[Wookie McFly]

Hey all, first time I have started a thread.

So here's the story.

When I was about 15 (I'm 22 now), my family and I were looking at houses on Vinalhaven, ME. My Dad has a tendency to 'go exploring' as he likes to call it and drive down random roads wherever we are. As usual, he turned down one road on the island and as we were driving, we came across this young man walking a horse (he was walking on the ground and just leading the horse). He was wearing odd clothes, but no one really payed him any attention at the time. The topography of the road was strange in the fact that the embankments were about 10-15 feet tall on both sides the whole way down the road. And it was about 6 miles long. We encountered the man about halfway down the road.

So we kept driving down the road and eventually had to turn around (whole process took about 4-6 minutes, 8-12 minutes to get back to the same spot).

We were expecting to see the man again on the second passby.

He wasn't there.

So, being the skeptic that I am, I figured he had just hopped on the horse and rode him the rest of the way. But then I was thinking, horses at a normal walk or even a trot aren't going to make it 3 or 4 miles in 8-12 minutes (the time it took to get back to the same spot). And since the embankments were so high, he couldn't have gone off to the side. Or, my memory of the precise time was inaccurate.

So, my Dad being a complete disbeliever asked the real estate agent when we met up with him about 2 hours later how many horses were on the island. The REA said unequivocally that there were no horses on the island.

We ended up buying a house on the Island, and I have since spent a great deal of time there. One summer I searched for the road (when I was 20) and couldn't find it again. Vinalhaven isn't that big of an island and has a finite number of roads. I went over every single one.

Haven't found the road to this day.

SO, let me know what you all think. I'm more than happy to have this debunked and/or any good suggestions to what may have happened.

Thanks all.

[Never_Hit_Nirvana]

Heya,
I have read on some ghosts/paranormal sites about how the Southern U.S. is more resposive to that kind of activity, but, as someone who lived in Maine for 16 years I can resoundingly say "Unh-uh" to that. As for what you saw, I would think, since you couldn't find the road again, that "ghost" might not be the best definition for what you saw. Perhaps something more along the line of a timeslip, where you and your Dad were the visitors, not the young man with the horse.

[najaesouljah]

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Heya,
I have read on some ghosts/paranormal sites about how the Southern U.S. is more resposive to that kind of activity, but, as someone who lived in Maine for 16 years I can resoundingly say "Unh-uh" to that. As for what you saw, I would think, since you couldn't find the road again, that "ghost" might not be the best definition for what you saw. Perhaps something more along the line of a timeslip, where you and your Dad were the visitors, not the young man with the horse.

thats an interesting point of veiw

[ci8db4uok]

My first thought would be that the Real Estate Agent probably wasn't as intimately familair with the island as the locals would be. Did you ask any of the other residents if they'd had similar experiences?
Also, though you might have already done it, have you searched for maps of the island? An older road map, perhaps one pre-dating your visit to the island, might have that specific road listed, and a topographical marks elevation, so you might be able to find it using the embankment as a guide.
Other than that, I don't have much else to offer. The road you traveled down could have been a seasonal road. park road, or any number of other rural road that was closed, either through disuse, or any number of reasons, in the duration between when you went to see the house, and when you finally aquired property.
Last note: I think the horse could have traveled the three miles to the opposite end of the road in less time than it took for you to find the other end, and turn around, then get back to the middle of the road. Horses can gallop up to thirty miles an hour, some times up to forty, and a three mile clip could be accomplised at full gallop. If you were traveling at roughly the same speed, and had to turn around at the end of the road, the rider would have ample time not only to return to where you turned on to the road, but to pick a new direction to strike off in.

This post has been edited by ci8db4uok: 05 May 2006 - 06:10 PM

[Robert1]

Interesting story. I wish I could help explain what you experienced but I have
never heard of such a phenomenon occuring before. I mean how can you travel
down a road that doesn't exist anymore and see the apparition you saw?
As to the timeslip theory, sounds interesting if not a little farfetched and straight
out of a Sci-Fi novel. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[SupeRgirl]

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I would think, since you couldn't find the road again, that "ghost" might not be the best definition for what you saw. Perhaps something more along the line of a timeslip

First thing that came to my mind was a time slip...

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I think the horse could have traveled the three miles to the opposite end of the road in less time than it took for you to find the other end, and turn around, then get back to the middle of the road. Horses can gallop up to thirty miles an hour, some times up to forty, and a three mile clip could be accomplised at full gallop. If

No way could you get a horse up a 10 -15 foot embankment. Have had horses all my life and I know that is impossible. If the man was leading the horse there was a good reason for that, either it was lame or it wasn't saddled up. Impossible to gallop full pelt along a road on such a surface.

Marty, can you remember if the horse was saddled up or not? Any description of its 'equipment' could help date this. Could you hear the horse walking on the ground as you passed it? Anything at all about the horse and the man leading it please... I know these may seem odd questions but will help to give a better picture.

[Wookie McFly]

Ok, I really appreciate all the responses so quickly, they are all very good questions and I'll do my best to answer them fully, if I miss a question, point it out and I'll be sure to respond.

1. The real estate agent was a local and I asked two or three other people over the next few years general questions about horses on the island. They said no, there were no horses on the island to the best of their knowledge. SO, there may be somewhere, but no one I talked to knew of any. Inconclusive I know, but the best I could manage.

2. When I was searching for the road again, I did look at a number of maps, both old and new. Part of my parents 'thing' is actually collecting maps of the various places they reside throughout the history of the local. They have about 10 maps of the Island, covering about 200 years. One map from the 1830s shows one road in the general area we were (Forgive me, its been close to 8 years). This road doesn't show up on the following or previous maps.

3. The horse was not saddled, but he did have a bridle (rope, knotted in a way such as to secure the head to be led). Please correct me if I am misusing terms. We had the windows open in the car and while I did hear the horse walking, it didn't have the distinct metallic 'clop-clop' that one expects. As a result, I figure it was not shod.

4. The man himself had on what *could* have been riding pants, but also could have been 'knickers' (the best way I can describe it, an antiquated word which I use with semi-distain for some reason..). I say *could* because I can't remember whether or not the pants had those built in chap things, you know the brown on the inner thigh. White shirt, open at the neck. His hair was shaggy, so no help there in time stamping.

5. As far as asking other residents, no, I haven't asked them if they have experienced something similar. It's a very small island and everyone knows everyone. Not the best place to be label a nut job or drug user.

So, in addition to this, the town does have some other (almost surely ficticious from the sound of them) stories. Here are the ones found on the first wwwsite I got from Google.

Spooky Ghost Tales from Vinalhaven, Maine
You would think that there's nothing strange about Vinalhaven, Maine but there are ghosts in this town and they come out in the dark hours. Objects move around, sounds out of nowhere… Skeptics don't believe in the local ghost tales but there truly are spooky things going on here in Vinalhaven during the dark hours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These are some of the spooky things that have happened here recently.

The ghost of an old lady carrying a rifle appeared smoking a pipe under a streetlight in Vinalhaven. The eye witness was frightened and ran away.

The ghost of a civil war soldier was spotted sitting in a chair in a house in Vinalhaven.

The ghost of a cleaning woman was observed mailing a letter at a Vinalhaven post office.

The ghost of a young air force pilot appeared by a man camping at a campground outside Vinalhaven.

A skeleton was seen picking flowers in the front yard of a house in Vinalhaven. The ghost acknowledged the presence of the witness.

(http://www.ghostsofamerica.com/0/Maine_Vinalhaven_ghost_sightings.html)

[SupeRgirl]

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3. The horse was not saddled, but he did have a bridle (rope, knotted in a way such as to secure the head to be led). Please correct me if I am misusing terms. We had the windows open in the car and while I did hear the horse walking, it didn't have the distinct metallic 'clop-clop' that one expects. As a result, I figure it was not shod.

Thankyou Marty, The horse would have been wearing a head collar or halter, and it was not shod, you are right. Therefore i stand certain of the fact this horse was not 'equpied' to be ridden, only led. This sounds therefore like a classic timeslip - now to go into this deeper i suggest that perhaps the road does exist, BUT that day you drove the road the land lay the way it did with the deep 10 - 15 foot bankments of it's time. The fact you could hear the horse on the ground at all ( not in a shod way or it would have been metalic clip clop for sure) suggest that you were in a timeslip as apparations otherwise 'in and now' time will appear cut off at the legs if the orginal surface in that time was lower than it is present. Can you remember any signifcant landmarks at all, be it trees? Trees are a excellent start they will remain however the landlevel has changed unless cut down. I'm suggesting the road you are looking for will not contain these bankments anymore...Failing that you are then talking about a full timeslip where that day you drove down that road as it was, was you experincing the eniroment back in its time.

[Wookie McFly]

OK. So, if my father and I (and the car by proxy) experienced a time slip, what does that mean exactly? I've had a similar experience in the Catskill Mountains (I was dating a girl there) where some very wierd things happened. However, the whole thing lasted much longer. I'll write the story down in another topic thread if anyone is interested.

I am not terribly familiar with timeslips (I'm far more versed in urban legends and straight hauntings...). Could you explain the concept more fully, perhaps with some corroborating stories? Many thanks-

Marty

[SupeRgirl]

Hi Marty,

I would for one love to hear your other story of the Catskill Mountains.

Back to this one, a timeslip, what is a time slip? Well some argue that it occurs psychically - ie in the mind ( NOT MENTAL ILLNESS before the that is screamed out) I have seen it happen to some one myself, who experinced a time slip back to the 2nd world war. They were fully aware of the people and such around them, fully concious, but they were also experining a different time frame within the enviroment they were in as far as physical objects and how the place looked. You can also experince a time slip by astral travel but that is a different matter from what you experinced here so no need to go into that. Some argue that it can be experinced physically as well, that is like the experince you and your dad had driving down that road that day. This simply means that conditions (whatever they may be) were right and you experinced seeing the enviroment as it once was back in time, but in real time to your conciounus. Do you ever recall if the man and horse were aware of you passing by?

[earthchick]

Marty Floyd........Your experience is very interesting! Your Dad sounds very much like my husband and I. We also enjoy taking long exploring drives around the province we live in and have a vast collection of maps from different time periods. We started doing this when our oldest child was very small (he is 27 years old now), and over the years have had some strange experiences, though nothing quite like yours. I wonder if that experience and your others may not be due to some abilities within you (and your father as well perhaps), as you are the common denonimator in them.

[Never_Hit_Nirvana]

Me again.
1) That ghosts of america site is bogus, I believe. If you read through it, it seems like they have about 50 ghostly scenarios and just attach random ones to city names.
2) But as far as one of the islands off the coast the coast of Maine being prone to weirdness, I believe it.
3) Did you see any houses on the side of the road after seeing the young on that same road? Do you remember seeing any electric lines or cars in the driveways?
4) If you want to do research, try to contact local historical societies about legends on the island. They should help you with thinking you're a junkie or crazy.

[louie]

very intresting story