Deceased truck driver reportedly visits a Colorado ranch and leaves Pepsi cans
A caller named [name withheld], from Northern California, tells Art Bell about their former partner [name withheld], a truck driver they describe as a good stepfather to their children, who took his own life. About a year later, the caller says, their fifteen-year-old son said [name withheld] drove a diesel truck up to their isolated 800-acre Colorado ranch one night and visited him. The caller reports their son said they talked and drank Pepsi for a couple of hours, and that in the morning the family found Pepsi cans on the table. Art closes the call with remarks about those who take their own lives.
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 2001-2.mp3”, starting at 1:42:23). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Northern California, says they once lived with a truck driver named [name withheld]. They say he was a good stepfather to their children, especially their oldest son, and that they stayed good friends after splitting up. They say he had problems and took his own life. Roughly a year later, the caller says, they and their children were living on an isolated 800-acre ranch in Colorado, on the edge of a wilderness area, 30 miles from the closest grocery store. One night, the caller says, the household was asleep except their oldest son, then fifteen. According to [name withheld], he told them he heard a diesel truck come up the driveway and thought it might be a hay truck that had gotten lost. A man got out and knocked on the door. The caller says their son tried to wake the caller, his sisters, and his brother, and none of them would wake. He found this eerie because the caller is normally a light sleeper. The son answered the door and, the caller says, it was [name withheld]. The caller says the son told them [name withheld] came in, shook his hand, sat down, and talked with him. [name withheld], whom they describe as a big Pepsi drinker, went out to the truck and brought in Pepsis. Asked by Art whether the figure was full-form, [name withheld] says they asked their son what the handshake felt like and he said it was “solid and real.” In the morning, the caller says, they found Pepsi cans on the table, though they were 30 miles from a store. The caller adds that [name withheld] [quote withheld] without describing it. They say they were not surprised he arrived in his truck because he identified with his job. Art closes the call with remarks about those who take their own lives.
Reported events, in order
- 0:02
[name withheld] says they are calling from Northern California and that their story is [quote withheld]
- 0:16
The caller says they once lived with a truck driver named [name withheld], who was a good stepfather to their children, especially their oldest son, and that after they split up they stayed good friends.
- 0:33
The caller says [name withheld] had problems and took his own life.
- 0:45
About a year later, the caller says, they and their children were living on an isolated 800-acre ranch in Colorado, on the edge of a wilderness area, 30 miles from the closest grocery store.
- 1:01
One night, the caller says, everyone was sleeping but their oldest son, then fifteen, who was awake.
- 1:11
Their son said he heard a diesel truck come up the driveway and thought it might be a hay truck that had gotten lost.
- 1:21
The caller says the driver got out and knocked on the door. Their son tried to wake the caller, his sisters, and his brother, and none of them would wake.
- 1:39
Their son answered the door and, the caller says, it was [name withheld].
- 1:53
The caller says [name withheld] came in, shook their son’s hand, sat down, and talked with him. [name withheld], a big Pepsi drinker, went out to the truck and brought in Pepsis.
- 2:01
According to [name withheld], they sat and talked for a couple of hours and drank Pepsi.
- 2:07
Asked by Art whether the figure was full-form, the caller says they asked their son how the handshake felt and he said, [quote withheld]
- 2:28
The caller says [name withheld] came another time after this, but on this occasion the odd thing was what happened in the morning.
- 2:40
The caller says that in the morning they found Pepsi cans on the table, 30 miles from a store.
- 2:54
Art remarks that there is something different about those who take their own lives. [name withheld] says they weren’t surprised [name withheld] came in his truck because he identified with his job.
- 3:16
Art thanks the caller and ends the call.
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).
- hearsay· 1:11
The caller’s son reportedly heard a diesel truck come up their remote ranch driveway at night.
- hearsay· 1:33
The son reportedly could not wake his mother, sisters, or brother during the incident.
- hearsay· 1:39
The son answered the door and, the caller says, it was [name withheld], about a year after [name withheld]’s death.
- hearsay· 2:17
The caller’s son reportedly shook [name withheld]’s hand and said it felt solid and real.
- hearsay· 2:01
The caller says their son told them he and [name withheld] talked for a couple of hours and drank Pepsi.
- observation· 2:40
The caller says the family found Pepsi cans on the table the next morning, though they were 30 miles from a store.
- hearsay· 2:28
The caller says [name withheld] came another time after this one.
- interpretation· 3:09
The caller says they were not surprised [name withheld] arrived in his truck because he identified with his job.
- host statement· 2:24
Art states that spirits normally cannot appear that physically.
- host statement· 2:54
Art states there is something different about those who take their own lives.
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.
The story comes from a close, named source (the caller’s son), but it is secondhand and not backed up by anyone else on the air, which caps it at 60. The details are specific, and the sequence holds together.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld] This is followed by [quote withheld]
- The single physical trace offered is [quote withheld] which was not preserved or examined.
- [quote withheld] is mentioned but left unexplained.
- The caller was not the direct witness. They relay their son’s story.
- Nothing in the transcript rules out a second, genuine visitor or a dream by the son.
- A line, “You’re sure?”, reads as a host question, so who said it is uncertain.
- 0:02
- 1:39
- 2:40
What the model inferred (not said on air): Closeness to the source is scored low because the caller reports their son’s experience rather than their own. Specificity and consistency are scored from the concrete details they give. The cap of 60 for secondhand stories is applied.
The only checkable material is a claimed physical trace (the Pepsi cans) that was not preserved or examined, and a claimed witness (the son) who does not speak on the air. No outside check was performed.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, document, or named ranch or date is provided.
- The claimed second witness does not appear on the air.
- The cans are described only in words and were not presented on the broadcast.
- It is unknown whether any cans existed and whether they can be linked to the reported visit.
- The ranch, the date, and the son’s name are all unstated.
- 2:40
- 2:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the range for checkable specifics given but not checked, combined with physical evidence claimed but not examined. It cannot exceed 50 without an outside check.
The story is mostly framed as harmless. The caller opens by saying it is [quote withheld] and describes a friendly conversation. But the detail that nobody in the house could be woken, and the tangible cans left behind in a remote home, add unease.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- The reported visit is described as a conversation over Pepsi rather than a threat.
- The transcript does not make fully clear whether the household that could not be woken is presented as frightening or merely odd.
- 0:07
- 1:34
What the model inferred (not said on air): Danger and menace are absent. The score rests mainly on the isolated setting and the unexplained physical trace.
A dead relative or ex-partner returning is a familiar setup. But the diesel truck, the shared Pepsi, and the cans left as a physical trace give it a distinctive combination. The score is provisional.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- A visit by a known dead person and an object left behind are common ghost-story elements.
- How new the story is compared with the rest of the archive cannot be assessed here. The published originality score is a blend and is provisional.
- 1:55
- 1:11
What the model inferred (not said on air): The distinctive detail is the ordinary, brand-name leftover (Pepsi) tied to the dead man’s habit, plus a truck matching his occupation.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s secondhand word about their son’s story; The caller’s own firsthand report of finding Pepsi cans the next morning; A claimed physical trace (Pepsi cans), not preserved or examined; A claimed second witness (the son), who does not speak on the air.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A vivid dream, or a half-asleep experience, by the fifteen-year-old, who was awake in bed at night while the rest of the household slept. · The caller says he was awake at night in the house while the others were asleep and could not be woken.
- A living person driving a diesel truck stopped at the remote ranch. The son himself first raised this possibility. · The caller says their son thought it might be a hay truck or something that had gotten lost looking for a ranch.
- The Pepsi cans were already in the house rather than brought by a visitor. · The only evidence against this in the transcript is that they were 30 miles from the closest grocery store.
What stands out
The reported physical detail is unusual. The visitor is said to have shaken hands (“solid and real”) and to have left a tangible trace, Pepsi cans on the table, in a home 30 miles from the nearest store. The caller also reports that none of the other sleeping members of the household could be woken during the visit.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.