37.39039°N 97.11615°W: Ghost in the Machine
The sun sets on Udall, KS- soon after, my problems started.
“And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
-Freidrich Nietzsce
The entire episode unfolded like a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie about UFOs.
I was driving home after visiting two locations in the Flint Hills where UFO/UAPs had been reported. As the sun began to set, painting the sky with the colors of twilight, my car started showing signs of electrical glitches.
While listening to in an episode of Sean Carroll’s “Mindscape” podcast, a deep dive into the complexities of string theory, I kept glanced out of the side windows, half-expecting to spot a UAP. It was then that the audio in my car began to falter, cutting in and out intermittently.
Initially, I attributed the issue to a loose USB cable connecting my phone to the car’s audio system. Frustrated, I switched to my CD player, opting for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, my go-to album for road trips. However, the audio issues persisted, with the CD player also starting to cut in and out.
What began as a minor annoyance soon escalated into a significant concern. With just fifteen minutes left to reach home, my “check engine light” flickered on. This was swiftly followed by another warning light and a message on my dashboard instructing me to “check emission system”. My annoyance had now transformed into full-blown frustration.
When I got home, I was pissed. Despite the late hour, I dialed the number of a trusted friend who has often served as a sounding board for my thoughts on UAP issues. He is a man of reason, faith and open-mindedness; someone I trust implicitly. I apologized for the nighttime call, but I wanted him to hear the raw frustration in my voice as I recounted the day’s events. I’ve shared numerous personal encounters with the Phenomena with him, but those were always past incidents.
Given the fallibility of memory, there’s always a degree of skepticism that creeps in, even when the listener trusts you. It’s natural to question whether the story has been misremembered or misinterpreted over time. That night, I wanted him to hear about my car troubles while the experience was still fresh, and the frustration was clear in my voice. I wanted him to understand that I had just visited two sites known for UAP sightings, and suddenly, my previously reliable car was plagued with a host of issues.
He listened patiently as I vented about “them” fucking with me once again. Over the course of an hour, his calm and wise words gradually walked me off the ledge. By the end of our conversation, I had regained my composure. I decided to let it go for the night and tackle the car problems the following day.
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The next day, I went out to inspect the car. I connected my phone, fired up the engine, and to my relief, everything was in perfect order. There were no audio glitches with either the phone or the CD player, and all the warning lights were gone.
This didn’t come as a surprise to me. I had a hunch that the issues were linked to the sites I had visited the previous day, and I anticipated them to resolve once I was back home. How was I so certain? It was an instinctive understanding. Having read numerous reports about car troubles associated with UFO sightings, I expected the problems to vanish now that I was away from the sites of the reports.
I went back to my usual activities, then sent a text to my buddy-
“All my car issues have magically disappeared since last night :|
Guess they heard my rant and fixed them.
God damn I hate those fuckers.”
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As Friday came, I decided to head out for more fieldwork.
Back in March, I had visited Wellington, Kansas- a town that had resonated with the “vibe”- but the photographs I shot that day were rather ordinary. Given that Expedition 37 is a blend of a photography project and an investigation, I decided to revisit the town with the aim of capturing more compelling images worthy of sharing in a blog post.
With my camera bag and field gear securely stowed in the car, I started driving to the town. However, just twenty minutes into the drive, the audio issues resurfaced. To add to my problems, the check engine light illuminated, swiftly followed by a warning to “check the emission system.”
I was pissed again. En route to investigate a town that had previously given me the “vibe”, my car was once again experiencing a variety of issues, leaving me with no choice but to abandon my mission and return home. It felt as though the Phenomena had intervened again, halting Expedition 37 in its tracks by incapacitating my car.
But perhaps, it’s too soon to admit defeat. I can’t help but wonder if the Phenomena is aware of my motorcycle.
Time will tell.
On Saturday I made it to Wellington, KS to reshoot photos of the town. Expedition 37 continues on two wheels.
