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31 Days of Halloween with The Kelly Society Day 22 - Haunted Highways
31 Days of Halloween with
The Kelly Society
Day 22
Hey, everyone! It’s the Surfer Bros!
It’s actually Josh and Brian, but we came up with a name for ourselves when we post these “Haunted” segments. We’re training to compete in the Mavericks surfing competition in our hometown of Half Moon Bay, CA, so the name fits.
Today we present you with three Haunted Highways. Brian here, and highways that present specters are the most frightening to me. That’s because in a house, a restaurant, or a store, at least you can run out of the structure. But, when you’re on a highway, even in your car, it feels more exposed. You are one with the outside. The worst scare would be walking down a dark haunted road at night. That’s the stuff of nightmares! But, even in a car there are problems. What if your car stalls and won’t start? Or, what if you get a flat tire or it breaks down? There’s a lot to deal with on a haunted highway!
Josh—over to you.
Okay, I did my research and the first highway we’re submitting is the motherlode, Route 66.
Route 66 is also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America, and the Mother Road. It claims a title as one of the original highways in the U.S., and was established on November 11, 1926. The legendary road begins in Chicago, Illinois, and ends in Santa Monica, California.
You might not expect Route 66, America's "Mother Road," to be menacing. You'd be wrong. Over the years, it seemed to attract the undead, from spooky hitchhikers waving pale thumbs, to paranormal happenings in roadside hotels. It encompasses some 100 frightening spots in all, including the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, Arizona, where a phantom bell boy knocks on guests' doors at night, to the mysterious "Spook Light," an unexplained orb that appears in the dark sky over Quapaw, Oklahoma, to a theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico, plagued by a mischievous little boy who died there in a 1951 boiler explosion.
A few stops along or near Route 66
Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Mo.
This 4.6 mile cavern system near Stanton, Missouri was one of the primary tourist attractions along Route 66 and is the most visited cave in Missouri. It's also famous for being the hideout of choice for the outlaw Jesse James. Visitors have reported seeing a mysterious man dressed in black who is believed to be the spirit of the notorious bank robber.
Route 666 outside Gallup, N.M.
While not technically part of Route 66, the devilishly named Route 666 is in close proximity to the historic road. The supposedly satanic stretch of highway runs from Utah to New Mexico, where it meets the mother road outside Gallup. It should come as no surprise that Route 666 is the site of some truly creepy unexplained phenomena. Drivers have reported being chased by a pack of vicious, rabid dogs running at high speed. There have also been several stories of a mysterious black sedan speeding down the highway. When the vehicle seems to rapidly speed toward them, drivers pull over to avoid getting hit. Seconds later, the phantom car seems to disappear without a trace. Route 666 was renamed U.S. 491 in 2003, but the creepiness still endures.
Route 66 is so haunted and popular, there are even books written about its specters. Here are two to choose from:
Now for some more spooky stuff we got from travelchannel.com:
A Haunted Intersection in Texas
The bus stalled as it crossed the railroad tracks, or so the story goes. The driver, ferrying kids home from school sometime in the 1940s, was near the intersection of Villamain and Shane Roads, south of San Antonio, Texas, when the train whistle screamed. Everyone tried to get out, but not everyone did, and the bus was hit. Some folks say several students were killed. Actually, there's no evidence that an accident happened at all, but even today, drivers who leave their cars parked near the site sometimes return to find them covered with small ghostly handprints.
The Haunted Bridge
Apparently, bridges don't just allow drivers to cross over rivers and streams. They also let ghosts cross over from the realm of the dead into the land of the living. According to a New Jersey tale, a dead boy lurks under a bridge on Clinton Road in West Milford. Throw a coin into the water and he'll toss it back, or at least return it to the bridge. He may leave it on the ground by midnight.
The haunted bridge is near—you might have guessed—Dead Man's Curve.
This installment of our “Haunted” series is dope! Well, we think so. We hope you did too. We’re off to surf now.
Have a cool and exciting Halloween!
Josh and Brian for
The Kelly Society
