Willow Creek BIGFOOT DAYS, 2009 REPORT. Call for Speakers NEXT Year (?)

The 49th annual BIGFOOT DAYS celebration in Willow Creek went off swimingly as the small town community event that it is. This year's theme was "Stompin' the Trinity with Bigfoot."

(Click images to enlarge.)

A veterans' color guard led the way as usual, followed by the Willow Creek Volunteer Fire Department's and Forest Service's trucks, Smokey the Bear, a kids' Ju Jitsu clan, belly dancers, fancy souped-up classic cars driven by grownups and mini cars piloted by kids, some floats of varied themes, the Little Miss and Mister Bigfoot winners; and yes, Bigfoot did make a few appearances in the parade. There was even an appearance of the Sasquatch costume of infamous Georgia Gorilla note, this one fully animated, not frozen in ice with guts tossed on top. Some cute Bigfoot suits and masks were presented on floats, a wild guy in a gorilla suit ran through some antics, and even the Ray's Market folks were shown providing "groceries" for a Bigfoot's Breakfast, complete with giant boxes of cereal and milk.

Down in Veterans Park the usual festivies ensued. There were plenty of Indian Tacos, buffalo burgers and sno' cones, plus the usual knick-knack and craft sellers, even a foot reflexologist. Not much Bigfoot presence appeared this year, however, but there were some enterprising youths selling their new Bigfoot Maps in a nice new adaptation and revision from the older one you may have seen around. Also, the "Messin' with Sasquatch" character appeared to promote Jack Links. Here anyone could appear to be abducted by Bigfoot, as did yours truly. A couple of tables had new Bigfoot merchandise items, a Bigfoot Poster and some "I Love Bigfoot" hats, as well as another with t-shirts reading "You know what they say about men with Big Feet." Missing this year was old "Mr. Bigfoot," Al Hodgson. We are hoping all is well with him and his family. Also missing was a presence from the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum, home of The Bigfoot Collection... what's up with that?

We here at Bigfoot Books had put in some effort to rally the troops for a Bigfoot speakers presence this year, but apparently the planners had too much on their hands to make provisions. The festival is in a kind of transition between the retiring old guard and a new, younger group of organizers. They all have families and jobs, so heck, I guess Bigfoot isn't too angry they didn't get back to us. Maybe NEXT year we will have to try for a mini-conference in the VFW Hall? If any of you are interested in attending or speaking at such an event do let us know ASAP so that we may put in the necessary lobbying and planning to make it happen. But darn, this year we could have had Loren Coleman, Dave Paulides and Sean Fries, not to mention HSU biologist (yes, he is a believer) Richard Stepp! Heck, yes, let's do it next year, EH?

It will be the grand 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the fest, so let's put it on! This thing is almost as old as the Jerry Crew footprint casts, by gum, dag nabbit.

All photos copyright Steven Streufert, 2009. You may use them for non-commercial purposes if you give credit and hopefully email me to let me know where they will appear. All links to this blog are greatly appreciated.

COMING SOON: From Bald Hills to the Redwoods and the Sea, another squatching research expedition.

Bigfoot Miscellany 1: Simpsons Sasquatch, Trinity County Statuary, Gimlin Art

Bigfoot on the Simpsons!

In the Simpsons TV show's first season Homer and Bart go feral, dressing in leaves and roaming the forest. Then Homer decides to eat honey... from the hive. Needless to say, he becomes a Bigfoot after rolling in some mud to escape the bees' attack, and enters the annals of tabloid journalism history. Actually, this episode displays well the way hype and hyperbole, rather than reason, dominate the coverage of the Sasquatch topic.

Not quite the Patterson-Gimlin Film!











Poor Homer. Now he knows how Bigfoot feels!

It appears as "raw video" on the news. Blatant tabloid exploitation!!
Watch it HERE online... OOOPS! UPDATE: They've removed that video from the site. Try this one instead, "I MARRIED BIGFOOT"

And now some images gathered on the way back from the Yakima Bigfoot Round-Up....

TRINITY COUNTY, DEL LOMA: Bigfoot is known to roam in Trinity, just east of Willow Creek on Highway 299. Keep your eyes out for the creature along the roadside. A fishing Bigfoot and a bigfoot sign are found at a campground and RV park there.

BIGFOOT RAFTING puts in rafts there, too. It is a good starting point for a trip downstream that includes "Hell Hole," a wicked rapid.

Coming on in to Willow Creek one may visit the fairly recently opened BIGFOOT CONTRACTOR'S SUPPLY. They have a few BF curios in there.

BONUS FEATURE:

Here is some interesting rope artwork that old-time cowboy BOB GIMLIN made; here a piece given out as a doorprize at the Yakima event. Very cool! A sort of cowboy lariat Native American dream-catcher, with bandana, boot and... inverse pentagram!

All for now. The next Bigfoot Miscellany will cover more BIGFOOT HUMOR, plus images from the Squatchy little Siskiyou town of HAPPY CAMP.

Squatching Expedition Led by Seven-Year-Old on Bluff Creek Road, Blue Lake, Onion Mountain

This last weekend, seven-year-old Denali Brown led a squatching expedition up off Bluff Creek Road, near Fish Lake. Her dad tagged along for the adventure. Many recent reports of Sasquatch activity in this area have been lodged here at Bigfoot Books (see our previous post).

Just a little ways past the Fish Lake turnoff on Forest Road 13 (13N01) one will see a small turnout with a wooden fence. This is BLUE LAKE, a pretty little body of water partially covered in lily pads, and surrounded by some very squatchy, dense forest. Here the pinacle tree species is the Port Orford Cedar, which has a fine redwood-like bark and fronds, and here towers above the visitor in an old-growth state.

Unfortunately, many of the trees here are blighted with a fungal disease that causes root rot and die-off. Many of these trees towering above are dead, others have fallen down into the hillsides and the lake itself. The understory is mostly tan oaks and smaller shrubs. It is a peaceful, dramatic spot that would provide ample interest, food and habitat for a Bigfoot.

There is a trail that leads around the lake to the west from the gate, under a mile all told, that reveals many different subtle aspects of this type of mountain lake environment. Watch out for the trail at the end of the loop, as it peters off into a cool boggy marsh full of reeds and rhododendrons. The trail sticks to the right a bit
to head around this, then back to the road. Denali demonstrated Bigfoot Hunting techniques along the way. See below....

To get to Blue Lake turn west from Highway 96 onto Bluff Creek/Fish Lake Road. Continue on just about seven miles up (go past the turnoff to Fish Lake) and it's on your left.

(Image, looking up the Bluff Creek valley with Onion Mountain to the leftward west, toward Louse Camp.)

If you continue on this road you will enter some classic Squatch territory, Onion Mountain and Blue Creek Mountain, where footprints were found back in the sixties, predating the Patterson-Gimlin film. Stopping along the way about six miles from the lake, just above Big Foot Creek, we caught a fine glimpse of the Bluff Creek drainage to the north. One can see out to Louse Camp area, and then the bend in the creek to the east where the film was shot.

SQUATCHING TECHNIQUES (Use at Your Own Risk):

Get out and EXPLORE the environs. Though many sightings are along roads, that is just because that is where people most often are. Where Sasquatch most often is is in the deep, thick woods.

RECONNOITER. Use technological enhancements, binoculars by day, night vision or thermal imagers by night. That brown thing beside a tree on the hill could be a Sasquatch trying to blend in. Come prepared! Bring a camera, too.
CALL BLASTING. Use your best Bigfoot howl or scream, or a recording such as the Sierra Sounds, to draw Bigfoot's attention and attract them. This is how the creatures communicate with each other over distances, that or...
...WOOD KNOCKING. This is another way to make sounds carry over large spaces. It is said that Bigfoot creatures let each other know they're there, or send warnings, by banging on wood. No other animal could hold a stick to do this, save for a human--you need hands. But don't let the woodpeckers fool you.
Check for FOOD SOURCES. If there are edible things (like these berries) around you can probably assume a Sasquatch will be there. This is one way to know if you are in the right spot or not to find them.

Check around for FOOT PRINTS. Any ordinary depression, like this one made in boggy mud, could have been made by Bigfoot. Look closely. Do you see any foot-like features? Or maybe it was made by a bear, or another cool animal. Bring plaster or other material to make a cast of the prints you may find.
THINK LIKE A SASQUATCH. Dwell in the environ-ment, try to see how a Bigfoot would live. Could it hide in here?
LISTEN AND LOOK, and WATCH OUT. Here, "Dada! What was that! I heard something over there! ... I'm scared. Let's go home!!!


When you're done head back down to the Bluff Creek Company and Resort, at the bottom of the hill, then head just a mile or so north to the bridge where Bluff Creek flows into the Klamath River. Here you'll find a fine place to take a dip. The place is simply crawling with little baby toads, though, so WATCH OUT!

If you're so inclined, you can explore the higher peaks to the west and north by simply continuing on up the dirt-and-gravel Bluff Creek Road. Eventually the road leads down to the creek at Louse Camp, where famously the Pacific Northwest Expedition set up their base. Watch out for rock slides, however. The road up to the P-G Film Site is blocked just up from Louse, so you'll have to take another way out. Sightings have recently been reported in the area of this camp, too.