Feeling of a presence while camping in the ruins of the old Rainbow Lodge
A caller from Mesa, Arizona, tells Art Bell that in about 1976 they and their father camped in the burned ruins of the old Rainbow Lodge near the Navajo Reservation. After putting out their campfire, both felt a presence. The father, described as a preacher, offered a prayer. The caller says the feeling eventually faded and they went to sleep. No one saw anything, and the caller offers no firm cause.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1993.mp3”, starting at 2:30:03). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, speaking live, says they are calling from Mesa, Arizona. The caller says the story takes place on the Navajo Reservation near the trailhead of Rainbow Bridge and in the area of Navajo Mountain. The caller says that in about 1976 they and their father were camping in the ruins of the old Rainbow Lodge, which the caller says had burned down an unknown number of years earlier. As they were going to sleep, after putting out the campfire, the caller says they both felt a presence of some sort. The caller says plainly that they did not see anything and that it was something they both felt. The caller notes that their father is a preacher (the caller says “a pre-Methodist preacher”) and also has a master's degree in archaeology or anthropology. The caller says their father felt it too, and that the caller knew this because their father wanted to offer a prayer. The father then prayed something about having a shepherd watch the sheep. The caller says the feeling eventually disappeared, they both went to sleep, and they did not talk much about it afterward. The caller adds that this was about the only thing close to anything ghostly that ever happened to them, but describes a definite apprehension in the air. The caller remarks that people who have lived on or visited the reservation, especially the sacred area that includes the whole mountain, probably have stories like this, and says they would like to hear from them.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The caller says they are calling from Mesa, Arizona.
- 0:08
The caller places the story on the Navajo Reservation near the Rainbow Bridge trailhead and Navajo Mountain.
- 0:16
The caller says they and their father were camping in about 1976 in the ruins of the old Rainbow Lodge, which had burned down.
- 0:28
The caller says that after they put out the campfire and were going to sleep, they both felt a presence, though nothing was seen.
- 0:38
The caller describes their father as a preacher with a master's degree in archaeology or anthropology.
- 0:51
The caller says their father felt it too and offered a prayer about having a shepherd watch the sheep.
- 1:05
The caller says the feeling eventually disappeared and they both went to sleep.
- 1:22
The caller describes a definite apprehension in the air and remarks that people who visit the sacred area likely have similar stories.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:32
The caller and their father both felt a presence of some sort while camping in the ruins.
- observation· 0:35
The caller did not see anything. It was only felt.
- observation· 0:51
The caller's father felt it and wanted to offer a prayer.
- observation· 1:05
After the prayer the feeling eventually disappeared.
- observation· 1:22
There was a definite apprehension in the air.
- interpretation· 1:32
The caller suggests the place is a sacred area and that others likely have similar stories.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a brief but consistent firsthand story with a specific place, an approximate date, and a claimed second witness. It remains vague in substance (a felt presence with nothing seen) and does not address ordinary explanations.
Evidence for and against
- A specific setting is named: the Navajo Reservation near Rainbow Bridge and Navajo Mountain.
- An approximate date is given: about 1976.
- The caller separates what was felt from what was seen: [quote withheld]
- Only a feeling is reported, with no sensory detail beyond apprehension.
- The caller considers no ordinary explanation.
- Very brief story with little detail that can be checked.
- The father's experience is claimed but not heard on air.
- The exact nature of the “presence” is never described.
- 0:32
- 0:35
- 1:22
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is scored as a clear but brief firsthand story that is not confirmed on air and is open to simple ordinary readings, which places it near the middle of the scale.
The only support is the caller's own word plus a claimed second witness who does not speak on air. There is no physical evidence or outside check.
Evidence for and against
- The caller names a specific place and an approximate date.
- The caller claims their father felt it too.
- No confirmation on air from the father.
- No documents, recordings, or physical traces.
- Nothing checked independently.
- Whether the father's experience matches the caller's cannot be confirmed from the automatic transcript.
- 0:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): Details that could be checked exist in principle (place, approximate year), but none are checked, and the second witness is claimed rather than heard.
This is a mild, atmospheric story: an unexplained feeling of apprehension at night in burned ruins, with no threat, contact, or frightening sight.
Evidence for and against
- A sense of a presence at night in ruins.
- A description of apprehension in the air.
- Nothing seen or touched.
- It ends calmly, with both going to sleep.
- The host's closing remarks in the automatic transcript are low in confidence.
- 0:32
- 1:22
What the model inferred (not said on air): Eerie but not frightening, with little escalation or threat.
The “felt presence” idea is familiar. The specific setting of the burned Rainbow Lodge ruins near a Navajo sacred area, and the father's prayer, give it some distinctiveness.
Evidence for and against
- A distinctive named location and a ruins setting.
- The area's reputation as sacred.
- The core idea is the common feeling of an unseen presence.
- No strange event beyond the sensation.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive is provisional in this pilot.
- 0:20
- 1:32
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects a stock idea with a distinctive setting. Comparison with the rest of the archive counts for little at the pilot stage.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand account.; A claimed second witness (the father) who is not on air.. The originality score blends the model's score (42) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Apprehension and a sense of a presence from camping at night in unfamiliar burned ruins, possibly made stronger by suggestion between two people. · The caller reports only a feeling, with nothing seen, in a burned-out ruin at night after the campfire was put out.
- A shared sense of unease arising from the area's reputation as sacred. · The caller raises that the mountain is [quote withheld] and that visitors likely have similar stories.
What stands out
The story is unusually restrained. It is essentially a felt presence with nothing seen, set in the burned ruins of a named lodge near a Navajo sacred area, and the only response is the father's prayer.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.