Well, I guess this post might seem out of sorts to some people, but over the past few days I've been thinking about my days growing up. This subject matter of my thinking back to my youth, might be of some interest to some people. Over the years, this same subject matter, has crept into my mind at various times. So, I thought I would share it with the readers today.

I can remember growing up and about this time of year, we would start seeing the June bugs. June bugs are a type of beetle or scarab, they are also sometimes called June beetle instead of June bugs. Here in my part of the world, we have the green June bugs. The green June bugs are found in the Southeaster part of the United States. I can remember, as a young boy, that the yard would be swarming with what looked like hundreds of June bugs. As kids we would catch the June bugs and tie a string on one of their back legs and fly the bug around. It was a fun thing to do back then, as there really wasn't video games or cell phones or a lot for kids to do, so we played outside. Flying the bugs around didn't seem to hurt them any and later, most of the time, we got bored and turned the June bug loose. I don't know when it happen or why it happened but one day I noticed we no longer had June bugs filling up our yards.  Oh, sometimes you might see one or two but nothing like when I was growing up. So, I often wonder what happened to them, why they no longer come in our part of the world. Is it just here, in my area, that the June bugs no longer visit or are other places also seeing little or no June bugs?

So, with me wondering whatever happened to the June Bugs, It got me to thinking about other creatures that I no longer see. Creatures that once seemed so abundant when I was growing up, but now have all but disappeared.

The Monarch Butterfly is one that we use to see all the time growing up, but now you almost never see them, at least not around here. Did the migration path change, and the beautiful butterfly now does not come our way? Are they all dead? This got me to looking into this mystery. I found that there has indeed been a big population drop in Monarch butterflies and it is predicted by some that the species will go extinct in the next 20 years. I think that is terrible news and someone should be working on re-population. I miss seeing them and I will be looking for them while out in the mountains.

Another, I wonder whatever happened to creature, is the Bobwhite. I can remember sitting on my mamaw's porch and listening to the Bobwhites make their very recognizable whistle. Along about dust, about the time us kids would stop playing, we'd be sitting on the porch and seems like you would hear the whistle every evening. But it has been years since I have heard a bobwhite. I know the little ground dwelling quail, is very vulnerable to predators but we use to have a good population of them. I wonder what ever happened to them around here. It was enjoyable listening to that famous whistle, I would like to hear it now, on the evenings I sit on the porch.

This next little fellow may not but very popular, but they serve a good purpose. Bats. I can remember playing in the yard at dust and there would be bats flying about and swooping down. There was not real large numbers, maybe 15-20 of them but compared to what we see now, it seems like a lot. I have not seen a small swarm of bats in the yard in many years. They do eat a lot of bugs, maybe that is why there seems to be so many bugs now, because there are less bats.  I can also remember fishing at one of our local strip mining ponds as a teenager and the bats would be swarming around. There would be so many of them that they (the bats) would fly into our fishing lines.

 I know, there could be many factors to why I no longer see some of these creatures. But I still miss them.

Thinking back and missing things are a part of life, I guess. But growing up and seeing these creatures, I never even thought the day would come when I would miss them or wonder what happened to them. It's funny, as you get older, you seem to appreciate things you gave very little thought about while growing up.



Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


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The fur-bearing trout (or furry trout) is a fictional creature purportedly found in North America and Iceland. According to tales, the trout has created a thick coat of fur to maintain its body heat. Tales of furry fish date to the 17th-century and later the "shaggy trout" of Iceland. The earliest known American publication dates from a 1929 Montana Wildlife magazine article by J.H. Hicken. A taxidermy furry trout produced by Ross C. Jobe is a specimen at the Royal Museum of Scotland; it is a trout with white rabbit fur "ingeniously" attached.

There are no real examples of any fur-bearing trout species, but two examples of hair-like growths on fish are known. The "cotton mold", Saprolegnia, can infect fish, which can result in the appearance of fish covered in the white "fur". A real fish, Mirapinna esau, also known as the "Hairy Fish", has hair-like outgrowths and wings.


Fur-bearing trout are fictional creatures that are purportedly found in Arkansas, northern North America, and Iceland. The basic claim (or tall tale) is that the waters of lakes and rivers in the area are so cold that they evolved a thick coat of fur to maintain their body heat. Another theory says that it is due to four jugs - or two bottles - of hair tonic being spilled into the Arkansas River.
The origins vary, but one of the earlier claims date to a 17th-century Scottish immigrant's letter to his relatives referring to "furried animals and fish" being plentiful in the New World. It was followed by a request to procure a specimen of these "furried fish" and one was sent back home. A publication in 1900 recounts the Icelandic Lodsilungur, another haired trout, as being a common folklore. The earliest known American publication dates from a 1929 Montana Wildlife magazine article by J.H. Hicken.


 

cotton mold

The "cotton mold" Saprolegnia will sometimes infect fish, causing tufts of fur-like growth to appear on the body. A heavy infection will result in the death of the fish, and as the fungus continues to grow afterwards, dead fish that are largely covered in the white "fur" can occasionally be found washed ashore. A real fish, Mirapinna esau known as the "Hairy Fish", has hair-like outgrowths and wings. It was discovered in the Azores in 1956.

According to Icelandic legend, the Lodsilungur is a furry trout that is the creation of demons and giants. The Lodsilungur are described as inedible fish that overwhelm rivers and are a form of punishment for human wickedness. In 1900, The Scottish Review featured an account of the Lodsilungur as a poisonous "Shaggy trout" of northern Iceland. In 1854, a shaggy trout was "cast on shore at Svina-vatn" and featured in an 1855 illustration in Nordri, a newspaper. It was described as having a reddish hair on its lower jaw and neck, sides and fins, but the writer of the Nordri article did not specifically identify it by name. Sjón, a popular Icelandic writer, became obsessed with the folk tale when he was nine. Sjón recounted that if a man were to eat the furry trout he would become pregnant and that his scrotum would have to be cut open to deliver the baby. Sjón noted that the story "might explain why I was later propelled towards surrealism.

An account of a furry trout appeared in 1929 in Montana Wildlife magazine and was first noted by J.H. Hicken. Hicken's account states that when the fish is caught "the change of temperature from this water to atmosphere is so great that the fish explodes upon being taken from the water, and fur and skin come off in one perfect piece, making it available for commercial purposes, and leaving the body of the fish for refrigerator purposes or eating, as desired."


Another fur-bearing trout story originated with Wilbur Foshay, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. Foshay promoted the story so convincingly that it was picked up by the Salida Record newspaper. According to its Foshay, the trout grew fur due to the cold temperatures of the Arkansas River and shed the fur as the water temperatures warmed in the summer. In November 1938, a story in the Puebloan Cheiftan recounted the hairy trout history and stated that "old-timers living along the Arkansas River near Salida have told tales for many years of the fur-bearing trout indigenous to the waters of the Arkansas near there." In 2014, Mysteries at the Museum visited the Salida Museum and is expected to be part of a segment in late 2014.

A tall tale was recounted by S.E. Schlosser, it states that hairy trout were the result of two bottles or four jugs of spilled hair tonic. To catch hairy trout, fisherman would act as barbers and lure fish from the waters with the offer of a free trim or shave. An intentionally fantastical story in Maine and claimed hairy trout were under catch and release policy that was enforced by wardens' carrying Brannock Devices. If a fish was caught, the warden would measure it against the fisher's foot. If the fish's length matched the fisher's foot size, the fish could be eaten and the outards made into furry slippers.

The Canadian Fur-bearing trout is another example of the furry trout hoax. According to the story, a trout with white fur was caught in Lake Superior off Gros Cap in Algoma, Ontario, Canada and its taxidermist was Ross C. Jobe. The purchaser of the fish learned of the hoax after presenting it to the Royal Museum of Scotland. The white fur of a rabbit was described as being "ingeniously" attached to the fish. A fictional description of the Canadian "Hairy" Trout was published by Takeshi Yamada.

- Source: wikipedia -

How would you like to catch some hairy trout? Maybe we can fire this back up and start making some cash leading fishing expeditions to catch hairy trout.

Really the whole story is pretty funny and at the same time maybe a little sad that some people back then fell for it. But as most of you know, the more outlandish the claim, the more apt some people are to believe it. If you just think back about some of the past Bigfoot hoaxes and some of the things that was told about the dead Bigfoot that Rick Dyer had ....some of it was off the charts unbelievable but yet some believed it.

The fur bearing trout hoax, has to be one of the all time best and funnest hoaxes ever. It makes me wonder about some of the things people may believe today, will it be proven a hoax 10 years down the road? Of course, we know more about things nowadays than we did back in the furry trout days. So I assume we will know even more about things in the days ahead.   

Again, just shake your head and move on. 

Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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Mermaids in Kentucky?

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


Aprils Fools Joke? - Have you spotted the legendary Pikeville mermaid on the Hatfield-McCoy River Trail yet? I've never heard of this before today ...is it some kind of local legend?

I live in Kentucky but have never heard of such a legend, Of course the photo must be a photo shopped thing but I was wondering if there is some kind of legend about mermaids in Kentucky?

This photo was posted on the facebook page for Pikeville City Tourism and it is very safe to assume it is an April Fools joke but I like it.

Just wanted to share it.

Thanks
~Tom~  




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A foot long Skull with 700 razor sharp teeth, does that qualify as a Monster?
This monster was found in Oxfordshire and it is the biggest pike ever found in Britain.
The skull was 9 inches wide.

The grisly fish carcass was found in the undergrowth next to the River Cherwell by farmer Peter Money.

 [source: Dailymail]

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The Beautiful Cumberland Falls!
Cumberland Falls has been featured in 3 movies: The Kentuckian with Burt Lancaster, Raintree County with Elizabeth Taylor and Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal.
Cumberland Falls is located within the Daniel Boone National Forest in Southeast Kentucky.
The water fall itself is about 125 foot wide and has about a 65 foot drop. Sometimes Cumberland Falls is called "Little Niagara" but this Falls has something Niagara Falls does not have and that is a Moon Bow. A moon bow or lunar rainbow is a rare thing and can only be found in a few places in the whole world and can only be seen with the right conditions.

Moonbow Dates:
May - 22,23,24,25,26,27 June - 20,21,22,23,24,25
For more Dates Click Here!

This place of beauty is also home to some paranormal activity and stories. One being "The Bride of Cumberland Falls" and/or the haunted Dupont Lodge.
There are slightly varying stories about the Bride of Cumberland falls but here is the basics of the tale.

Dupont Lodge
The story dates back into the 1950's, The story is of a  Bride and Groom that came to Cumberland Falls State Park for their Honeymoon.
The couple was staying at Dupont lodge. Before leaving the falls they wanted to have their photos taken with the falls in the background. The couple found an overlook just a few hundred feet from the falls that would work great for the photo. As the Bride stood on the Pillars at the edge of the 75 to 80 foot cliff, the Bride lost her balance and fell to her death.
-----------

Cumberland Falls has been listed as one of the top haunted places in Kentucky.
I have read several reports from visitors and people who worked at the Park, including some of the park rangers who worked around the Falls and many report seeing the ghost bride and other weird things. Some the other reports told of the ghost bride tripping people or messing up rooms that were just cleaned up. There are even some report of seeing old civil war type soldiers.

Here is a possible photo of the Ghost Bride

While there is many ghost tales from the Falls, I personally have not seen anything there and I have been to the Falls on a few trips as it's close to me. I do remember some other strange tales from Cumberland Falls. Many of you may have heard this before or remember hearing your family and friends talk about it.
Well as I remember, when I was a kid, around 10-12 years old, there was some stories about a person or people falling off the falls. This resulted in a massive search to recover the bodies and at one point a team of  divers was used to swim under the falls and look for the bodies. The story that was told was that the divers came out of the water pretty quickly and were really shaken up and telling people that if anyone fell over the Falls that they are gone because there were catfish down there that were as big as a Volkswagen. They went on to say that these giant catfish were easily big enough to swallow a man whole. The divers also refused to go back in the water and look for the missing people.


Cumberland Falls State Park is a great place to visit, it has plenty of forest to explore and look for bigfoot, it has the Ghost Bride to investigate, it has monster sized catfish to catch but if none of that is your thing, then the Cumberland Falls is still a beautiful place to spend a weekend hiking, boating, fishing or just to enjoy the out doors and relax.        
 Click Cumberland Falls!! to find out more!


There are many more tales of strange sightings and odd happenings in and around this area, I have only scratched the surface.
If anyone has a tale to share or some photos, feel free to send them to me at thecryptocrew@kih.net

Thanks
~Tom~

[Ghost photo: Tony-Emt ]
[Source: 2geton ]




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