Throw Another 'Squatch on the Barby

One of my favorite places in Central California is the Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton, CA. It is a small, unassuming shack deep in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The steep terrain and moist environment suggests that this could be the haunt of a small number of bigfoots. Mike Rugg, curator and owner of the museum wholeheartedly agrees.

Mike Rugg in his natural habitat

Mike has a good corner location, and it would be hard to miss his establishment when driving Hwy 9. If you miss the sign, just look for the life-sized replicas of sasquatches displayed next door. You'd probably see the 7 foot chainsaw carvings of bigfoots first, but different people see different things...

Everybody hugs the 'squatch

The Bigfoot Discovery Museum will be hosting a Bigfoot BBQ on Sunday, June 7th, 2009. In spite of the name, bigfoots will not be barbecued, but rather the normal animals and veggie delicacies. The fun and feasting is scheduled for 12 pm to 4 pm, though I imagine it'll be hard to get folks to leave on time.

Speaking at the event will be David Paulides, author of The Hoopa Project, a recent tome on one investigator's research into bigfoot encounters on and near the Hoopa Indian Reservation in Northern California. Though fairly new on the scene, Mr. Paulides has done extensive research in Six Rivers National Forest, particularly in the Bluff Creek region. Mr. Paulides will be promoting his new bigfoot book, Tribal Bigfoot. He has police-level training in investigative techniques, and certainly has formidable interviewing skills (as well as a moustache) from which Magnum PI could learn a thing or two.

I have only briefly spoken to Mr. Paulides in person, but he was kind and professional, and seemed sincere in his ambitions. Certainly he is giving a better-than-average "go" of it, publishing two books and working on a third in the short amount of time he has been active in the bigfoot community. He has the gear, the drive, the time, and the "bigfoot bug". (All the important ingredients...) I look forward to reviewing the data he brings to the table over the next few years, and I sincerely wish him the best of luck. Here's a link to his site, North America Bigfoot Search (no relation beyond being nomenclaturely coincidental to my site, http://www.northamericanbigfoot.com/).

The event's flyer

If you live within driving distance of Felton, CA (a hop, skip, and a jump east of Santa Cruz, CA), it would be well worth your time to come by. Mike has an impressive collection of bigfoot books, data, stories, and collectibles on display at the museum. His cast collection is not too shabby either. I have donated several casts to his collection, and many are on display. He even holds a tooth that he suspects might be from a sasquatch!

Mike is an excellent artist in his own right. I recently bought a piece of art from Mike depicting Roger Patterson, Bob Gimlin, and Patty together for a portrait. I didn't know it was Mike's work before buying it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out who the artist was. Mike will soon be added to the "artists" section of my website, http://www.northamericanbigfoot.com/.

Mike and Cliff bringing "sexy" back to bigfooting.

I will not be able to attend this event, but have been to numerous other gatherings at the museum. They are always a lot of fun, with lots of great people and bigfoot talk. If you are able to attend, I'd love to hear about it. Be sure to drop me an email with your photos and reviews!

Below is a video of Mike at his museum, talking about why he is qualified to run a bigfoot museum. This is one of many, many videos Mike has compiled for his "video blog".




If you go, be sure to tell Mike you read about it here!