Spooky Season Welcome And Game Plan

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Hey hey Adam. Yes. I had a question for you. All right. What does Freddie Johnson of Buffalo Trace Distillery, the Queen Mary, and Darth Vader all have in common?

SPEAKER_01 1:12

There's a kind of adventure you only find when you're not in a hurry. This is Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. Stories from the open road where routes are questionable. The stops are intentional, and leisure isn't a reward. It's the plan. If you're looking for speed, well, you're lost. But if you're looking for laid-back adventure, good stories, and even better company. Welcome home.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to our very spooky Halloween episodes. Let me uh let me drop that music for a second. Uh by popular demand, uh, we have uh been told that this is one of their favorite times of the years of our community, is when uh myself, Adam, who is one part of Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure, and my good friend Mr. Michael Sharp, uh as who is the other half, uh, we have done our Halloween episode. Sometimes we do like uh creepy cycling stories, not creepy, but like like spooky cycling stories, and and we got some stuff for part two, but we are gonna turn this into a two-part episode. Um, and so tonight we've got some pretty cool stuff for you. We have some haunted places, we've got uh some stories. This Michael has a couple things up his sleeve, but uh let me get you on the show here, sir. Welcome, welcome, welcome, roll, welcome, central time to our special episode, sir.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Thank you very much, sir. Happy to be here as always. And uh I'm just sitting here, as is tradition, enjoying a little Halloween whiskey. One of my personal favorites at Halloween, the Moonlight Mayhem. So enjoying a little bit of that. So we'll uh see how that goes.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Well, um, so we've got a little bit of a pack show for you tonight. So uh, what to expect of the next two episodes? Tonight's episode, uh, or today, or this morning, or this afternoon, or whenever you may be enjoying this episode. It's tonight for us, to be honest. Um, but um we have the 12 most haunted places in the world, which we'll get to in a little bit. Michael, you've got some uh ghost stories from people going to distilleries.

SPEAKER_03 3:35

I'm gonna talk a little bit about haunted, or maybe potentially haunted, or definitely haunted, distilleries.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

All right, all right, all right, all right. And um you mentioned something in there about maybe uh trick-or-treating or Halloween or whatever, so we'll talk about that. We also have listener spotlights. Uh and uh I'm a little bit of a broken record because I think it's a good place to find a bunch of good stuff, but uh cyclingmenofleisure.com. Uh, all good things uh you can find there. So I'll leave that at that. So where should we start? I mean, I know we have listener spotlight, or should we get into that?

SPEAKER_03 4:21

Or I think let's let's uh start off with listener spotlight, our uh last episode, find out where we spotlighted, and then we'll uh we'll get into the holiday spirit because Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. All right, let me give you the song, buddy. Do it.

Listener Spotlight Reveal Sarasota, Florida

SPEAKER_04 4:44

You ride along with us every spin. It's your lift. Listener, it's the light.

SPEAKER_03 5:01

All right. Listener spotlight hints from our last episode are as follows. This city was incorporated in the early 1900s. A mansion in this city had enough closet space to impress Barbie. The city knows something about how to step up when the call to action comes out to send in the clowns. Thanks to this city, the swing line stapler reached a cult status, and this city will make you rethink course.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

And don't forget you also gave another clue you said and Adam, it is not St.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

Louis. Any hints?

SPEAKER_02 5:57

I'm gonna go with um I'm cheating.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Oh, okay. I see how you are.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Yeah, I'm cheating.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Uh well do you have time for a commercial break the way you're going here or something?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

No, unfortunately. I'm gonna I was trying to cheat the swing line stapler, but uh it's per it was made by a company called Speed Products, but I can't find where. But uh Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

All right. I don't know if uh Barbie has ever been to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Uh maybe the moon moonshine Barbie has or something. I don't know, but um that is incorrect. Uh but applause for you, sir, for the guests. Um yeah. The answer for this for last episode's listener spotlight is in fact Sarasota, Florida.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Wow, the swing line stapler was made in Saratoga. Sarat Saratoga. Oh my god, Saratoga.

SPEAKER_03 7:06

I didn't say I didn't say it was made there. I said became cult cla became a cult status. Oh, gosh. Let me tell you how this came out. Okay. Uh it was incorporated in 1903, uh, had enough closet space for Barbie. Uh Edison Keith, the Edison Keith Mansion, second owner, was Mae Hansen uh Product, who was the owner of Mae Marie Company, and she was the original creator of some Barbie doll wardrobes. Okay. So that's where the Barbie thing. Uh the city knows something about uh the call to action, sending the clowns. Sarasota, Florida, is in fact has been has been known as a circus city or the circus capital of the world. Christmas of 1927, Ringling Brothers opened, or excuse me, John Ringling opened the doors to his circus circus winter quarters, which was headquartered there, uh during the winter due to good climate and access to the railroad. And at one time, his winter circus area was Florida's number one attraction, attracting over a hundred thousand visitors uh a year who would come there to see the animals and watch the trapeze train and that kind of thing. Um and then in 1960 it moved to Venice, Florida, and they no longer have uh winter things. But I thought that was interesting that that was Florida's number one attraction uh back in the day, and then of course, we know what the number one attraction in Florida is today. Um thanks to this city, the swing line stapler reached cult status. Um kind of going down the wrong route there. Uh Steven Root, character actor, was born in Sarasota. Do you know who he is?

SPEAKER_02 9:10

You're about to tell me, and I'm gonna go, oh yeah, I know him.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Oh, he was in movies like Oh Brother, weren't Were Aren't Thou. And he also played, more importantly, Milton Wadem in Mike Judge's 1999 film Office Space.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Oh did you did you see that movie? I got my stapler.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Yeah, yeah. I gotta get my stapler. Yeah, it's my swing line stapler. I I told him not to move my, you know, he played that character and always had his red swing line stapler with him.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

We're gonna need you to come in on Saturday.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

I can't I I came in last Saturday and and they and they said I wouldn't have to come in this. Yeah, that's him. Um this city will make you rethink quartz. Uh Siesta Key Beach, which is located in Sarasota, Florida, has sand made of 99% pure quartz. I was like, oh, okay, that's kind of cool. But what's neat about it is because it's 99% pure quartz, the sand stays cool on your feet even on hot summer days. So you know you've been to the beach when it's really hot, the sand can burn your feet. Not if you go to uh Siesta Keys due to the quartz content. So that is how I got it.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Well, I'll tell you what, there have been beaches, as you uh mentioned in the last episode of my leisure lifestyle, that I have burned the beep out of my feet trying to get around sometimes. And so that'd actually be pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

So yeah, well, next time you're in Sarasota, Florida, go to Siesta Beach, and uh yeah, you won't have that problem. So thanks to all of our listeners in Sarasota, Florida, and all of our listeners all over the world. We certainly appreciate them listening and watching. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Thank you so very much. You will probably uh bless us with another episode of uh uh listener spotlight at the end. I uh certainly can do that, yes, sir. All right, perfect. All right. Um let's go with the 12, unless it'll mess you up.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

Well, no, before you do that, I've got some questions. Okay, sorry. Um, we've never talked about this on the show. We you and I have never talked about it. When you were a kid, did you go trick-or-treating?

SPEAKER_02 11:43

Yes,

Trick Or Treat Memories And Costumes

SPEAKER_02 11:44

yes, yes. Um, now I lived in the country, literally had an address that was called Rule Route, like Rule Route 1. I mean, um, and so trick-or-treating was always with a parent, it was never without a chaperone. I mean, uh, kids around here, they go trick-or-treating, and uh, I got I got adults who come to my house like, hey, you got any candy? FBI open. No, wait, that's a different story. We're looking for your snickers, boss. And I'm like, get out of here, you know. Go get a job. Don't you have a job? I'm just kidding. But um, all kidding aside, it was very, very country-esque. It was a mile between houses, and so trick-or-treating equal going on cars. And so, uh, but yes, I did. Um, and then once in a while, my parents would take me into town, as they say, which where I lived uh was Anna, Illinois, rather, very southern tip of Illinois. Um just close to kissing your sister, but not that. Well, good thing you didn't have a sister, so I did not have a sister, so um, but um then I got to kind of run around. But yes, I I did trick-or-treat.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

Okay. Um, I trick-or-treated as well. We sat out on the edge of town. We weren't out of town, so we would we would trick-or-treat in our little neighborhood. Uh, and before I moved there, we were in neighborhoods. So yeah, I trick-or-treated a lot. What did you uh what were some of your costumes? Did you go as uh I don't know, uh, I don't know what'd you go as? Um I uh I was a podcaster.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

Yeah, I was like, you know, I mean, I think that was on uh third grade career day. You go, I don't want to be a podcaster. Uh I was definitely into Star Wars. I have gone as Darth Vader. Uh I mean, this is in the last year or two. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

Um, one of those adults knocking your neighbor's door. Like, I am your father.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

Oh, no, no, no, not like that. Um, but uh uh all kidding aside, uh Darth Vader, my dad actually um you're gonna see a theme here. Darth Vader, I was an Ewok, Luke Skywalker. I mean, these were multiple years. Uh yes. Um you're my only hope. No, I'm just kidding. Um, but um my father had this uh at the time, not for public release, um flashlight. And it was an aluminum flashlight that was used for survival uh crashes and and airplanes of when he was flying for the Air Force. And it had this extremely bright for at the time, uh almost like a bright LED, but it was not. It was an incandescent bulb or a little bitty bulb, whatever that is, you know, had the wire in it. And and and it was so bright, how bright was it? It was so bright uh that he actually made a lightsaber for me. And we used the tube that you get a fluorescent bulb in, like for shipping or or you know, getting it from the store or whatever, and it was the perfect diameter to go around that flashlight. And so then he took a pipe clamp, which made it look like an actual saber, and the pipe clamp, uh the you know, the one you put with the screwdriver with like tightening. Yeah, you ratchet it, you pull it tight, and then tighten it with the screwdriver you have to do. You got it. Yeah, and so it looked like it was part of the aluminum lightsaber, and then at the end it would put a tip on it. And um, I mean, it was I mean, every time I turned it on, it was like I had a red lightsaber, and so that was Darth Vader, and then I had one of them plastic masks that I'm surprised any of us survived because you couldn't see out of, and then it wasn't important. Come on, no, no, no, no. You want your candy, kid? Shut up, get up here. Um, but um, and then um Luke Skywalker, uh, that was that was pretty good because I didn't have to have a mask. Um, same thing, we made a lightsaber, um, and then then then uh return of the Jedi came out or the ewaks, and so uh I wanted to be an ewok, and so that's uh there's a picture of me somewhere, somehow, as an ewok. So very Star Wars themed trick-or-treating.

SPEAKER_03 16:09

Wow, very cool. Nice. And so was that light a light that they used to like signal if they were like yeah, is that what a for you know, to hey, I'm down here, come pick me up. Don't let the enemies catch me or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

I got a side story. Okay, because he was flying what the missions he was flying, he also had the very first that I knew a switchblade. It was an emergency parachute knife on one end where you could cut the cord of your parachute. On the other end, it was an actual switchblade. And of course, wouldn't you know it, being a young man, I took it to school. Uh-oh. Can anyone guess why I went to military school?

SPEAKER_03 16:51

I was just gonna say, and this was one of the uh one of the early steps towards going to military academy for Adam.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

Yes, go ahead. I'll sit back on the couch and uh I'll just listen why you think I went to military school. So uh yes, took the switchblade. I'll never forget the the principal was Dr. Cobble, and he said, What is that? And I said, Oh, this is an official Air Force knife. And he said, No, that's a switchblade. And I said, No, it's an official survival Air Force knife. And so he took it, and then my father, uh, I have it to this day, by the way. Because it's kind of funny, because it got me in trouble enough where I went to military school, and then I said, By golly, I did the time. I want the knife back. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 17:40

That's that's my my parting gift for finishing military school.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

So it's it's fluorescent orange, and it has a it has a button on the side, um, and uh has a lock on it, even. But yeah, so but uh, anyways, that was a side part of the story. But yes, the flashlight that you mentioned was specifically made for a crash or emergency survival or whatever. So um, and then of course, every time Halloween was over, I didn't get to keep my saber.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Uh, that was government property.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Yeah, my father needed it back. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 18:13

So yeah, he couldn't he couldn't show up to you know work the next day carrying around a lightsaber.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

That's right. So well, that's cool. Yeah, I used to to do it. Um, I was all sorts of things. I wasn't as singularly focused as you were. Um I uh went as an in uh when I was really young, I was like Casper the Ghost, uh, you know, where you just had like the mask. I was Batman back in the day with the mask. And then later on, I went as like a fur trapper, fur trader. Uh was an Indian once. Um, no offense to the native people. Um ask you, daughter Feather. Uh, it was Feather. And uh at that time, you know, I was just a kid dressing up like an Indian. Uh no, you know, political comments there or anything. And uh yeah, cowboys, things like that. Nothing real uh, you know, crazy or out of control. So, but uh used to have a good time doing that. So, and uh back then uh I didn't live in a town where it's like everybody, like here in the town that I live in, there's several neighborhoods where you like go down, and it's like if you remember the the episode of E.T. where it's Halloween night and there's just like kids running across the street and just jam-packed with people walking around. That was not how we had Halloween, but in the town that I live in now, there's several neighborhoods that it's like that where you know kids are just running around and parents are sitting outside, and um, it's really a cool experience. So it's one of my it's always been one of my favorite holidays. And since that happened and since I had kids, it's it's really became uh a really cool holiday. So, but no, I was just curious about what you used to uh to dress up as and and that type of thing.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

So I gotta tell you, when I was a kid, I I I would eat all the candy, and and then of course, you know, the old rumor or whatever, there's a razor blade in the apple or whatever, and my or or your parents are like, oh, you gotta give us that candy, like you know, and then of course they would take out what they wanted. But um, I gotta tell you, coming to your house, there's bowls of candy all over your house. And there has to be something to the method of the madness of um because it's available for your kids, they don't eat it. Because I was addicted to the candy all over your house. So sorry, sorry. Oh my gosh, I was like, I don't know, I couldn't have bowls of candy, and even at work, I know which which which employees have stuff at their desk. I mean, if you're hungry at work, you're doing it wrong because I could tell you what desk to go to and everything.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

So I don't know where that that's something my wife has always done is had bowls of candy or a couple bowls of candy around the house. Uh, and it's funny because like Maya, my daughter, doesn't eat much candy at all. Even at like Halloween, she'll like take the candy and then she'll eat a few pieces here and there, and then like three or four months later, there's still candy sitting around. Uh, and I think really the reason why she does it is she works in the medical field where there's like always candy around. And I don't know how much of I never see her eating any of it, but so uh you know it is it is hard sometimes because when I'm sitting there watching TV, like uh earlier I was watching the game and I was like, oh look, there's a bowl of candy right here within reach. Hmm, what do we got in there? So I've got to check myself, but yeah. Anyway, we have we've put together a little interesting segment here,

Our Top 12 Haunted Places List

SPEAKER_03 21:55

and we've came up with the I guess what we could dub the cycling men of leisure's top 12 most haunted places in the world. Now, let me caveat this by saying there is no, you know, hauntings, you know, some people believe they're real, some people don't. There's no way to scientifically come up with this list, but we have came up with this list. Uh, it is our own perspective uh based upon our research. So I don't want people going, wait a minute, my town's more haunted than that. There's no way to there's no way to prove that any of these places that we're talking about are haunted or are not haunted, but so it's just our list. So I just wanted people to keep that in mind.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

The first one is my laundry room. No, just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 22:44

Um uh white sheets floating around in your uh in your laundry room there.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Couple couple litter boxes, I mean a couple kinds of good stuff in there. I mean a drawer of collection of crap. Uh we all have those collection of crap drawers.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

Yeah. Do you want to start off or do I? Yeah, I'll start with that. Are we starting off at I think we need to start off at are we starting off at like number 12 and going that way or starting off at number one?

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Uh I could I could do number 12. No problem. We'll go 12 to 1. I mean, uh very clearly this is this is not a build-up, I don't believe, but we'll go with uh we'll go with number 12. In the old Dave Letterman style.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Number 12.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

Oh man, I don't have a drum roll, do I? Yeah. Yeah. There we go. Get rid of that sensor button. Well, I know where that's at, buddy. Everybody knows that. Everybody knows where that's at. That's right. When Michael's talking. All right. The ancient Ram Inn in uh in England, and I believe that's gonna be Gloucester Shine.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

That's uh I believe Gloucestershire.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yeah, Gloucestershire, sure.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

That's good. It's like when what's that sauce? Worcestershire. Worcestershire sauce. Nobody can pronounce it.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

Yeah, that's right. Everyone's got it in the fridge, right on the inside. You know that stuff, the what you would call it. Um that's Worcestershire sauce. Okay, this century-old English building has accumulated stories involving apparitions, voices, objects moving, and frightening physical sensations. Its reputation grew substantially through paranormal television and investigations, and it remains a familiar name among ghost enthusiasts. Why it stands out? It is smaller and less global famous than number one on the list. I don't want to say that yet, but but his concentrated collection of supernatural legends give it outsized reputation among paranormal fans. Uh, would you spend the night in the ancient ramen? Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 25:13

Well, yeah. I've I've stayed the night in many, many old, creaky old buildings. In fact, I have a couple ghost stories of myself. The weird things, I'm not saying they're ghosts, but just weird things that have happened, but we'll save that for a later date. Uh, number 11 is the Myrtles in St. Francisville, Louisiana. And the Myrtles is one of America's most famous, alleged, haunted historical homes. Its best known ghost story um concerns Cleo, an enslaved woman connected to connected in legend to a poisoning. Uh historians have challenged important details of that story, but terror paranormal tales involve apparitions, footsteps, unexplained activities uh that continue to surround the property. So the myrtles of Saint Francis, Louisiana.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Cool, cool. Um I've got the Queen Mary in Long Beach now. Queen Mary sits at the top. Permanently harbored there, yes. I believe it's a hotel. Excuse me, a hotel now. The famous ocean liner entered service in the 1930s and is now permanently docked in Long Beach. Over decades, stories had developed about former passengers and crew appearing aboard the ship, unexplained noises, activity near the old swimming pool, and the eerie experiences of engineer spaces. One recurring legend can uh concerns a crew member killed by a watertight door. Unlike an abandoned rune, visitors can spend extensive amount of time aboard the Queen Mary right there in Long Beach. So if you want to investigate, you could get out your special tools that they have to just can you hear this?

SPEAKER_03 27:14

I always wonder. Yeah, what I don't know what they call those, but all sorts of, you know, for the white noise and exactly and lights and all that kind of stuff. I preferred the uh the Ghostbuster thing that when you push the button, the little things light up and they they flip up, they wing up. I don't know what ecto ecto whatever. Oh, can I get one of those ectopak things too?

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Ectopack, yeah. Ectopack thing. Sure. That would be cool.

SPEAKER_03 27:46

Yeah, that would be nice. All right, number nine, the Chateau de Pasac. Oh, I'm glad you got this one. In the Lorraine Valley in France, this grand French chateau is associated with the legend of the Green Lady, often identified in folklore as Charlotte de Brezhnev. The tale involves adultery, jealousy, and murder. Oh, I love a little bit of murder. Murder. You like what I did there? Um, visitors have claimed to see a woman in green wandering through the chateau or to hear cries and moaning in the early morning hours. Um, you know, this is a centuries-old French chateau, a murderless uh legend and a colorfully named apparition. Um, you know, what more could you want? But my question is, how many I've watched a lot of paranormal shows. I don't know whether I believe in ghosts or not. I just find them to be amusing and interesting and and to see the different tools that they they've came up with to try to determine if you know ghost and things exist. Why is it that there's always nine times out of ten, a lady in gray, a lady in white, or now we have the green lady. What I mean what when you're in ghost, it's like do you want the white outfit, the gray outfit, or for those upscale ladies, the green outfit? You know, it's never like I saw the purple ghost or you know, the chartreuse ghost, or there was the uh lime orange ghost or whatever. I just find that amusing.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

Well, um and Pac-Man, they had I'm just kidding. Uh just kidding, just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 29:39

They had yellow. Uh no, they had a red ghost, a red, blue, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

And a yellow?

SPEAKER_03 29:44

Yellow, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:46

Well, there you go. There you go. Uh, the Stanley Hotel.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

Yes. And you know about this place? I have been to the Stanley Hotel and been by there many times. It is in Estes Park, Colorado.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Wow, look at you. Oh, you got the list in front of you too. But, anyways, opened in 1909. The Stanley Hotel is inseparable from modern horror history. Stephen King and his wife stayed there in 1974 when the hotel was nearly empty for a season. The experience helped inspire the shining. Later paranormal stories have included children's laughter. Oh, wait.

SPEAKER_04 30:26

Children's laughter.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

Oh, sorry. Uh piano music. Oh, wait a minute. We can give you some Oh, that's not piano music. That's not piano music. No, stick, stick to the script there. Fine, fine. Moving objects and unexplained activity in guest rooms. Combines a real historic hotel, modern ghost tourism, and one of the most famous horror novels ever written.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

Yeah, I've been to Essus Park many times. Uh, Esse's Park is the gateway essentially to Rocky Mountain National Park. Um, high elevation. It's really cool. You got the city, and then if you look up on the hill, I think it's to the north. Above, kind of setting on this rise above the city is this huge expanse Stanley Hotel. Um, if you ever get close to Esseus Park, it's a beautiful city or beautiful little town, and then just this, you know, overshadowing uh beautiful hotel. So really cool. Oh now we're ready for number seven. Yeah, go ahead and pronounce that that name in Mexico. The island of dolls in Okamalico, Mexico. I totally got that wrong. Uh it is on a small island among um several canals. And it's really weird because I've seen episodes of this on different different shows. Um, whether dolls hang from trees and structures. Uh, the story is centered around a caretaker who reportedly believed the spirits of a drowned girl haunted the area and began placing dolls around the island. Um later visitors told stories of dolls moving, opening their eyes, or whispering. Um, you know, many shows have done uh done you know, looking at this and done research on this. It's kind of weird. I don't know if this is so much haunting, or if you just go to this island and you you're come up in your boat, and there's like all, you know, dolls are creepy enough, and then there's just all these dolls like hanging all over in trees, and some of them's eyes are, you know, you know, those dolls that when their heads move, their eyes open and shut. And of course they're gonna be moving because it's you know the wind's blowing and all this. It's just weird. It's like number one, who hangs dolls in trees? And how is that exactly supposed to help a drowned spirit of a girl or something? I mean, just leave some dolls there for her to play with. You don't have to hang them in trees, and it just I don't really know about haunted, it just is just weird and creepy, and yeah. Yeah, how is it that you got all the easy ones?

SPEAKER_02 33:18

Yeah, well, listen, I I mean, you gave me the choice to start with one or twelve. I just said twelve, and then and then we go that way. But buying is let me pronounce this correctly, Eastern State Penitentiary. Wow, yeah, I know Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1829. Oh man, I 1829 was a great yeah, they had Eastern State became famous for the system emphasizing isolation, oh gosh, and solitary confinement. Man, they were sick back in 1829. Its enormous cell blocks and deteriorating architecture now provide an exceptionary atmospheric setting. Visitors and paranormal investigators have reported footsteps, whispers, laughter, shadowy figures, and sounds from the apparent empty areas. Uh pretty cool. So let me ask you something. Uh we've never been by that one.

SPEAKER_03 34:21

We've been by lots of prisons. You know, we have we have done the prison uh the prison tour of Iowa before. I think we've seen a prison or two in Georgia. Um, but no, we have we this one's an interesting one, and again, lots of shows have have done things about Eastern State Penitentiary. It's just a normic old kind of gothic looking, uh, very imposing building. Again, the atmosphere, you you know, you never see like my house is haunted, and it's like a tiny home, or you know, it's got beautiful like gardens out front or something. They're always typically like you know, gloomy, old, falling apart type of things. But uh maybe we need to go to Pennsylvania sometime, and and uh that's what we need to do. Cycling men of leisure need to participate in a ghost hunt. I'm talking a real ghost hunt, you know, where you go with somebody who actually knows what they're doing, and we walk around and talk to. Are you here? Is there something I can help you with? Please show yourself, give us a sign. That would be fun.

SPEAKER_02 35:27

I I would be interested. I mean, I'm always very, you know, I am skeptical, but I mean at the same time, I'd be uh I would have an open mind.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

That would be cool. We'll have to have to work on that sometime. That'd be fun. If there's any ghost hunters out there in the audience listening, uh, we would love to uh come and join uh uh a ghost hunt with you at some point in time and uh check it out, it would be fun. Oh, yeah, thank you very much. Yeah, number five. Number five. Yes. The Heobacul Forest in Romania. Okay, it's in Romania. That right there makes it spooky. Um it is sometimes called the area sometimes called the Bermuda Triangle of Romania. Its meth uh mythology includes disappearances, unusual lights, UFO reports, apparitions, and physical sensations experienced by visitors. A distinct open clearing within the forest has become especially associated with paranormal stories. And uh this this one really centers on the landscape itself. Again, I've watched a couple shows where they've done like things here, and it is really weird because it's this big forest. Number one, it's in Romania, and you know, Romania is often associated with vampires because that was close to Transylvania back in the old days, and it, you know, the gypsy folklore and that type of thing. But um, it's really crazy. It's like this big forested area, heavy, thick forest, and then all of a sudden, and you can look up pictures of it and stuff, all of a sudden you get out, and there's almost this nice round circular clearing. And this wasn't like there's stumps in it and stuff, it's like there's like no trees that have grown there. It's just completely clear and barren of trees. And so that's really weird and eerie, but uh I don't know if it's haunted, but it's it's an interesting uh environmental geographical type area.

SPEAKER_02 37:32

Well, in that case, we could definitely uh do something different. I I let's go to Romania.

SPEAKER_03 37:40

Yeah, let's do it. Franklin, we need oh, that's what Franklin, I know you're listening. This one's for you. Do a bike ride, Romania, somewhere there, Eastern European, that uh goes to haunted castles and places. Now that would be a cool cycling event right there.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

All right, I'm gonna do my best here. Banghar. How do you think? Yeah, I think you're right. I think you're right. Banghar Fort in Ooh, hold on. Rajasthan. Rajasthan, India. Very good. Okay. We're gonna go with that. The ruins of Banghar uh contain temples, palaces, gateways, and the remains of once thriving settlement. Folklore surrounded the abandoned cities include curses and supernatural forces. Visitors have reported strange sounds, shadows, and feelings of being watched. Its remote, Germanic ruins have helped establish Bonghar as one of India's most famous haunted sites.

SPEAKER_03 38:52

And again, have you ever been to like ruins of anything, like castles or old buildings or anything? I mean, see that again, just gives you that creepy feeling. I've been to a couple of castles in Wales that were in ruins, and even during the day, you're walking around, and it's just a weird feeling because you got ruins all around you, and you know there's been battles and deaths. So that kind of sets the stage for weird stuff.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

Uh yes, we went to Chocchobin. I believe you've been to Chocchobin, right? Chocchobin. In in um Oh, in Indiana? No, no, no, no. In in in uh in Mexico. We had to we had to go like a three-hour bus ride, but not anywhere.

SPEAKER_03 39:39

I have not been to Chocchobin. Okay, sorry, but I've been to Chitsanica, I've been to uh some places. Uh it could be. Uh there they'll serve you food there from uh some tent area, but uh yeah. Been there, I've been to several places in Belize, obviously, and in Guatemala. So um number three, Edinburgh Castle. I've been to this one. It's in Edinburgh, Scotland. Um stands above uh standing above Edinburgh is this, you know, Castle Rock. The fortress has experienced warfare, sieges, imprisonment, and death over centuries. Um one enduring legend tells of a piper sent into the tunnels beneath the city who vanished. Um Phantom piping is supposedly still heard. Other tales involve uh spectoral prisoners, footsteps, unexplained sounds, and a ghostly drummer. Um it is a cool castle, and at night it's kind of lit up and everything, and it's very impressive looking. Now, I'm just I want to do some more research on this because what exactly was a piper? Why was a piper sent into the tunnels beneath the city? And I'm assuming they're not talking about a plumbing piper, they're talking about a bagpiper. Why? Hey, Bob, we want you to go down there. I don't know anything about him. I don't know where I'm going. Yeah, just go down there. That's just weird.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

Can you imagine sitting on the can and a guy starts all of a sudden uh from beneath you're hearing bagpipes?

SPEAKER_03 41:22

It's just kind of a weird story that you know we're sending the bagpiper in.

SPEAKER_02 41:27

You know, it's it's kind of crazy how some of the cultures of these people in places where people think thought that you know doing something would would make have a different result or something. I've I've that's happened a lot where we go somewhere and says, Oh, yeah, and they believed if you you know burned your first kid, you know, that you would live forever.

SPEAKER_03 41:46

I'm like, Yeah, like the the superstitions of of different cultures and things. I don't know. Maybe they you know that would run the rats out. Maybe they thought it was haunted back then and they wanted to play a music. I don't know. Things we'll never know.

SPEAKER_02 42:01

Now, this one I think we are all gonna get a good laugh out of it. And you're already smiling. Uh you're with number two. Oh boy. Uh it's in Italy.

unknown 42:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

It's in Italy. We're not in Italy. Italy's a big place. It's uh it's in uh the Vietnam uh the Venetian lagoon? Yeah, the Venetian lagoon. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:28

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 42:29

Uh what's it called? The Pavarotti Island.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

I think it's uh Provagelli. Yes. Something like that. Provig Provagelli Prov. Well, I tell you what, anybody in Italy uh listening can uh send us write us the correct pronunciation of that. Hold on, let me check. I can't even get him to say, you know, Pagacciar.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

Pagaccia. Hold on. Um what is the Italian pronunciation of P-O-V-E-G-L-I-A?

unknown 43:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

The Italian pronunciation of Poveglia is Phonetically, this translates to Povelia.

SPEAKER_02 43:18

Provilia. Provea, proveglia. Oh yeah. Now see now Provilia, I knew that. It's Provelia. Provelia Island in the Venetian lagoon in Italy. Provelia unsettled reputation is rooted in genuine history. The island used quarantine for quarantining during outbreaks of God of infectious diseases. Oh god, this sounds awful. And later housed medical and psychiatric facility. Oh god, this is awful. Over time, stories developed about plague victims, uh, patients, and supposedly tormented doctor. Modern legends describe voices, screams, and uh apparitions. Access is restricted, which helped make uh how would how do we the island? The island, yeah, uh, and Europe's most mysterious haunted locations. Yeah, I sh I shouldn't. I mean, the podcast would do better if I got words like banana.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

Well, you know, uh if there's any podcasters out there or want to be podcasters, uh, something you should always do is do prep work prior to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

Well, don't try to have your windows installed, do a united way car wash for the good of helping your local community, fly to Rome on Monday, uh go to the Renaissance Festival

SPEAKER_03 44:45

You're going to the Renaissance Festival and then you're flying to Rome. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 44:48

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 44:50

All right. And number one on the cycling.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

Number one. Can you pronounce it? I I got number one.

SPEAKER_03 44:56

On the cycling men of leisure's most haunted places in the world is another one that I've been to, is the Tower of London in London, England. Oh, if you've not been I got London, thank you. If you've not been to the Tower of London, if you go to London, you need to check it out because not only are the crown jewels, the Royals Crown Jewels there, they have rooms in there that are like they're arsenal. And they're, you know, you walk into the room, and literally every space on the wall has like pikes and old flintlock guns and things like this. I mean, just all around the entire room everywhere, except on the ceiling. It's very impressive. But nearly a thousand years ago, uh excuse it. Nearly a thousand years of royal power, imprisonment, political intrigue, and execution have produced one of the world's best-known collection of ghost stories. The most famous alleged apparition is of Anne Boleen, uh, executed at the tower in 1536. Legend says she has appeared near the chapel royal of St. Peter's uh and uh of St. Peter's ad Vincella, and in more re uh more dramatic versions, carrying her severed head. Lady Jane Gray and the mysterious prince in the tower are also associated with supernatural tales. So there you go.

SPEAKER_02 46:31

Those are the twelve most haunted spaces, uh haunted haunted places in the world. According to us. According to us, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:39

Um you may have others. Might be out in Adam's garage as late on a Saturday night. We don't know.

SPEAKER_02 46:48

So um, as we said, those there's no scientific method. Uh the list was just weighing based upon legends and cultures, ghost claims and folklore. So uh there you go. Uh now

Haunted Sites Banter And Travel Ideas

SPEAKER_02 47:04

we'll we'll we'll move on uh to your you better start. Oh wait, wait, oh wait, oh man, I almost blew it. I'm what did you almost blew it? Oh, there it is. You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one. There you go. Nice. Well, take it to Halloween. You best start believing in ghost stories.

SPEAKER_03 47:34

See, that's the music you needed to play while I was talking about the island of the dolls.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 47:41

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 47:42

Those uh, you know, I just watched this thing about Fox Hollow Farms. My wife had me watch it, and it was from like the 90s. This guy took all these people back to his house and he uh killed them. I'll just say that because I was thinking about the rating of the show for a second, but he killed them, but he had mannequins around his house on I was teased Lauren. I said, Oh, you know what? I've ordered all the mannequins, they're on their way to the house. So that's just weird.

SPEAKER_03 48:12

Oh wow. All right, so there we go. We got that list. What's next?

SPEAKER_02 48:17

You, sir, were gonna tell us some of the ghost story television programs that have been to some of the distilleries.

Ghost Shows At Bourbon Distilleries

SPEAKER_03 48:25

Oh, oh, oh, yes. Uh, as I mentioned before, I enjoy um reality TV. You know that because what's the first thing I do when I we get to a hotel room?

SPEAKER_02 48:38

Oh my gosh. Guys, ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, the remote control cannot be grabbed fast enough. We we get into it, we could be on the road for hours. We got the rental car, we're on our way, the door opens up, and it's it's like a kid who wants candy. He's like, he's scouring. And the first time I'm always like, What are you scouring for? On the inside. On the outside, I'm being polite, and then all of a sudden, boom, TV on Josh Gates, mic drop, or history channel, or which is I learned a lot, don't get me wrong. We've uh my Josh Gates' got the best attitude. He's like, and there we were, we were searching for this plate of gold, and we didn't find it.

SPEAKER_03 49:21

But number one, Josh Gates does not have a British accent. I've actually met him in person, uh, no British accent, but he himself has gone to Doll Island and uh the forest in Romania, just so you know. But I was watching one of those shows the other day because and I I just turned the TV on because I like the background music. And when I'm with Adam, it's like, well, maybe if the background music's going, I don't have to pay attention to him. Um just joking, everyone. Um so I was watching a ghost, you know, one of those ghost shows the other day, and they went to a distillery, and they started talking about the ghost stories and that kind of stuff. So I was like, oh, that's cool. So I started looking up different ghost shows that had gone to distilleries that are supposedly haunted, and I thought we'd spend a couple minutes talking about that. Now, obviously, the biggest ghost reality show, if anybody follows any of that, is Taps, um ran for like, I don't know, 12, 13 seasons. These two plumbers uh who were in Rhode Island, actually at the same time I was in Rhode Island, um, who started investigating a ghost. Um, Taps stands for the Atlantic Paranormal Society or something like that. Well, I got to looking and it was really cool. Season seven, episode 23. This aired back in 2011. Taps went and investigated one of your and I's favorite places in Kentucky, Buffalo Trace. They investigated Buffalo Trace um distillery in Frankfurt, Kentucky. And as you are aware, that is the oldest operating distillery in America. Um, and basically, it's funny your shirt, what does your shirt say that you're wearing right now?

SPEAKER_02 51:22

It says the first, the original, the best, Blantons.

SPEAKER_03 51:28

Well, see, the beautiful thing about that is this distillery um was started by Colonel Blanton, whom the fine liquor is named after. And the store ghost story is that he still haunts there. His house was turned into um where they do a lot of the administrative stuff, and he actually died in his house there. And it is believed that his ghost still is roaming the premises, making sure that they're still uh making fine, fine liquor there. Um, but it was really an interesting show, and what you would appreciate, you really need to look this up and watch this episode, is guess who was interviewed on that show?

SPEAKER_02 52:12

Freddie Johnson, based upon the hook in the beginning of the show. Freddie Johnson, uh guy that we've met on more than one occasion.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

Wait, I don't ever get this. Okay, go ahead. I'm just kidding. Well done, Adam. Pat yourself on the back. Not only that, but you wore the shirt, and we hadn't even talked about this before you put the shirt on, so it worked out well for uh for a nice segue. Um, Freddie Johnson, we've uh met him several occasions down when we've rode uh the Bourbon Country Burn. Um he signed, actually, if you look on our and probably Adam's there, that we've got some uh root beer bottles on both here and my uh my shelves that are signed by him. And if we were to go out of this room and around the corner to a bar that I have, across from the bar is a Buffalo Trace barrel head that has been signed by Freddie Johnson. And there's a picture of him and me up there where he's signing that barrel head. So um it's really cool. Um he is in the uh whiskey hall of fame, the only non-distiller that's in there. He's, you know, um he's not a distiller. Uh he produces tours and stuff like that, and he's like the third generation to work for Buffalo Trace. But he's on there and he tells about the story about how um several people were in one of the barrel houses, and this voice from nowhere told this guy to get out. And so he decided he should get out, and he yelled at the two guys with him, and they started leaving the building. And about that time, apparently this big shelf of barrels or something came crashing down, and if they would have stayed there, they would have been crushed. But I thought it was interesting um that he was on there and he told that story. So Buffalo Trace is one. The next one is The Barrel of Booze. Uh, that's what it's it's uh the episode was called. That's in season 10, episode one, it aired back in 2015. This one they investigated Wild Turkey, the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, looking for the ghosts of the founding um family. Again, everyone seems to think the founders of these distilleries are just hanging around, I guess. Um I've been to Wild Turkey. I don't know if you've been to Wild Turkey before. No. Um, I've been there. Really beautiful place. It overlooks this huge ravine. Um, just fantastic, beautiful place. Uh, but that was interesting. And then um of the other ones they've uh they've investigated is Old The Old Crow Distillery. And that was season three, episode nine, and that uh aired in 2016. They went and investigated the abandoned Old Crow Distillery in Kentucky. It's said to be haunted by, again, Dr. James Crow, uh the founder. Um Dr. James Crow and a worker were crushed by a uh freight elevator. And so they went there to see if they could find that. Now, that brings to question one thing, and I don't know this, but if I remember right, I believe the old Crow distillery is now producing under uh Glens Creek. Oh, yeah, I think you're right. Let me look that up real quick. I I believe that's Glens Creek took over the old Crow uh facility and is now producing there. And actually, Glens Creek is like right around the corner uh from Castle and Key, if if memory serves, but I'm just going off of memory here. So but um those are a few of the haunted distilleries um that different ghost adventures had uh had went on. The um there's a lot of other, you know, breweries and things like that that they they've gone to as well, but I just wanted to stick with distilleries.

SPEAKER_02 56:14

No, no problem. I'm looking up the old crow distillery right now, and it's uh assuming you mean the old crow distillery in Frankfurt, Kentucky, the historic one, not the current one operating brand distillery. It's a former distillery in central Kentucky that produced Old Grandad, Bourbon Deluxe, Sunnybrook, and the namesake Old Crow and closed in 1987 after Jim Bean bought the parent company National Distillers. The plant opened in 1872 in Glens Creek. You're absolutely right. Don't don't let anyone ever question your memory, sir. Um, built specifically for the old Crow brand, with construction continuing until the 1880s, next door to the site that became the old Taylor, now Castle and Key. Okay. My gosh, you you this guy, this is why you were a history teacher. Quality reported created uh oh I was gonna say the wrong word. Quality reportedly um crafted the late 1960s when the rebuild changed, setback ratio, and the sour mash. The buildings are still standing and heavily photographed as a rune. Glens Creek Distillery has operated out of parts of the old site. Today the old crow um is made from the same mash bill as Jim Beam, but aged three years instead of four, which is how it lands on the bottom shelf. Uh were you and oh yeah, never mind. It's asking what I want to know.

SPEAKER_03 57:45

So, yeah, I thought that was the case because if you go to Glens Creek, I've been there before, and you go to you know, Castle and Key, and you know, it's beautiful, and you go to down the road to Woodford's, it's beautiful. You go to Glens Creek and you walk in, and it's like their room, their entry room is like the size of my office, and down one side, probably not even that big, they've got you know t-shirts and the usual stuff. And then they've got a long desk um where you walk into, and they actually do tastings right there on this long counter thing, and that's as big as the building is. I mean, as big as the room is, and then you go in the back and it's it's you know, where they do all the distilling, they don't have any air conditioning. They got like the windows open. Um, so it is very different than other other distilleries. So it's kind of funny. Yeah, you go to the really nice one at Castle and Key and beautiful, and then you go around the corner down the road, like maybe a quarter of a mile, and yeah, it's just uh it's interesting. But Glenn's Creek puts out some decent stuff.

SPEAKER_02 58:53

All right, that's what I got. Well, that's wonderful. Um, so um what I will say is this is part one. We are gonna do a listener

Next Episode Tease And New Spotlight Clues

SPEAKER_02 59:04

spotlight here. Um, this is part one. We will have part two when I return. Uh maybe I'll have some some stories from the Venetian lagoon in Italy since I'm going there.

SPEAKER_03 59:16

But um you should stop by and and see the uh yeah, where we used to put people who had the plague and things.

SPEAKER_02 59:25

Now that I know how to say the word Venetian lagoon, I'm I'm I'm a little bit you are going to Venice, aren't you? Yeah, we are, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:31

So you can oh well these are the Venetian, this is the Venetian Lagoon, and these are the canal the Venetian canals, and yeah. Perfect.

SPEAKER_02 59:41

Well, let's be honest, wordsmithing is not my best, but hey, my uh meta glasses that I'm going to wear have Italian translation, and my neighbor speaks fluent Italian, and so I've been practicing a couple times with him, and uh it's pretty cool. He will talk, and in my ears it'll be like, you know, oh, which way are you looking to go and stuff? So it's pretty cool. So you own meta glasses? I do. I do. I why am I not surprised? Well, listen.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:10

I mean, yeah, wait, waiting for you uh get the uh foldable phone there, the full from Apple. We'll see how that goes. Eh, leisure.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:24

All right, let me give you the song, buddy. Give me the song.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:33

You ride along with us every spin. It's your moment now. Listener, it's gonna light.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:51

All right. The listener spotlight for this episode's uh hint are as follows. Early in its development, it was a tactical army base. Original street plans were royal in design, it became a major port for labor. The city pioneered the concept of borrowing, and the city loves its bugs. This is a good one. There you go. Loves its bugs, pioneered the concept of borrowing. It was a major became a major excuse me, became a major port for labor. I think it could be St. Louis.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:44

I don't know. I mean Anheuser Bush. That's pretty far away from the river when we were there. Yeah, it's not close to the river.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:58

Yeah, it's not St. Louis. Okay. Adam says it's not St. Louis. Ooh. Uh now Adam's reconsidering his answers.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:11

No, no, no. I'll have to do some research. Um City of Bugs, huh?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:16

No, the city loves its bugs. Not the city of bugs.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:21

City loves its bugs? Mm-hmm. They do have science setters in St. Louis. I've been there.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:28

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:29

And they do have bugs there. Yeah, but do they have enough bugs that that you're over? You're just trying to tease me that it's I was not teasing anything.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:42

I was merely asking you if it was St. Louis. Wow. Okay. Well, think about it. I will have and until you get back to uh there you go. Put you and the rest of your uh your crew on answering this while they're sailing the Mediterranean.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:02

Yes, I'm gonna say, guys, listen, I've got this pre pre pre-recorded advanced copy of my show, and I need you to listen to this last part. Could it be St. Louis? And we could all get out our phones and and look and do research.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:18

Well, I'm just you know, could be could be St. Louis, could be anywhere.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:22

Gosh, is this the time that you're trying to pull the wool over my eyes? I don't know. I've been waiting patiently, thinking to myself, it's coming. This could be the week. This could be it.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:33

All right, hold on. Or or did I pick some place you might be traveling to just for fun? Oh. I'm just yeah, I've done that in the past when people have yeah, when I went to Omaha. Yeah, well, there you go. So something to work on. We'll see. But uh the next episode, the Halloween version, is gonna be uh pretty good. I think if anybody remembers our last Halloween episode, uh Adam created via his AI assistant uh a Halloween story.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:08

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:09

And I think he might be releasing no guarantees, but might really be releasing the second chapter of his Halloween story. Yes. Uh I think we have some other uh uh haunting tidbits and uh Halloween fun facts and things of that nature to come up. So the second episode should be pretty good. And uh we're getting to that time or be looking ahead towards the cycling men of leisure wish list for Christmas. It's not just for men, it's for women too. Uh, and it's not just cycling, we include all sorts of different types of leisure activities. So uh that's coming up here, and uh maybe at the end of the year we'll have another little uh little surprise for you. So we'll have to.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:55

I love it. I love it. Um well in that case, uh we will hope that somewhere, somehow, some way it was a great day for a bike ride. For a bike ride. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:17

Thank you for riding along with Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. However, you travel, find the leisure your way. See you next time.