Paso Robles Inn main building. |
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| Version #2 of the Paso Robles Inn main building. |
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| There was an electric feeling in the air here tonight... I don't know if it was the storm or not. |
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| The oldest building in the Paso Robles Inn complex... and perhaps the most haunted location in Paso Robles. |
Be sure to check out
History Haunts The Paso Robles Inn and
Paso Robles Inn Photo Study I and
Picture of the Day - Paso Robles Inn Haunts and
Picture of the Day - Paso Robles Inn Coffee Shop.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)
Are you going to interview the owners/caretakers for your profile? I'm sure they'd have some really good anecdotes. I just love haunted places. The scarier-the better. If you could ever come to the south, a visit to the plantations of Louisiana is in order. They're all haunted, but there's one that is guaranteed to scare spit out of your mouth.
ReplyDeleteWhat tops off all those local stories for a profile/history of a place is experiencing the paranormal. And the best kind of experience is an intelligent haunt, s opposed to a residual haunt. The former is all about current awareness, while the second is just a series of repetitions/habits carried out by leftover impressions made by these spirits.
I'm not yet convinced that these are actual ghosts, as I live by this phrase: remember always that the devil is a liar. The fact that demons can imitate the once living is a constant in my mind. And, too, I have witnessed actual poltergeist activity. Forget the movies... it's much more subtle than that.
And too, I make sure that what I do is not necromancy, which is an outright sin. I've been doing this sort of thing since high school, and although every once in a while, I am slightly afraid, I'm more curious than anything. I've seen some really bizarre stuff.
Anyway, looking forward to reading your paper. Do send it to me. I'll be duly fascinated-promise. :-)
Lin, sorry for the delay in responding to your excellent comments. If I make it your way one of these days please take me on a tour of such things... no such things as ghosts but you pegged it with the mention of fallen angels... they've been kicked out of Heaven so where else are they to go and they no longer can serve God continually so what else are they going to do? They hate us with a vengeance so why shouldn't they want to scare us given they are mostly restrained in this age from directly harming us... with some exceptions.
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