Bigfoot Miscellany 2: New Lost World Species Found, Cryptids, Bigfoot Icons of Happy Camp

Cryptic enough for you? What is this, a chupacabras?

A "lost world" was found recently living isolated within a 2,000-year-old extinct volcanic crater in Papua New Guinea. Many new, unique species were found there. View the slide show of the creatures here, the articles here and here, in The Guardian. This reminds us of a previous bunch of new species found in an isolated area in the Foja Mountains, Indonesia, the island of New Guinea.

Life is multifarious, highly variegated, always evolving, adapting. The world is more mysterious than we currently know. And then there are forms, like the shark or the redwood, that have lived on in nearly the same form since very ancient times.

If the Coelacanth can live, why not a surviving descendant of the old ape, Gigantopithecus?

And ask yourself this, if you had no foreknowledge of the panda, which of these two would you find to be a more ridiculous proposition? I mean, pandas are just too teddy-bear-like to believe. How did these things evolve?

Keep these facts in mind.... The Giant Panda was not accepted to be a real species by the West until a pelt was brought in in 1869, and a living specimen was not seen by a westerner until 1916. The Mountain Gorilla was not verified until 1902, and before that it was a cryptid, seen as a myth of the local folk by most outsiders. The Bonobo chimp was "discovered" in 1902. The Giant Squid was not seen live until 2005, and thought to be a legend until a dead one was found in 1878. The huge Megamouth Shark was not found until 1976. So, GO FIGURE! Is it really so ridiculous to believe in the Sasquatch as a real, live species?

Check out the International Cryptozoology Museum!

To explore further: Megafauna Discovered in Modern Times, and CRYPTOZOOLOGY on Wikipedia. As always, check CRYPTOMUNDO.COM for all your cryptic needs.

BTW, folks! The word "cryptozoology" is NOT pronounced with a "zoo" in the middle. Check it: krip-tə-zō-ˈä-lə-jē.

And now, as part of our Regional Roadside Bigfoot Iconography Series, here are some images taken in Happy Camp, CA (read Bigfoot Sightings' great aricle) which is just north from the Bluff Creek area.
Happy Camp is a tranquil little hamlet nestled at the bend in the road along Hwy. 96, where the Klamath River starts to head up to the Northeast to its headwaters up in Oregon.This town rivals Willow Creek for its Bigfootiana, including a grocery store, RV park/campground, Bigfoot Towing, a massive metal Bigfoot sculptural monstrosity, and even a wooden Bigfoot statue at the post office. It is also the former home of Java Bob's Bigfoot Deli-Cafe. Java Bob has since moved on along the Bigfoot path with Tom Biscardi's... um... organization.
Click Images to enlarge. All Happy Camp images crypto-copyright, as usual, Steven Streufert, 2009. Feel free to use if credit and notice is given.

If you're ever in Happy Camp be sure to contact Linda Martin, local researcher--especially if you see something big and hairy lurking in the woods.

BIGFOOT DAYS 2009 Update. CRYPTOMUNDO Joins the 2010 50th Anniversary Cause. More Photos

Cryptomundo.com (link in their logo, below) has joined the battle for Bigfoot in Bigfoot Days, 2010. Our blog was blogged again on the site, view the entry here: http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/bf-days-2010/
On his notable cryptozoological blog website Loren Coleman has publicly offered to be a speaker for the 50th Anniversary of Bigfoot Days in Willow Creek... for the mere price of his plane ticket out here and a room in the Bigfoot Motel. Maybe we'll have to get the Committee to hold a bake sale? Or collect aluminum cans? Raffle off a Bigfoot cage? The event's coffers are not exactly brimming over with gold these days. What Cryptomundo said: "I often have been amazed with the success of the little town of Roswell, which can have 1.25 million visitors per year tour their little museum. Meanwhile, Willow Creek, with their Bigfoot museum, struggles to get any media attention." A good point, one that only BIGFOOT can answer. Bigfoot Days is a great celebration of the local Willow Creek community, that is its main purpose; but it could be so much more, and can do more good for this little town.

[Images: Two Bigfoots look on at the event, grumbling and scowling a little. "Is this thing about ME, or just Indian Tacos and POW flags?"]




We'll say it again. Any of you out there in the bigfooting world who might like to come and speak, set up a bigfoot table for merchandise and information (they only cost $25.00, so if you have a book to sell or organization to promote...), or just attend--do contact us, or the folks listed at the end of this blog entry. I'll assemble an information email list to keep you bigfooters posted as to any progress.
Of course, it all depends greatly upon the openness and cooperation of the Bigfoot Days Committee. If we can get them on board (just had a good talk with one of them today!) it may be possible to speak from the main stage later in the day, after the bands, or else to get the VFW folks to "donate" the use of their hall (this is where the 2007 40th Anniversary event was held to celebrate the Patterson-Gimlin Film).
If we can help in any way with your travel plans, as well, we'd be pleased to assist.

Now, here are some more photos from the event....

It didn't rain on this parade, but lo, it started sprinkling some right after it ended!

Unofficial "mayor" of the hamlet, Steve Paine, officiates again.



The folks from Sentinel Winery, makers of Bigfoot Red Wine, appeared with their little dogs and tractor.

Groovin' in the park: hippies, Elvis impersonator, and Ras-tafari vibes, mon!

Here are a few other contact addresses that one could use for a lobbying campaign and comments:
The Museum, bigfootcollections@gmail.com
The Chamber, info@WillowCreekChamber.com
The Organizers, bigfootdays2009@yahoo.com

All images crypto-copyright Steven Streufert, 2009; but you're welcome to use them non-commercially with photo credit and an email to let me know where they'll be appearing.

Coming soon: Meeting with Matt Moneymaker, BFRO Founder
Bigfoot Miscellany: Lost World Found! More!
Bald Hills Expedition and Timeline Research
Hail Bigfoot!!!

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.