Brendan Jesus
Welcome back, fellow treasure hunters! We have a great episode of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch this week, but before we get there, we have some interesting Ufology news to go over. A new/ish organization called Skywatcher has been making its rounds on UfoTwitter but not for good reasons. Their goal was, seemingly, to bring experts in many fields together in the name of proper disclosure. Sounds great, right? Wrong!
A recent tweet from Skywatcher sparked controversy when they put out a request for a full-time producer to lead content production. This has led many to wonder if Skywatcher is truly focused on ‘D’islcosure or if they plan on falling into Elizondo-like disclosure where they exploit the mouth-breathers in Ufology to fork over 20 bucks to watch “experts” “disclose” information that’s been readily available for years/already debunked.
On top of this Skywatcher debacle, there’s the Sol Foundation. The Sol Foundation is a “think tank” established to advance the understanding of UAPs. Sol has basically become a, so far, pedo-free MUFON where they charge exorbitant prices to a membership that results in bupkis. A few Ufologists called them out on Twitter, and Sol Foundation went on a blocking spree. To boot, they even started blocking Ufologists who haven’t said a single negative thing about them. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound very ‘D’isclosure friendly to me.
That’s all I have on that front. Now, it’s time for us to head out to Utah and see if we’re any closer to the Mystery…at Blind Frog Ranch.
Poachers BEWARE
Duane Ollinger, Chad Ollinger, Charlie Boy, and James Keenan huddle around a pickup truck as they prepare to send a drone in the air. Poachers are on the ranch, and they plan to scare them off, at the very least. Chad sets up a drone with an infrared camera, and the drone takes flight. It takes little to no time for Chad to set eyes on two poachers who are on the south side of the creek–this is Blind Frog Ranch property.
The two poachers hear the drone and take off running. Realizing they’re no match for the drone’s speed, the two men pick up the pace and split off from each other. By the time Duane and Charlie boy make it to where the poachers are, they’ve already crossed over into BLM territory. All’s not lost as Chad was able to get a clear video of one of their faces.
Duane heads into Salt Lake City and it’s time for some closure. He’s at the courthouse where he’ll be coming back face-to-face with some of the poachers. Duane heads inside and meets with his lawyer. The cameras are not allowed inside but Duane comes out with a huge grin on his face, “Went better than expected,” he says. The courts found the poachers guilty of forging false mining claims and are legally not allowed to step foot back on the ranch. It could also result in jail time.
Charlie Boy’s Subplot
Throughout Season 3, there has been this small subplot surrounding Charlie Boy and an apparent scaled serpent creature that came out of the Water Pit. Before we get some answers on this front, Charlie Boy walks around the property to remove trash left by the poachers. That’s when he sees a freshly broken limb from a tree, “That’s fresh.” Charlie Boy notes how the ground is unnaturally flattened, which he presumes is due to high traffic of some kind in the area. And then he finds something that cracks the whole case wide open: a dead deer.
The deer lies still, unburdened by the troubles of a prey’s life. There is no bullet hole, and its neck is snapped in half. Interestingly, the deer is still soft. A patch of hair is missing, and Charlie Boy notices the deer’s blue skin–that’s not natural. There’s also a wet slime covering the deer. Charlie Boy sees a bulge in the deer’s neck. He uses his knife to fish around and pulls out a large, conical fang. It’s not a snake or bear fang. Charlie Boy also notices that the deer was dragged to this location FROM the beaver pond!
Everyone, minus Duane, meets up at the Miner’s Shack to discuss their various dealings. Charlie Boy tells Chad and James about the tooth and the deer. James doesn’t think the tooth belongs to any mammal. Then, Duane shows up to give the team some much-needed good news. They are delighted to hear of the poachers. After hearing about the deer, Duane says he knows someone who can help them get to the bottom of it.
But until then, the team needs something to do. James says they should go check Mosby’s Creek again to see what the water situation is like. If the Sink is dry, Duane can start drilling again.
The Sink Runs Dry
Chad, James, and Ryan Skinner head out to Mosby’s Sink. They’re delighted to find out that the Sink is completely dry. This should mean it’s time to start drilling on the ranch.
Charlie Boy’s Subplot Pt. II
Emery Smith, biomedical investigator and former scientist for the United States Air Force, shows up on the ranch. Charlie Boy fills him in on everything he’s found. He and Duane take Emery to the deer’s body. Emery says the deer’s spine has multiple fractures and that the decomposition is being accelerated by something.
(The editing and pacing of this episode are awful, so to make things easier, I’m going to finish Emery’s scenes now to avoid the whiplash of back-and-forths from this episode.)
Emery goes to the Water Pit and takes a sample. He plans to check the microbiology of the water with the hopes of finding something that tells him the type of creatures that reside deep in the pit. Later, Emery sits with Duane and Charlie Boy at the Miner’s Shack where they take a preliminary look at the water sample. He finds tons of bacteria and parasites, specifically Ascaris–a parasite that needs a host.
Signs
Chad, James, and Ryan are still exploring the area of Mosby’s Sink. James takes them on a detour before they head home to show them something important. They come to a clearing with a rock face full of ancient petroglyphs. It tells a fascinating story, specifically one of animals, giant serpents, and underground water. Could this depict water underneath the ranch?
Drill, Baby, Drill!!
All four men meet up at the Miner’s Shack. Chad gives Duane the good news regarding Mosby’s Sink, saying that it’s finally dry. Duane is delighted and says they will get a rathole rig into the Energy Zone at the location where James noticed the chamber with the magnetometer. They’re going to have to dig roughly 150 feet.
There is one issue: location. The rathole rig will have to make a long trek through rough terrain, resulting in a steep downhill descent. Thankfully, the rathole rig makes it, but not without some tense moments of will it/won’t it?
James uses his magnetometer to find the chamber and the results are the same as last! They get the rathole rig set up right over the chamber and the drilling begins. Suddenly, harsh storm clouds darken the sky. Charlie Boy makes note that the rathole rig is a 100-foot-tall lightning rod. James pulls out his lightning detector, which can monitor lightning as far as 25 miles away.
As the drilling begins, so does the storm. Loud thunder BOOMS closer and closer. Two miles. One and a half miles. One mile. They must call it a day and start fresh tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
We rarely get Charlie Boy-focused episodes. He gets a few minutes per episode at most, but I loved how he was the focus of over half the episode. Charlie Boy is a singularly focused guy who does what he needs to and gives it complete attention. His attention to detail is commendable. And he’s just a blast to listen to.
Everything else in this episode is fine. The trek of the rathole rig to the drill site is tense but it’s ultimately low stakes. Season 3 Episode 6 doesn’t do much to push the story forward. What it does well is providing a tipping point to Charlie Boy’s Season 3 arc and I appreciate it for that and that alone.
