Monday, April 30, 2012

Eviliz Tour 2012 - Day 3

DAY 3

TRONA

First stop on the way to Ballarat was the former home of TJ Walleman in Trona.
(photo taken at Marc's request. lol.)


BALLARAT

Next stop, Ballarat.
This is the Ballarat General Store

This is Rocky the caretaker and Grump

We gave Liz some private time with Bobby's Power Wagon

Patty, Matt & Liz in front of the Power Wagon

Close by is a cemetery for old miners.
Seen here is Seldom Seen Slim.

Shortly after after our arrival we were met by Sgt. Paul Dostie

Sgt. Dostie and Buster

At the Ballarat cemetery Sgt Dostie demonstrated for us how Buster finds graves. 
Buster chose the two spots that had the highest composition of "Volatile Organic Compounds" (VOC's) which are produced by human bone decomposition. 


ON TO GOLER WASH

The mouth of Goler Wash

The only really difficult spot to pass is a spot called "the waterfall". It was mostly dry on this morning but it's no easy task to get even a four wheel drive over it. We had three!

We helped get some dune buggies over the waterfall by moving around some rocks, etc. They then in turn helped us get the first of our three vehicles across. Funny story: Later on in the day these folks in the buggies arrived at Barker's and listened to the stories with great interest. Long story made short, we have some enthusiastic new readers!

The Newman Cabin. Located about half way up Goler. 
It was frequently used by the Family.


BARKER RANCH

A few shots of our inspection of the main house:




THE SUSPECTED GRAVE SITES

Sgt Dostie, Buster and others have identified five possible VOC "alert sites" around Barker Ranch. They are referred to as: Buster 1, Buster 3, Buster 4 and Ness 1.

Four of them are believed to be grave sites, the other (Buster 2) is believed to be a "scent pool" since it is located just downhill from Buster 3.

Sgt Dostie with Mr. Patty at VOC site "Buster 1"

Sgt Dostie with Mr. Patty at VOC site "Buster 3"

Sgt Dostie with Mr. Patty at VOC site "Ness 1"

Sgt Dostie explains VOC site "Buster 4". It is located close to the front porch of the ranch. This one is particularly strong. It is speculated that it contains two young men killed with swords by two male family members. This may be why Robert Hendrickson said he could smell death while at the front door!

A bit of explanation is in order. Excavations on Barker's Ranch have come up "empty" by the authorities. The problem is this:

Desert flash floods are caused by rainfall having nowhere to go after being deposited. Most people think of the desert as being sandy and very absorbent; which it largely is. However, when water is deposited in desert elevation, it wants to take the path of least resistance to a low point and often that path is not soil percolation. The surface water accumulates in low volume streams that act as tributaries to larger creeks which act as tributaries to washes which funnel all of the water. This water evacuates from the higher elevation at a great volume and velocity and picks up sand, rocks, boulders, vehicles, houses, busses, helter skelter trucks, trees, brush, old wash deposits in its path; as much as the water volume can sustain. This water is ejected out of the wash and the deposits fall out of the water as the water velocity slows; depositing the heavier objects, first. Washes can be large enough to build homes in or small enough to walk across in a few footsteps. As the water continues its journey, the deposits left behind create alluvial fans. These fans shift and move with each incident of water evacuation and the subsequent debris left behind.

The point is, that the 3- 3 1/2 feet that was excavated only reached down to where the topsoil was in 1969! Charlie learned early on in prison that cops will only dig 6 feet. He has admitted in recorded telephone conversations that the Family buried these people at least 8 feet to avoid detection by police digs. With the alluvial deposits described above, law enforcement would have needed to dig 11 feet to find these remains. They stopped at less than 4 feet!

The "Helter Skelter Truck" located in a gully behind Barker Ranch.
It is also a Dodge Power Wagon.

The group with the Helter Skelter Truck

Curiously, somebody moved the Helter Skelter Truck. It used to be in a mostly buried state here, where you see the tire.  Someone (fairly recently) dragged it down to where you see it farther down the hill.


MYERS RANCH

Myers ranch is is nicely maintained. The pool looks usable and irrigation hoses feed young trees and shrubs around the house that will eventually become great shade.

The main house

The Myers Ranch pool

The Myers Ranch pool and a side building






30 comments:

sunset77 said...

Wow!! Did you post lookouts? Did you dance naked in the moonlight? Did you do one of Clem's fire rituals? Did you burn any earth moving machines?

It looks to me that the command center could be made operational again if blackie starts the battle of helter skelter back up.

You could have attack dune buggies, ammunition dune buggies, dope dune buggies (I'm drivin' one of those). .

I just couldn't resist, sorry.

Great pics, thanx.

hippichick40 said...

I'm sure these sites have long since been picked clean of relics, but I am compelled to ask... Find any relics?

orwhut said...

Day three was very interesting. Thanks to all of you.

orwhut said...

Had you arranged to meet Sgt. Dostie, did he stop you because he thought you were up to no good, or whut?

Patty is Dead said...

Hey, whut! Buster could smell us coming all the way from Mammoth Lakes!

Anonymous said...

The Barker Ranch pics were heart breaking. It looks like its all gone.

Matt said...

orwhut - The meet-up with Sgt Dostie was planned.

Hippichick - No relics.

Anonymous said...

I hope someone lit a dube out there...

If you brought me- I would have,,,

It must have been so surreal to see these places up close in person...

Especially Bobby's Truck...

how fun to do this stuff in a group...

starship said...

Wow, very impressive. Yes, what's the deal with Paul Dostie? He justs hangs around over there or what?

Matt said...

Paul drove over 4 hours each way to meet us. We are very grateful. Furthermore, we are all convinced that further excavation should (and must) be done.

louis365 said...

Good to see fresh pics of these places Eviliz and company. Thanks for putting them up!

Anonymous said...

So give Liz and Patty a shovel...

:)

Anonymous said...

and get Liz out of that truck... no she can't sleep in there lol

leary7 said...

Any photos of the Evil One without shades? I want to see if the curvacious beauty really has red spinning eyes.
and don't tell Mr. Patty I said so (he is big) but his wife is as damn cute as she is personable.
Matt's just plain tall.
Fabulous photos, muchos gracias.

Patty is Dead said...

Leary, you are so sweet. Patty was s bit nervous about showing her bodaciousness to the world, but as we said repeatedly on our trip, "It is what it is."

To second what Matt said, Patty also believes there are more bodies up there. Why Inyo County stopped the dig last time at only 3-4 feet deep is beyond her level of understanding.

ST: Patty and Liz gladly would have started shoveling away but alas, its illegal to do so in a National Park without a permit. Patty may be chunky, but she's strong as a freaking ox! Let her at it!

Anonymous said...

lol :)

orwhut said...

Charlie made so much of Devil's Hole, it's curious that I've never heard mention that he even knew about Devil's Race Track.

Anonymous said...

leary7 said...

Any photos of the Evil One without shades?

Yes! See day 1!

rfoster1 said...

How in the world did the Family get their bus through the Goler Wash if you need 4-wheel drive?

Anonymous said...

rfoster1 said...
How in the world did the Family get their bus through the Goler Wash if you need 4-wheel drive?

They brought it up from the Mengal Pass side. It was much more drive-able back then, but real hard now.

martine said...

I'm new to this blog and to the Colonel's...but man, I want to hang with you all...xo

Matt said...

Welcome, Maria! Glad to have you. We are in LA now. Follow along!

toocrowdedinthishouse said...

I noticed that somewhere in the sequence of photos between Bobby's Power Wagon in Ballarat and the Helter Skelter truck in the gully near the Barker Ranch, Mrs. Patty seems to have lost her pants! LOL! Looks like a great trip. So sorry the Barker burned prior to your trip. I heard it was once very cool, with its hand-hewn beams and the old fireplace and stove still there. There was some noise about rebuilding---anybody heard anything?

Patty is Dead said...

Patty emerged from the bushes at Barker's to inform Sgt. Dostie that she'd been held up and had her pants stolen.

No really it was just freaking hot so she put bike shorts on under her traditional red muumuu.

beauders said...

does anyone know if the rocky in death valley is rocky todd, member of the fountain of the world and manson family friend? i know he was arrested with grogan for having a sawed off shotgun in death valley and he was with the family at barker, so he was familiar with the area.

Patty is Dead said...

Beauders, Rocky is the son of George Novak, ex caretaker or Ballarat who died last spring. Rocky and George lived in the trailer that was left in Ballarat by Arelene Barker; now it's just Rocky. Patty does not think he was ever connected with The Family, though he likely met them many times. She could be wrong...

beauders said...

thanks panamint patty

A.C. Fisher Aldag said...

I'm guessing that stoned-out lazy hippies didn't bury any bodies, in hardpan, in August, eight feet down. Or at all.

I'm betting Buster is sounding on Native American graves or the bodies of miscarried babies, which prolly were completely decayed forty years later.

A.C. Fisher Aldag said...

Said Patty: "Buster could smell us coming all the way from Mammoth Lakes!"

You realize that comment is just CRYING for a nasty joke, right?

fiona1933 said...

awesome pics. btw, what recorded phone conversation with Manson, saying he buried bodies 8 feet down? I haven't heard of this, got a previous link I've missed?