Many of you may not know the name Rose Eckhoff but working behind the scenes and out of the spotlight over the years has afforded her many opportunities to travel throughout the nation and the world. She has worked investigations paranormal, UFO and Bigfoot investigations coast to coast and recently arrived back stateside from Transylvania. She had a break during some of her recent travels to talk with me about some of her interests, projects and experiences.
 

Rose, what got you interested in the paranormal?

My paranormal interest started when I was around 12 or 13 years old. I was living in Leesburg, Florida which is about 75 miles or so from Cape Canaveral. The flights to the moon were in full throttle back in the late 60’s and it's all anyone talked about. One night I had been babysitting & the parents arrived home late. They sent me home by taxi. This was around midnight and their house was a couple of miles out of town on a dirt road. Not much was outside of town back then, lots of orange groves and cow pastures. I remember the cab stopping suddenly in the middle of the road. The cab driver was pointing out of the window and yelling, “Do you see that?!” I saw a silver, disc shaped object hovering above the field. It had colored lights going off & on around the perimeter of it. I don't remember hearing any noise and it was perfectly still. This was one time in my life where I was more fascinated than scared. I rolled down the window and was half hanging out of the car trying to get the best view I could.

The cab driver pulled me back into the car & made me roll up the window. He was one scared cookie! All of a sudden the saucer had some sparks coming out of the bottom of it. It went straight up into the night sky and disappeared right before our eyes. The cabbie (a young guy) was pretty shook up and didn’t know what to do. I had the cabbie call my father via the CB radio and told him what happened. My dad put a call into the Civil Defense right away. By the time we got to my house the Civil Defense was calling back. We were told it was a strayed satellite that we had seen and not to worry about it. Right! I'd seen a satellite before not only in books but also at the NASA Space Center. I told my dad they weren't telling the truth but he told me to forget it.

The next morning two gentleman showed up at our door waving NASA credentials. I was told not to discuss what I had seen with anyone. If I did my dad would be put into jail. That freaked my dad out and he told me to listen to what they were saying. I promised to be a good American citizen and keep quiet. (But we all know you can’t keep a young teenager quiet!) I didn't know anything about the “Men In Black” during the late 1960’s. All I remember about them is that they were tall, slender, wore matching suits and were wearing sun glasses. I know they drove up in a car but I don't remember anything special about their vehicle. Dad would hardly ever talk about my escapade into the unknown.

I did talk him into driving down that dirt road one Sunday morning. The cow field had three, round burnt spots in the grass. The three spots formed a triangle shape. Dad just kept looking at me and shaking his head. I knew then that he believed what I had seen. I never lied to my dad. We had a good rapport between father & daughter. He just reminded me that we weren't supposed to discuss it. The memory of that night has never left me. And no, there was no missing time. I don't have any unusual scars or scoop marks, no fear of the dark or an excessive need for salt in my diet.

My UFO encounter was not my only unusual experience. When I was 19 I saw my first ghost! I had just finished nursing school and moved out on my own. My room-mate was a gal from the hospital. We were thrilled to be independent, career women. We rented this cute, little two-bedroom, one bath cottage. Both of us had our own room for the first time in our lives. No sisters to share with. It was glorious! A few weeks after moving in we started noticing odd occurrences. Things like footsteps, objects being moved around and the like. I had my dad (trusty dad!) come over and check things out. He said the home was old and was just “settling.” We continued to hear odd noises plus when we’d light the furnace you could hear someone blowing out the flame. After I had called dad over for the third or fourth time he kind of got aggravated with us. I remember him saying that if we weren't mature enough to live on our own we should both move back home! No way! I'd had a taste of “freedom” and wasn't about to give it up.

One day we were in the kitchen and heard a rocking noise coming from the living room. We tiptoed to the doorway and to our amazement saw an old man in our rocking chair! This was no hazy or translucent figure sitting there! This was like looking at a regular person! At first we thought someone had just walked into our house. The old man was wearing dungarees, a red flannel shirt with sleeves worn at the elbows and an old, fishing hat with hooks in it. I remember looking at my room-mate in pure shock. We looked back at the chair, which was still rocking but with no visible person in it! The next thing I knew I was standing outside – I don’t even remember running out of the door! Sue and I stayed outside trying to figure out what to do. We couldn’t call our parents because we would have gotten the “acting immature” lecture. We didn't have enough money for a motel, so, that night, we checked every inch of that house from top to bottom! Needless to say, we spent a sleepless night trying to figure out what to do.

The next morning we bolstered up our courage and explained to the landlord what had happened. He showed us some pictures and asked us to pick out who we saw. The picture was right there in front of us! Turned out the man (our ghost) built the house we were renting, lived in it & died in it. Our landlord told us he was having trouble keeping the place rented. The old gentleman kept coming back to check on his house and scaring away his tenants. I was so relieved that I wasn't seeing things – and a bit fascinated by the whole situation! My room-mate just wouldn't live with a ghost. We both ended up moving because I couldn't afford the rent alone. My only regret is that I didn't know anything about spirit photography or EVP back then. What fun I could have had. The house is now home to slightly, handicapped senior citizens these days. Wonder if they've met the ghost?!
 

Whom or what have been your primary influences in researching and investigating paranormal occurences?

Dave & Sharon Oester of the International Ghost Hunter's Society (IGHS) have been my biggest influence. They took me under their wing and taught me everything they know about paranormal investigation. I owe them so much for their mentorship, encouragement and friendship.

Another person who helped me along the way is Michael Gavin of the Central Florida Ghost Society in Orlando. Michael gave me the opportunity to become very involved with the running of CFGS. It was a wonderful experience and provided the opportunity to do a lot of networking in the paranormal field.

Brian & Jennifer Schill, IPRF (Aliquippa, PA.) are wonderful friends who help keep me focused on my paranormal life. They support my “supernatural” travels and writing endeavors!

Shirley Tisdale (Nome, Alaska) is a gifted lady with medium talents. We have gone on several ghost-related research trips together. Shirley is always ready to go out and seek the truth!
 

How have your interests changed from the time you started investigating paranormal events to now?

Today I am more focused on specific areas of the paranormal. In the beginning I was reading everything I could about many, many different topics. I call that time my “search for discovery” days. I finally decided to do research on topics I'm the most interested in: ghosts & hauntings, UFO's & Aliens, Bigfoot and Lake/Sea Monsters top the list. I love Cryptozoology and anything that’s a tangible possibility. Something that you can see, hear, smell, touch or feel! I also hold onto a lot more data now. I have a couple of filing cabinets chock full of research in my storage unit. My friends call me a “Paranormal Packrat.”
 

What are your current interests in the field of paranormal research?

Well, I still love going out and doing ghost photography. I know it's a flawed science but I love trying to figure what's in my photos that I didn’t see when I snapped the picture. I use EVP a lot. I'm not very mechanical so don't take a lot of equipment with me. My EMF meter and I are still best friends. I take Clyde (Yes, I named my meter!) everywhere. Clyde, my tape recorder, a disposable camera or two & my digital camera travel the U.S. together. I think paper & pencil are still the best tools ever invented. I write a lot more now than I used to. I enjoy meeting people and hearing about their experiences then putting their stories into print.
 

What current projects are you working on in these fields of interest?

I’m in the midst of working on a family-oriented, paranormal travel guide. I'm so lucky in that I work as a Travel Nurse. This allows me to pretty much go anywhere I want to travel to. I'm personally visiting every place that will be featured. The book research is taking longer than I thought it would. I'm having a fabulous time collecting it though!!! I'm also putting together some paranormal-themed, travel articles on specific locals I've spent some time in. I just finished attending the UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico. Next, I'll be heading to Willow Creek, California for Bigfoot Days.

I’m also looking into getting medical information out there for physicians, nurses, counselors, etc for abductees. There's no established medical training or network for abductees to go to. I'd love to put on a medical-based conference with Darrel Simms and a few other folk who know about alien implants, radiation burns, etc. I know it would be a valuable learning experience.

What has been your most memorable experience in the field of paranormal research?

There have been a couple of them. I went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for an IGHS conference a few years ago. A group of us were on the edge of the battlefield one night. We were all just standing there & talking when all of a sudden I smelled this horrible stench of old blood! It was so bad I was gagging! Four or five other people in the group had this happen to them at the same time as I did. No one else in the group smelled anything. Turned out that all of us who had smelled the blood were nurses! That was kind of fascinating in a creepy sort of way.

Shirley Tisdale and I were touring Louisiana over the Christmas holidays. This was before hurricane Katrina. We decided to drive up to St. Francisville, Louisiana and see if we could get a room at the Myrtles Plantation. I like to tempt fate once in awhile. Anyway we each got a room for the night. Shirley’s room was haunted by a soldier who seems to like the ladies. She got a free massage from him that night! He didn't visit me and I love massages! In my room there were two dolls sitting on the mantle. I had to turn them around because their glass eyes gave me the creeps. All in all I slept well and nothing to my knowledge nothing happened. The next morning the guests across the hall asked me how my night had been. When I told them I had slept great they appeared shocked. Seems my room had kept them up all night. They told me there was loud talking by several voices and that they could hear people walking around in the room. I missed it all! A party in my room & I slept through it!

By the way, I sleep great in haunted rooms! It’s like the spirits know I already believe in them so they don't bother me. This doesn’t always help my research but I do get a good nights rest.



What are your favorite paranormal places to investigate?

Oh, such a fun and easy question! I love searching out old hotels and inns! I adore all of the antique furniture and Victorian architecture! My favorites are ones that used to be hospitals. They are always haunted! I also like researching restaurants! I love to eat so it's a great combination: Ghosts and Grub! Hey, great name for a book don't you think?

For Bigfoot sightings I like mountain passes with either rest stops or a ranger station on the side of the road. Rangers will give you wonderful stories if there are no other people about. Otherwise they won't talk about it. My best ranger story was in Lake Tahoe. All I can say is that Bigfoot is alive & well there plus getting into peoples garbage cans!

For UFO sightings you can go anywhere that’s near a military base or nuclear power plant! I’ve also spent some time out in Area 51. Definitely an interesting spot. I've been told the secret base, that doesn't exist, has been closed. Not true. Activity going on out there as we speak!

What do you feel is the effect of "paranormal reality television" programming on the general public?

The TV programs have captured the public’s interest by storm which is good. I feel like it allows people to question without ridicule. However, I think there's too much sensationalism. People don't really see all of the hours and hard work that are put into serious research. I do watch the specials on Discovery, Travel Channel, History Channel, etc. I seldom watch the reality shows. Most of my friends & co-workers watch everything on TV that's related to the paranormal. It’s like they're on a quest for knowledge!

In reference to the recent upswing in belief in the paranormal where do you see Parasychology in 5 years?

More and more people will be believers. More governmental and military research monies will go into fields such as remote viewing, time travel, exploring other dimensions, etc. These programs are in existence now but you will see much more coming to the forefront. Also, I think the government is close to disclosure on UFO’s & aliens. They seem to be preparing us via movies & TV commercials. The energizer bunny is now being picked up by aliens on its latest TV commercial. Bigfoot’s existence will be soon exposed also. He’s doing commercials now too!

You will also see many people who are frightened by the 2012 prophecy due to the ending of the Mayan calendar. People will become even more spiritual and looking toward the paranormal for answers.



Do you have any advice to give to readers?

Read and learn everything you can about your area of interest. Always, always ask questions. Don’t believe everything you hear. You have to pick and choose what you want to believe. There’s nothing wrong with having your own opinion. Go to conferences and network with other people of like interest. Don’t be afraid to share you paranormal interests with others. Your friends & co-workers will start coming to you with their own supernatural stories! It happens to me all of the time! Document your paranormal experiences. A lot of people use a diary format. Use whatever works for you. If there's a local MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) or paranormal group you’re interested in join it! It's a wonderful way to share your interests with like minds!

Rose Eckhoff, CGH, CPI
3936 South Semoran Boulevard
# 469
Orlando, Florida 32822
E-Mail: GhostLadyTraveler@yahoo.com
 

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