Some of you may have noticed that I’ve given quite a bit of ink over to Lord Rick, the self professed chosen-one and man-god of the Paranormal and Ghost Society or PGS. PGS is (according to Lord Rick) the largest paranormal investigative group in North America comprising of thousands of members nationwide. He also claims to have been in numerous TV, Radio and newspaper pieces and one or two books.
When asked about these publications and the actual number of Society members, Lord Rick declined to comment but this week he sets out on his greatest adventure yet! A spine tingling journey to the forbidding and unexplored Pine Barrens of New Jersey!
Well, I suppose they were probably explored once or twice but Lord Rick and his boon companion “Adam” are, even now winging across the open skies. Lord Rick, by dint of supra-human strength and more than normal bravery has overcome his deep seated fear of flying, Man-God Lord Rick dreams of pulling a stewardess into one of those small aircraft WCs and–
Oh darn, I’ve got this scene from Snakes on a Plane in my head and can’t get it out.
Let’s let Lord Rick, man-god and self professed chosen-one-with-a-destiny explain what’s going on, he’s SO much better at it than I!
And….So….The….Countdown Began’s…..One day until the PGS team heads on out to NJ a state full of history, lore, ghost stories. A place where George Washington himself once marched across. This trip means everything to me, my team and hopefully our fans. Although its a well investigated state it will make a nice addition to our site and were going to very much succeed.
We will be leaving early Thursday morning and just about as soon as we leave the Airport the investigating will began about an hour after will starting our investigation with a historical site then hiking up on a mountain. Our first day will be very busy I want to get the guys blood flowing and get a rhythm going on. Then the rest of the days will mainly be spent out in the pine barrens as we search for the Jersey Devil. I am an extremely good cryptozoologist I will find some evidence of the winged bastard lol believe me when I say this. We got one shot to do it right so we will make it count. We have a lot of wonderful historical sites will be visiting ghost towns, cemeteries, land marks, famous wagon trails and much more. I am very prepared I spent ALOT of money on new equipment for this trip and things for our team to survive the harsh cold conditions.
This investigation is special to us its going to set the tone of how 2007 is going to go with all the new website changes and this trip many will look at us differently were going to fulfill a destiny which is going to bring nothing but good things to our group and this organization for many years to come. The history, photos, reports etc will only be available to subscribers. So get a subscription if you can a year is a better deal to go with. Also I must say this is addressed to all my forums I am quite disappointed with the selfishness of my members. We have really not received any donations for this trip I hate the idea that people lack such spirit or have no dire need to be a part of something so big. Donations are not pay check they are a way for us to have enough to money to travel, purchase equipment, batteries, film etc etc Adam, Andrew and I spent well over a 1000 dollars on this trip out of our pockets we do this cause we appreciate the unknown and cherish the adventure but nonetheless one donation can go a long ways it might mean the difference between life and death I will not explain as to what I mean but lets put it this way if we want to purchase extra things we wont be able to thus it could hinder us more so if you are feeling the spirit and cheering us on from the side lines please take the time to donate and lend a hand.
Unfortunately, the self professed chosen-one has gotten a bad case of – Something!
In a recent MySpace posting, Rick the man-god writes;
I do not want to make anyone panic but I am leaving for New Jersey Wednesday night and I have fallen very ill. My medical is being changed and I have no doctor or a way to get the anti biotics I need. But I have an infection its in my neck, glands, and is moving down into my shoulder.
If anybody can give me some anti biotics hell even 8 to 10 of them just enough to help it before I leave for my trip Ill pay you for them or at least return a favor. I am not fending well hell I have not eaten in over 24 hours and that is very rare for me. But I need the help cause I leave for new jersey and ill be camping out in the woods on snow and be hiking 10 miles a day up in the hills i am afraid without them I may not make it back home but my trip is already paid for so duty calls.
Yawoee! Someone send this man some meds QUICK!
One helpful soul suggests;
The blue-green mold on stale bread, makes penicillin. It’s unrefined, and not very “tasty”, but it works. The juice that the mold exudes, is penicillin. I’ve also read that you could just mix the mold with water and drink it.
Hmmm.. moldy water…. have to (er) try that someday. (NOT!)
Another person on one of Ricks many Yahoo groups has this advice.
I took care of my self by going to the local feed store. Just go get some cow or horse antibiotix and give yourself a shot I am sure you can find equivalency on the net some were. I had bought a book some where that had cross referances for humans in it. Never had a Doctor bill. And very cheep and quick. Well its an option.
Yep! I’m sure THAT would work.
His august lordship, man-god Rick responds;
I did not get a hold of any anti biotics and as far as the friend who told me about making penicillin from bread I wish I had known I got empty capsuls and had some I threw away a few days ago sighs. I hope that the plane has some nice looking girls man you have no idea how much I fantasy about taking a flight attendant to the restroom and just giving it to her good haha. But right now I dont look so well so that even is out of the question. I am very miserable right now because of the gland swelling it has caused me to have nausea, dizziness, headaches, and major fatigue it gets better then comes back with a fever its constant.
Anyway, all of us at the Odd Empire wish Lord Rick, chosen-one and man-god extraordinaire the very best of luck camping out in the middle of winter.
Here’s the five day forecast;
Brrrr! I get the chills just thinking about it. I’ll be sitting in my Imperial Office-Desk with the Imperial fireplace lit, raising a mug of hot chocolate to you Man-God Rick!
Good luck, hope you find that nasty Jersey Devil!
Now get-outa here ya nut!
Lord Rick could just read The Pine Barrens, by John McPhee, and save himself the trouble. Or I could tell him all he needs to know, from memory.
1.) We’re lucky it’s there, at all, because in the 60s, when the U.S. was debating whether or not to build an SST, somebody had this crazy idea of building a jetport for the SSTs in the Barrens. ” Jetport in the Pines,” it was billed. Can you imagine a fragile ecosystem like the Barrens surviving something like that?
There’s some crossover from ufology in here – Jim McDonald, atmospheric physicist/ufo investigator, who was deeply invested in the ETH, was brought into to testify as to whether the SST would damage the ozone layer. McDonald’s answer was in the affirmative, which didn’t please the proponents of the plan in Congress, and someone (might have been a young Cuomo – can’t recall) decided to bring up McDonald’s and abiding interest in UFOs and the ETH. Hynek tried to come to his defense, but that wasn’t very successful, if I recall correctly. I don’t think it was very long after this that McDonald shot himself.
But don’t quote me on any of this, ’cause it’s all from memory.
2.) The soils are very acidic due, of course, to the pine ecosystem, which in turn has led to a situation where iron has accumulated in clay soils. Back around the time of the Revolution, they would cook these clays in charcoal fired kilns and make what was known as “bog iron” out of it, which was a really low quality cast iron – very brittle. I think the original fence around Independence Hall in Philadelphia was made of Pine Barrens bog iron. They also made cannonballs and pot-bellied stoves out of it, and I believe there are still some stoves in those parts that bear the name of one of the companies that made bog iron woodstoves. There were small towns built around the bog iron industry, most or all of which don’t even exist anymore – but there may be some old shacks to go ghost-hunting in. And some old wells to fall down and die in, never to be heard from again.
3.) It has a huge, natural aquifer underneath it, or at least it did. I can’t imagine them leaving something like that untapped in New Jersey, of all places. But, then again, they are protected lands, now, unless that status has changed. I remember stressing in the paper that they were something of a success story in the annals of the “Multiple Use Policy” under which the National Forests are now raped and pillaged.
4.) You could see the light from New York city against the sky from the Pine Barrens, 30 years ago, so I imagine the skyglow is even more pronounced, now.
5.) The people who live (or lived) in the Pine Barrens are/were called “Pineys.” Some of them made a living collecting pine cones and spray painting them gold, and then shipping them into New York city for the holidays. I got the sense from McPhee’s book that they had a bit of an “Appalachian” quality to them decades ago, but I don’t know about now. I don’t mean that in a derisive sense. I just mean your basic, backwoods folks. McPhee told a story of how he had just knocked on this one Piney’s door, and the guy had invited him in, a perfect stranger, and fried him a pork chop and served it up with bread and boiled potato, like he was a regular visitor. Guy’s kids probably have WiFi and high-rez TVs, now.
6.) The ecosystem is very unique. The highly acidic soils support various sorts of epiphytes (orchids, etc.), and there is at least one variety of carnivorous plant, the “Pitcher plant” which grows in boggy areas, there, and which only grows in one other location in the world, which I believe is in one of the Carolinas. I’m pretty sure there are rattlesnakes there, but they would be holed up for the winter.
7.) I seem to recall something about “spook stories” associated with the Pine Barrens, so that may have been what attracted Lord Rick.
There. Everything you could ever want to know about the Pine Barrens. But don’t quote me on any of it, because I wrote the paper many years ago.
Otherwise, going out into the sticks in the middle of winter with a lymphatic infection so serious that it’s spreading into the shoulder is NUTs. In fact, if it’s that bad, he should go to the E.R. – they can’t refuse him treatment, even if he has no money – there are laws against that. Of course, collection agencies could chase it him from now until he’s old and gray.
As for the folks who suggested the bread mold in water, or the horse antibiotics…let’s leave that for a post-nuclear holocaust. Can you say, “air embolism?”
Go to the E.R., Lord Rick, if you’re reading this (doubtful). And lay off the dope, knock off the sauce, eat well, sleep enough, take a course in remedial English, enroll in college, and stop trespassing on private property. I’m surprised no one has shot at you, yet. Hell, maybe they have.
I’m not sure he’d notice. Getting stoned does something to your perceptions, I think I read that once 😉
Oh, and his beneficent man-god Lord Rick might want to stop libeling people. While he’s at it, stop believing every lame woo with a chip on their shoulder. (I thought turtles had shells on their backs!.. silly me! )