Latest / Curious Cat - where science & supernatural collide / Haunted Cars, Roads & Spooky Car Noises

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Haunted Cars, Roads & Spooky Car Noises · Curious Cat - where science & supernatural collide

• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to Curious Cat, especially in the run-up to Halloween.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: We have a really fun show for you next week.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He's a new author that I'll be interviewing, and he has a book about cryptids.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: But enough teasing.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Last week we were talking about death and dark tourism.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: So vacationing with death and dark places.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: And we also visited the high seas because I had this weird fixation on what happens to bodies if you die in a cruise ship.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if you missed last week, jump back.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's only like a 25-minute lesson, but it preps you for this week because we're not stopping at boats.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to know about some of the haunted cars in the world and haunted roadways.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into it.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I found a lot of information about this subject from Yahoo Autos.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna find links to their uh articles in the show notes, so be sure to give them some love.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Number one on their list is the Phantom Hitchhiker of Route 66.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: The legend of the Phantom Hitchhiker is one of the most enduring ghost stories in American folklore.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: A famous version takes place on Route 66, where drivers report picking up a woman dressed in white who asks for a ride.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: As the driver nears her destination, a cemetery, she mysteriously vanishes from the car.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Some drivers later learn that the woman matches the description of a young girl who died years earlier on that stretch of road.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Whether an eerie coincidence or a genuine haunting, this legend continues to give chills to those who travel America's highways.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, James Dean's cursed Porsche, Little Bastard.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: James Dean's Porsche 550 Spider, nicknamed Little Bastard, is perhaps the most infamous cursed car in history.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Dean tragically died in a crash while driving it, and the vehicle's wreckage soon gained a sinister reputation.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: After the accident, parts of the car were used in other vehicles, all of which were involved in fatal crashes or serious accidents.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very glad that when a guy in Monroe, Washington, offered my husband to be a part investor in a piece of Little Bastard, the Doug said, uh, yeah, no.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: The remains of Little Bastard, this article says, later vanished during transportation in the 1960s and have never been found.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: This disappearance only adds to the legend of this cursed vehicle.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, I think that they have found pieces of it based on serial numbers.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, the ghost Camaro of High Point, North Carolina.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Boy, we did a little bit of tooling around the Pacific Northwest in our friend Alex's Camaro, but this is North Carolina.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: In the 1970s, a teenager named Eddie lost his life in a tragic car crash while driving his black Camaro in High Point, North Carolina.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: To this day, there are reports of a ghostly black Camaro speeding along the highway.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers have seen its headlights in their rearview mirrors, only to have the car vanish when they attempt to catch up.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Local lore suggests Eddie's spirit remains tethered to his beloved car, eternally searching for a way home.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: 4.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Clinton Road, America's most haunted highway.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Located in West Milford, New Jersey, Clinton Road is notorious for its paranormal activity and eerie encounters.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers have reported being followed by a mysterious ghost truck that disappears suddenly.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Others claim to see spectral children and eerie figures standing by the roadside.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: One popular story involves a ghostly boy at a bridge who throws coins back to visitors who toss coins into the water.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's the legends or the chilling atmosphere, Clinton Road remains a hot spot for supernatural enthusiasts.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, the haunted car of Rose Hill Cemetery.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: In Chicago, Rose Hill Cemetery is said to be haunted by a black car that circles the area at night.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Local legends claim this mysterious vehicle belongs to a former caretaker who died under unusual circumstances, but still watches over the cemetery.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Witnesses have seen headlights glowing in the distance only to discover the car disappears when they approach.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: The ghostly presence is of a black car and adds another layer of intrigue to this historic graveyard.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: 6.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: The Curse of the Golden Eagle.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Known as the most evil car in America, the 1964 Dodge 330 nicknamed Golden Eagle has a dark reputation.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Originally used as a police car in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, its reputation grew after three officers who drove it died in murder suicides.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Later, private owners reported bizarre incidents and mysterious deaths associated with the car.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Even after it was dismantled, those who came into contact with its parts continued to experience misfortune.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: The golden eagle remains a symbol of dark forces on wheels.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I can't help but think of Stephen King, and I wonder if that had something to do with the seed of his book Christine.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, we touched upon this a couple episodes ago.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Resurrection Mary of Archer Avenue.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Resurrection Mary is one of Chicago's most famous ghost stories.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers traveling along Archer Avenue have reported picking up a young woman in white who asks for a ride home.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: She directs them to Resurrection Cemetery before vanishing from the car.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: This story has persisted since the 1930s, and many believe Mary's spirit remains attached to the road where she lost her life in a tragic accident while returning from a dance.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: In Switzerland, Belgian Tunnel drivers have reported encounters with a ghostly old woman who mysteriously appears in their cars.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: The figure dressed in old-fashioned clothing sometimes warns driver of an impending accident before vanishing.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: The story has circulated since the 1980s, and some believe she is a protective spirit trying to save lives on the dangerous road.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I was just about to say to you, listener, maybe we should put some salt in our vehicles, but now that we know that some ghosts warn us of danger, I kind of don't want to do that.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Number nine, the Black Volga.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is a tale of fear in Eastern Europe.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: During the Cold War era, stories of a cursed Black Volga limousine haunted Eastern Europe.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: According to the legend, the car was driven by mysterious figures, and anyone who saw it would soon disappear or die.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: The tale often included children being abducted by the vehicle never to be seen again.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: While widely considered a myth, the legend of the black Volga created a wave of fear and suspicion that lasted for decades.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Number 10, and rounding out the list, is the haunted hearse of Tennessee.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: In Tennessee, a haunted hearse is said to patrol rural roads at night.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Witnesses report seeing a speeding hearse with no visible driver.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Some believe the phantom vehicle appears at the site of past accidents, while others claim it chases unsuspecting motorists before vanishing into thin air.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: The hearse has become a symbol of death itself, evoking fear in those who drive these isolated roads.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: These stories of haunted cars and ghostly roads blur the lines between legend and reality.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, these tales remind us of the mysteries that still surround the open road.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: So the next time you're driving at night, keep an eye on your rear view mirror.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: You never know who or what might be following you.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I can't end this episode without mentioning some spookalicious roadways.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: The Hartford, as in the Hartford Insurance, they had a blog post written by Allie Johnson, posted, um, she posted an article that it's titled America's Most Haunted Roads, Nine Spooky Drives Across the Country.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: And she writes this: Buckle up and take a ride with us through the history and legends behind nine of America's most haunted roads.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Driving can be scary on any road if you run into bad weather, she says, debris or an aggressive driver, but some roads have a reputation for frightening encounters that are a bit more otherworldly.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Think floating orbs, ghostly hitchhikers, and demonic dogs.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Some of these roads have been the scenes of serious auto crashes or other real-life tragedies.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Others have earned their spooky reputations from urban legends, local lore, and word-of-mouth tales from drivers.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Buckle up and take a ride with us through the history and legends.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Shades of Death Road in New Jersey.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Shades of Death Road is a twisty seven-mile stretch in Warren County, New Jersey that winds past Ghost Lake where you can take a detour if you dare.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Travelers on Kelly Road, nicknamed Mysterious Mile in Ohio, Pennsylvania, have reported all kinds of strange occurrences.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Some motorists say their cars have inexplicably stalled, leaving them stranded on the creepy road at night.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, that's terrifying.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Others swear they've heard a ghostly carriage flipping over and passengers faintly screaming, echoes of a tragic accident from the 1800s.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Those who dare to drive the first mile of this road might want to leave Sparky and Princess at home.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Legend has it that animals in the car will suddenly go berserk due to an ancient curse.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Nicknamed the Devil's Highway and Highway to Hell, U.S.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Route 666 got a name change to U.S.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Route 491 in 2003.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: The official recommendation for the name change from the Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah State Departments of Transportation stated that the road was the site of many accidents, that 666 carries the stigma of being the mark of the beast, and that some travelers avoided the route due to the fear that the devil controls events along U.S.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Route 666.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: But the old name, which is stuck as a nickname to this day, isn't the only creepy aspect of this desert road.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers have reported supernatural sightings along Route 666, including a pack of hellhounds chasing vehicles and a black ghost car that tries to run drivers off the road at night.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Boy Scout Lane in Wisconsin.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: On this lonely dirt road in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, urban legend has it that in the 1950s a troop of Boy Scouts disappeared.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Some versions of the story say they died in a forest fire after someone dropped a lantern during a camping trip.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Others tell a tale of murder at the hands of a bus driver or a troop leader.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Local lore has it that travelers on this road sometimes hear Boy Scouts laughing in the distance, perhaps sitting around a ghostly campfire off in the woods.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: There have also been reports of a ghost bus traveling the road and mysterious handprints appearing on car windows.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, Route 44, Massachusetts.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: A section of U.S.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Route 44 in Massachusetts is reputed to be home to the redheaded hitchhiker of Route 44.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: This mysterious man is always looking for a ride and has been described as a bearded redhead with vacant black or creepy-looking eyes, wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, and some work boots.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: He summons drivers, usually those traveling alone, with his thumb out, then gets into the vehicle and remains completely silent, even if the driver tries to engage in friendly conversation.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: At some point, the driver always looks over to find that he has vanished.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: But you don't hear a lot about men hitchhiking ghosts, do you?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or take a ridge road in California.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you can muster the courage to drive this twisty two-lane road in Montecito, California, you should know the legend of the three sisters.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: During the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s, highway bandits murdered three nuns who had gone on a mission trip bearing candles, Bibles, and food, according to a local legend.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Today the ghosts of the three nuns, known as Las Tres Hermanas, are said to appear along the side of this road in their black habits holding hands.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers report seeing the apparitions with glowing faces and bright blue eyes by the side of the road at night.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you go there during the morning, though, there is a fantastic breakfast to be had at the pharmacy.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Deadman's Curve, Ohio.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: This stretch of road known as Deadman's Curve in Claremont County, Ohio, is not curved today.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: But the area where state routes 125 and 222 meet near Amelia, Ohio was once the site of an infamously dangerous sharp curve atop a hill.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: In the fall of 1969, the state widened and straightened the road.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: But according to local lore, the accidents didn't stop.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: The following year, it's reported that five teens in an impala were hit by another driver going 100 miles per hour.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Tragically, there was only one survivor.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: The details of that crash are unclear, but since then, drivers have reported a faceless hitchhiker standing by the side of the road.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And some have even seen a ghostly impala with no driver.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: Mount Misery Road in New York.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: This mysterious road in Huntington, New York on Long Island runs through a wooded area parallel to Sweet Hollow Road, another infamously haunted road less than a mile away.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Not far away sits the village of Amityville, the setting of Amityville horror books and the movies.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: Mount Misery Road itself is the subject of a related horror film, Amityville Mount Misery Road, about a couple who decide to go ghost hunting on the reportedly cursed road and then find they can't get out.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Many of the hauntings reported around this road involve local lore about an old asylum that burned down with patients trapped inside.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers report seeing an apparition that seems to be one of those doomed patients, a woman in white who will jump in front of your car at night.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, she won't jump in front of my car because I am not driving down that road.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Ghost Road, Georgia.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: In the tiny town of Brooklyn, Georgia, a rough dirt road called Railroad Bed Road is known to locals as Ghost Road.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Those who dare to drive it at night report seeing mysterious glowing orbs floating in the dark.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: A local man whose brother invited him to take a drive down the road one night became so intrigued by the ghostly lights that he made a documentary titled The Legend of Ghost Road due to the terrifying car trouble he experienced one night, in which he vowed never to go back if he made it out alive, and he refuses to return to the road.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: The spooky sightings go beyond mysterious lights.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Drivers have reported seeing ghost dogs and a headless phantom railroad worker who was beheaded in a train accident many years ago.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: She writes this keep safe from scary run-ins on the road.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you want to visit or steer clear of the spooky roads this Halloween season, remember that nothing's scarier than driving uninsured or underinsured.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: Car insurance from the Hartford can help make sure you're covered in case you have an unwelcome encounter on one of America's most haunted roads or anywhere else your travels take you.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: And also, um, if you want to experience any of these roadways that she mentioned in the article, which is linked in the show notes, be sure to click the link and you can drive them virtually.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Give it a go.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: If your car, though, has been making strange noises or giving off unusual smells lately, or there are blinking lights as you drive, you might think it's haunted, but you know what?
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Odds are you're overdue for some scheduled maintenance on your car.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So here's some explanations for spooky sounds.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: That screeching, yeah, high-pitch squeals often mean your brake pads are worn out or your belts are loose, so get those checked out.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Clanking, loud banging or rattling under the hood usually points to a broken suspension or loose parts in general.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: Groaning noises when you're turning often signal low power steering fluid or a failing wheel bearing.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a glowing check engine light on your dashboard, it's an electrical or sensor alert.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a spirit visiting your dashboard.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's meant to visit maybe the local Jiffy lube.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: If you've got burning smells coming off your car, odd odors, they usually indicate hot brakes, leaking oil, or burning belts.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Soft hissing after you turn off the engine typically means a coolant is leaking.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: The coolant will leak and then hiss onto a hot part of your car.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to decorate, though, your beloved car for Halloween, I have a short video from TikTok linked in the show notes to inspire your creation.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Until next week, stay curious and safe behind the wheel.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: I love you.