TV
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch: Rocket Men (S7E8)
Welcome back, fellow ranchers! Has it been a week already? I’ll be honest with you all, and I know this is straying outside of the realm of most The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch viewers, but I am obsessed with a game. Any free time that would usually go towards looking into fun Ufology news has been spent on Deadly Days: Roadtrip. Now bear with me, because this game is a blast and a half.
Deadly Days: Roadtrip is an inventory management, Survivors-like zombie game that pits you against an ever-growing hoard of flesh-eating monsters. I typically get into new games for maybe five to 10 hours and then move on. Not this game. Last time I checked my Steam profile, I had 50 hours into this game that I bought not too long ago. It has eaten up nearly every moment of free time. When I’m not playing it, I have YouTube videos of the game playing in the background. If you’re into fun, just-stressful-enough roguelikes, then Deadly Days: Roadtrip is the game for you.
Okay, let’s get things back on track. And speaking of back on track, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch does what it does best: it brought me back from the brink of walking away. This show definitely has its highs and lows, and sometimes it feels like there are more lows than highs. But then you get episodes like Season 7 Episode 8 “Rocket Man” and I’m brought right back in. So, without further ado, let’s jump back to our second favorite ranch in Utah to see if we’re any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
LiDAR Scans Reveal Missing Bubble and Impossible GPS Anomalies at Skinwalker Ranch
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 9:14 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Sam Deriso, Kaleb Bench, and Thomas Winterton sit around the Command Center table. Technologist Pete Kelsey joins via video call. (We’ll circle back to this because they have a hilarious edit later on that makes you wonder why Pete was on a video call.) Pete has the LiDAR data from last episode’s scans that Pete and Cameron Fugal collected while Triple A continued drilling a vertical Borehole.
Pete and Cameron captured LiDAR data from about 200 feet in the air while Kaleb Bench used a stationary LiDAR scanner on the ground at The Triangle. The first piece of data we see is from Kaleb’s ground scans; Pete has overlaid all of the scans on top of each other, and there is one thing missing: The Bubble. And that’s not all. The image is littered with blue icons that show the LiDAR scanner’s position according to internal GPS. The data reveals an 80-foot differential from the first to the last scan.
“That shouldn’t be possible,” Dr. Travis Taylor says sound biting-ly.
Then, Pete pulls up his LiDAR data. His GPS data seems normal to start. But just west of the Mesa drill site, we see the GPS jump roughly 50 to 100 feet up. Travis wonders whether, if both LiDAR devices received warped GPS data, that means it was affected by something within The Bubble or by the ongoing drilling? Or…both?
Drilling at the Mesa Uncovers Mysterious Metal Flakes at Skinwalker Ranch (strongest choice)
Mesa Drill Site – Later That Day – 12:02 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Kaleb Bench, Erik Bard, Archaeologist Chris Roberts, Sam Deriso, Thomas Winterton, and (checks notes) Pete Kelsey join the Triple A team at the top of the Mesa. So you’re telling me that Pete Kelsey video-called in and then just a handful of hours later, he was at Skinwalker Ranch and all the way at the top of the Mesa?! I even rewound the episode a few times just to confirm. It was one of the handful of moments in this show that made me belly laugh like Santa Claus.
We learn that Bo Camp and Jed Murray are at the 53-foot mark in their second vertical Borehole. Dr. Travis Taylor reminds us that this vertical hole is only several feet south of where they had a lateral drill destroyed last year during the drilling of Borehole Two. And if you remember, it was where the ceramic materials (which we now know are more plaster-like) were found.
Triple A is ready to get back to drilling. While they do so, Chris Robert and Kaleb Bench sift through the spoils of the drill head. It’s not too long into the drilling that Chris hits gold, figuratively. Using his magnetic wand, Chris found two metal flakes. Thomas Winterton radios down to the science tent and tells the team to come back over.
XRF Analysis Examines Mysterious Metal Flakes as Mesa Drilling Comes to a Halt
Dr. Travis Taylor, Sam Deriso, and Erik Bard head over to the spoils pile to meet with the team. Chris tells them all that these flakes are very similar to the previous flakes found on the ranch. Jed Murray even confirms that these are not the types of flakes that would come off the drill head. If you remember, the flakes previously found on the ranch contained elements like iron, aluminum, europium and tellurium–these are all elements found in the materials used to make spacecraft.
Erik says he’s going to go get his portable XRF device to measure the chemical makeup of this metal flake. The XRF device uses X-rays to determine the elemental composition of objects. He soon comes back with the device and begins to collect data on the metal flake. We learn that the flake is made up of iron and aluminum, but there is no europium or tellurium. One thing is for sure: they are ready to get those metal flakes over to Utah Valley University.
Triple A gets back to drilling. When they are only 10 feet away from hitting their mark, the drill makes a popping sound. Fluid shoots out of one of the hoses…they blew a hydraulic line. The bad news is out: the drill will be out of operation for the rest of the day (episode).
Rocket Experiments Target the Skinwalker Ranch Magnetic Anomaly
The Triangle – 4:25 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Kaleb Bench, and Thomas Winterton meet up with Allen Isdell, Dave Barber, Jay Turicik, and Mike Turicik of LOC Precision. Travis says that, based on information gleaned from Sky Elements’ previous drone experiments, they want to research the magnetic anomaly located about 750 to 1,000 feet above The Triangle. Allen tells the team that they brought rockets that can reach about 3,500 feet.
Travis goes over the plan for the evening’s experiments. They will be launching rockets of different sizes through two specific target zones: the 30-foot mark where The Blob is and the 750 to 1,000-foot spot with the magnetic anomaly. Since some of the rockets can go above the top of The Bubble, they are hoping that some interesting results can be found from that, too. Some of the rockets will have data-recording devices in them to measure all sorts of data that Erik can scrub over later. On top of that, several high-speed cameras will be set up around The Triangle for Erik’s Meta-Frame to compile.
The first rocket launch uses a rocket that can reach 1,500 feet, and it won’t have any instruments on it. It’s more or less a test launch. They set up the rocket, and it seemingly goes off without issue. But the tail wiggled shortly after its launch, and the rocket’s body fell off. Even weirder is how the rocket’s parachute was completely ripped out from inside. Travis makes note that this is the third rocket this year that had its interior parachute chord severed.
Rocket Behaves Strangely After Entering the Skinwalker Ranch Bubble
The second rocket is set up and ready to launch. This rocket is six feet tall and chock full of telemetry equipment…and it can reach 3,500 feet! Allen sets off the rocket, but we soon learn that it only hits 2,200 feet. That’s just barely above the top of The Bubble. On its way down, the rocket seems to stop in midair right at the top of The Bubble.
Here’s where things get weird. Due to the rocket’s weight and lack of wind, it should fall straight down. But it starts to fall away from The Triangle. It finally lands on the ground, but it’s 2,000 feet away from The Triangle and lands at the very edge of The Bubble. It really does look like the rocket fell down the exterior of The Bubble’s boundary!
Amazed at this, Travis wants to get the third rocket up as quickly as possible. The rocket goes up, but the chute doesn’t release. There isn’t much follow-up on this rocket at all.
Night Launch
8:05 PM
Now that night has fallen on Skinwalker Ranch, the team gets ready to set off some more rockets. The first rocket that is set to launch is a coil rocket. Inside the rocket is a coil of copper wire, which will be used to assist in measuring any potential unusual magnetic anomalies. The rocket goes off and successfully hits 3,400 feet. But who would have guessed, the chute doesn’t deploy. Dr. Travis Taylor and Kaleb Bench go to look for the rocket. They eventually find it and find the chute, which didn’t even unfurl.
They set up for the final rocket launch of the night. This one is covered in LEDs and HUGE. “Now that’s a rocket,” Travis says earnestly. They launch the rocket, and it only goes up to 2,200 feet. Moreover, it suddenly veers off course and heads towards the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center, again with very little wind. This rocket, too, looks like it’s sliding down the outside of The Bubble barrier.
Rocket Data Reveals Voltage Spike, LiDAR Correlation, and Possible UAP
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 11:33 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Kaleb Bench, and Thomas Winterton sit around the Command Center table. They get right into the data from the rocket launches. We start with video from the second rocket launch, which had the high-speed cameras attached to it. (Remember, the chute didn’t deploy on this one.)
The video starts with the ignition going off and the rocket blasting into the air. It all looks normal until Erik goes back to the start and goes frame by frame. Shortly after the launch, we see part of the exhaust shoot out horizontally, which is odd. It looks very much like something zipped through it! Dr. Travis Taylor says that’s the exact spot where Pete Kelsey’s GPS data was off from the LiDAR scans.
Next, Erik pulls up video from the coil rocket night launch. The team placed a camera inside this rocket, which had a voltage meter inside. The rocket launches, and the camera catches the voltage meter showing a peak of 0.0237V. Travis says that number is several times higher than normal. But where did that happen? Erik was able to time the rocket flight and pointed out the voltage spike…was at 750 feet!
Finally, we see one more night vision video from one of the night launches. Shortly after the rocket launches, a UAP zips right through the rocket’s path. “That’s not a bug,” says Dr. Travis Taylor.
Final Thoughts on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch S7 Ep 8
I’m not even going to go over my thoughts on the drilling stuff. Of course, a hydraulic line burst right as they didn’t get any good data. What I do want to talk about is the information we gathered from LOC Precision. I feel the same way about the LOC experiments as I do about the Sky Elements experiments.
Sky Elements does drone shows for a living. LOC Precision knows rockets inside and out. When Allen Isdell or Preston Ward seem genuinely amazed by something that happens to the objects they use on a near-daily basis, that’s important to note. I believe Allen when he says his rockets can hit 3.5k feet. So when that doesn’t happen, I find more credence in that than most other stuff on the ranch. And watching the rockets fall down the side of The Bubble is incredibly compelling.
I don’t know much about voltages or magnetic anomalies, so I really can’t comment on whether Dr. Travis Taylor is correct when he says that number is several times higher than expected. But if Allen is impressed/amazed by what happened, then I should be too. Anyways, thanks for joining us for this episode, and we look forward to exploring with you next week! Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get a little closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
Welcome back, fellow ranchers! We’ve nearly made it to the Season 7 finale of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. Can you believe it? Just a few short weeks ago, we were welcomed back to the ranch via Kaleb Bench, longingly looking towards the Command Center’s helipad. And now we have explosions, smoke, and lasers! As stated last week, I don’t plan to cover anything Ufology-related, especially since they’re in the midst of a full-blown civil war.
Apologies for the delay on this piece; I’m finally off the graveyard shift after seven years, and it’s been quite a transition. Before we get into everything, I want to discuss how this may be the last coverage for this season for a very specific reason. But we’ll get into that later. For now, let’s take a trip to our second favorite ranch in Utah to see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
Red Devil Pyro and FLÜG Join the Skinwalker Ranch Experiment
The Skinwalker Ranch Corral – 10:17 AM
We join Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Thomas Winterton, Jim Royston, and Technologist Pete Kelsey at The Corral. Kaleb Bench joins the team with a coterie of people for a giant experiment. As winter is closing in fast, Dr. Travis Taylor and his team plan to try to find out just where the hell these UAPs are coming from and whether or not they are related to The Bubble, The Blob, or The Mesa. So, who all is here and what are they going to do?
Firstly, there is Kevin and James Devoll of Red Devil Pyro. Secondly, we have John Engstrom (owner), Charner Ramsey (3D Technician), Isabella Dominguez (3D Technician), and Marlo Irani (Array Director) of FLÜG. The team from Red Devil Pyro will set off multiple fireballs within The Bubble boundary near the western edge. The fireballs will send massive amounts of smoke and energy into the Bubble, which will then create perfectly formed smoke rings. These smoke rings should pass through the side of the boundary at around 50 feet.
While Red Devil Pyro sets the sky ablaze, FLÜG will use 48 cameras to fire simultaneously. Once post-processed, each capture will create a two-second video playback of one frozen moment in time.
The Bubble Experiment Produces Strange Smoke Rings
Dr. Travis Taylor leads the respective teams to a spot near The Bubble boundary. We learn that Red Devil Pyro will be igniting 25-gallon fuel mines. And they’re glorious. The teams start setting up, but that doesn’t mean Travis is going to sit around twiddling his fingers.
While Red Devil Pyro and FLÜG are prepping, Travis sets up a signal generator on a post inside the boundary. The signal generator is taped to a post, and Travis sets it up to generate a 1.2 GHz signal. Erik Bard, who is in the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center, immediately picks up a strong peak at 1.2. Suddenly, FLÜG runs into a gigantic issue; 12 of their cameras stop working. John Engstron says that this has never happened before and that the trigger boxes are losing connectivity. Thankfully, they’re still able to go forward with 36 cameras.
Red Devil Pyro now has the first series of explosions ready to go. Once given the go-ahead, Red Devil Pyro sets off the first explosion. The fireball engulfs the air, slowly fading into a near-perfect ring of smoke. After the smoke has cleared, the team sets off the second explosion. But the ring doesn’t form properly. Weird, because there isn’t a single bit of visible wind.
Did the First Explosion Activate the Bubble?
This leads Travis to ask a very leading question: did the first explosion turn The Bubble on? Giggity. Erik radios to Travis that his 1.2 GHz signal is getting stronger. But what’s even weirder is how Travis has NOTHING on his spectrum analyzer. Mind you, Erik is all the way across the ranch in the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center (inside The Bubble); Travis is roughly 50 feet away (outside of The Bubble). Coincidence?
For explosions three and four, Red Devil Pyro plans to do them in quick succession.
Red Devil Pyro sets off the third explosion. While the fireball proper looks great, the smoke ring doesn’t. It seemingly looks like it’s getting squished by something in the air before escaping the invisible thing’s grip and turning into a perfect smoke ring. The fourth explosion goes off and doesn’t even form a smoke ring, squished or not.
Red Devil Pyro sets off the fifth explosion, and a smoke ring is not formed. Marlo Irani tells the team that he will be able to provide the raw footage immediately, but the processed footage from the bullet time will take about a day. Travis wonders if The Bubble is getting stronger and expanding with each explosion.
Skinwalker Ranch Bullet Time Footage Reveals a Possible UAP
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 10:11 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Kaleb Bench, and Thomas Winterton sit around the Command Center table. Erik Bard pulls up some of the processed footage from Marlo Irani. To be honest, it looks amazing. Erik notes that one of the smoke rings looks as if it grew fangs as it began to form. But I don’t necessarily see it.
What I do see is a damn UAP in the background! Erik zooms in on the unidentified flying object, and it does look interesting. Dr. Travis Taylor says, “[It] looks like a spaceship from sci-fi…man.” Riveting stuff, doctor!
GPR Scans Search for Anomalies Beneath the Mesa
Next Day – Top Of The Mesa – 1:36 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Thomas Winterton, Jim Royston, Technologist Pete Kelsey, Kaleb Bench, and Dr. Jan Francke are at the top of The Mesa. Dr. Jan Francke is back with a larger GPR device, which will be let down into the first vertical borehole. Dr. Travis Taylor says this hole was picked specifically due to its proximity to where the Type A ceramic (plaster) material was found. Dr. Jan Francke says he will be using a stronger surface radar to scan the side of the borehole with a much higher resolution.
The rest of the team leaves, but Thomas Winterton stays back to lend a hand. Thomas thinks they should start on the east side of the vertical borehole as it’s closest in proximity to the original anomaly found within The Mesa. They begin, and Dr. Jan Francke is very optimistic about this, saying that it will give us direct access into the heart of The Mesa.
Once the east side of the vertical borehole is completed, they move on to the south side of the borehole. As Thomas pulls the surface radar scanner, Dr. Jan Francke notices something very bright at the 25-foot mark. Travis, Jim, Sam Deriso, Pete, and Kaleb join back up with Dr. Jan Francke and Thomas. Dr. Jan Francke reveals to them what he saw around the 20- to 25-foot mark and that he’s excited to post-process the data.
Lasers and Explosions Return for Another Skinwalker Ranch Experiment
Next Day – Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 5:38 PM
We join Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Kaleb Bench, and Dave Mason outside of the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center. But that’s not all! Also joining the team are
Jason Holmes (Display Operator with Red Devil Pyro) and Adam Scott (Nu-Salt Laser). If you thought the previous day’s experiment was huge, then get ready! Adam Scott is back and ready to go with eight 300-watt space cannons!
The Triangle – 6:27 PM
The teams make their way to The Triangle to get things all set up for the night’s big show. Dave Mason will be running his stationary FLIR throughout the entire experiment. And one thing that’s important to note is how windy it looks. Because later on someone will say, “There’s no wind at all!”
Eight Lasers and Multiple Explosions Target the Triangle
The Triangle – 9:14 PM
Red Devil Pyro is finishing setting up three 20-gallon explosion mines and one 35-gallon one. That’s when Dr. Travis Taylor says, “there’s no wind at all,” as his hair is currently going eight different directions because the wind won’t stop blowing.
Nevertheless, Adam Scott gets the lasers going. Rather than the lasers pointing at a single spot on The Mesa (like in Season 7 Episode 12 “Hot Pursuit”), the lasers are pointing straight up. With the lasers going, Red Devil Pyro begins their controlled explosions.
The first explosion goes off, and looks great set against the pitch-black night sky. Unfortunately, the smoke ring fails to form. Dr. Travis Taylor, who just minutes ago said there was no wind at all, wonders if the smoke ring hit The Blob and failed to form. After the smoke clears, Red Devil Pyro sets off their second explosion–no smoke ring.
Equipment Failures Coincide With 1.2 GHz Signals
As they prepare to set off the third explosion, Nu-Salt’s lasers flash on and off. Suddenly, Jim Royston’s computer and video feeds mysteriously go down. AND THEN all of Dave Mason’s equipment goes offline. Thomas Winterton joins Travis as they go check all generators and circuit breakers to see if anything tripped. But they find nothing.
What is important to note is what Erik Bard reveals. From his spectrum analyzer within the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center, Erik sees four incredibly strong peaks at 1.2 GHz. And then, as if nothing had even happened, all of their equipment comes back online.
Red Devil Pyro refuels the fuel mines. They set off the third explosion. And again, while it looks great, there is no formed smoke ring. That’s when Dave Mason notices something odd. Once the smoke clears from his view, he notices multiple spots on The Mesa that appear to be heated. There is no reason why these rocks should be hot. In fact, they aren’t even close enough to The Mesa for the rocks to retain any heat from the explosions!
Strange Heat Signatures Appear on The Mesa
Red Devil Pyro sets off the night’s final explosion. Who would have guessed…the ring doesn’t form. At least, not right away. From Erik’s perspective, the smoke forms this anomalous figure-eight pattern in the sky. But that’s not all! Dave Mason reveals that the rocks on The Mesa continue to retain heat from the explosions!
Final Thoughts on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Season 7 Episode 13
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this proxy-season finale. Nor am I sure how I feel about this entire season. It felt incredibly unfocused and lazy, though parts of it were unquestionably entertaining. But this finale just seems…like nothing. Why can we not get a final data review before next week’s big finale?
And the “big finale” is something that also needs to be discussed. Every season ends with one of those “this is what happened this season” episodes. And while that’s not inherently awful, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch spends about 25% of each episode’s runtime rehashing things already seen or discovered in previous episodes (or in that episode, too). It has become a show that penalizes recurring viewers so that the people who are casually flipping through channels don’t feel lost when they stumble upon it.
I loved what they did with the bullet time capture with Red Devil Pyro, and wish they would do more fun stuff like that. I know science/exploration isn’t always supposed to be “fun”. But it’s supposed to keep someone entertained when you’re MAKING AN ENTIRE SHOW ABOUT IT. Will I cover next week’s episode? My answer is like a UAP; it’s up in the air. All I know is I can confidently say that Season 7 didn’t get us any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
Welcome back, fellow ranchers! I thought my intro to last week’s episode would genuinely be the last time I discussed Ufology out loud (aside from interviews and The Horror Press Podcast). But the Ufology civil war is now among us. When I last wrote, UAP Gerb had publicly spoken with Ross Coulthart regarding multiple aspects of Ufology. In said conversation, barbs were thrown toward Lyin’ Lue Elizondo. The “Final Thoughts” section of last week’s The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch article mentioned how Lue had “clapped back” and vaguely threatened Gerb.
Then, shit hit the fan. Lue’s lawyer started beefing with a literal elected official. The elected official hit back. Then Lue’s lawyer doubled down. Lue moved to DC. And all hell broke loose. UFOTwitter has turned into a literal warzone. People have been doxxed. Lives have been threatened. Friendships have been broken. But most importantly, it caused Jeremy McGowan to come out of his sporadic Ufology retirement to put Lue in his place.
Due to the litigious nature of Lue’s lawyer, I am going to hold my tongue (even though everything I want to say is truthful). All I will say is that I saw this coming from miles away–it was clearer than Jose’s original Fresno Nightcrawler video. Simply put, all of this is laughable and sad. Grown men acting like teenagers for nothing more than a handful of likes on Twitter. Get a life.
Anyways! This week’s episode of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch is a doozy, so let’s not waste any more time! Let’s head back to our second favorite ranch in Utah to see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
Cameron Fugal Spots a Metallic Object Near Homestead Two
The Triangle – 3:26 AM
We pick back up exactly where we left off from Season 7 Episode 11 “On The Radar”. Cameron Fugal is flying his helicopter while Jereme Manhart and Technologist Pete Kelsey throw aluminum bottles down to the ground. Pete notices something flying over the treetops near Homestead Two. Cameron studies the object as best he can and states that it’s definitely metallic in nature.
Dr. Travis Taylor reiterates a point made last episode when he says that it appears the dropped bottles bounced off The Bubble and slid down the side. Cameron is certain this isn’t a bottle. Thomas Winterton and Kaleb Bench look towards Homestead Two, but they don’t see anything. Even Jim Royston, who is with Travis at the science tent, doesn’t see anything.
The Doppler on Wheels Team Comes Up Empty-Handed
Travis radios over to Dr. Karen Kosiba and Dr. Joshua Wurman, two of the three members of Doppler on Wheels, and asks if they see it on their Doppler radar. He reminds the audience that Doppler radar relies on radio waves that reflect off water droplets–hopefully, the flying object reflects enough for the Doppler to catch it. Unfortunately, they don’t see anything either. Travis wonders aloud if the UAP could have come from The Bubble.
I know this has probably been brought up before, but I’ve noticed something quite hysterical about this show. Whenever someone says anything about something anomalous, there’s a reality-based conversation about what’s been seen. And then after that, someone follows up with something that most likely sounds ridiculous by saying “looks like” or “maybe”. It’s an interesting form of manipulation that works incredibly well to keep audiences engaged in the possibility that this thing that’s most likely a bird could possibly be something other than a bird.
It’s brilliant television.
A Familiar Cylinder-Shaped UAP Returns to the Same Spot
Travis, Jim, Kaleb, Thomas, Erik Bard, Dr. Karen Kosiba, Dr. Joshua Wurman, Dr. Oluyinka Oluwale, Cameron, Jereme, and Pete all meet up outside the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center. (It should be noted that Pete is still wearing his harness from when he was strapped into the helicopter, and it’s giving him a crazy moose knuckle.) Cameron mentions that this is without a doubt the clearest thing he’s seen on the ranch. The object, per Cameron, is like a cylinder that was moving in a rolling motion.
Erik notes that they recently saw a cylinder-like UAP in Season 7 Episode 5 “Home Sweet Homestead”. The UAP in that episode and the UAP they just saw from the helicopter…were in the exact same location.
Doppler on Wheels Data Reveals Multiple UAPs Near The Triangle
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – Next Day – 11:36 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Thomas Winterton, and Kaleb Bench sit around the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center Table. They are joined by Dr. Karen Kosiba and Dr. Joshua Wurman via video call. We start by taking a look at the data set from Doppler on Wheels’ day one tests when the team set off rockets. Their data shows multiple UAPs (not their words) near The Triangle. What’s weird is there are two specific points of data; a series of green blots are moving toward The Triangle while a series of brown (orange) blots are moving away from The Triangle.
Dr. Wurman says he is unable to tell what these pieces of data truly are from radar alone. But he says that doesn’t negate the fact that these objects were moving in the air. What’s more interesting is how the sky was cloudless that day and no one reported seeing anything, nor did any cameras pick anything up.
A Second Data Set Points to the Same Wooded Area
The Doppler on Wheels team has a second set of data that is from one minute later. We see some interesting objects south and southwest of The Triangle. One of the objects is placed in the wooded area–behind Homestead Two–where Pete Kelsey and Cameron Fugal saw the metallic UAP. Dr. Travis Taylor asks if they were able to capture the UAP that Pete and Cameron say, but the team didn’t have any conclusive data-driven evidence of the UAP.
While discussing the UAP, Travis mentions how it very clearly “glints” off the sun. What’s important to note is how the object doesn’t stay one distinct shape; rather, it seems to be changing its shape, which could be for several reasons. Erik Bard suggests the change in shape could be because it changes its angle of trajectory. One thing is clear: Travis believes the object is being propelled by something and is moving laterally.
The Team Assembles for a Major Skinwalker Ranch Experiment
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – Three Days Later – 5:18 PM
Kaleb Bench stands longingly at the Skinwalker Ranch helipad as Cameron Fugal flies in with Jereme Manhart and Mormon millionaire Brandon Fugal in tow. Once landed, everyone meets outside the Command Center. We have Dr. Travis Taylor, Thomas Winterton, Jim Royston, Erik Bard, and Pete Kelsey. But that’s not all! We have some familiar faces on Skinwalker Ranch! Joining the team for this experiment is thermal camera expert David Mason, SFX experts and smoke specialists Steve Bolan and Jeff Ference, and Nu-Salt Laser’s Tim Anderson (who we last saw on the show in Season 6 Episode 7 “Lights Out”).
This week, the team will be doing a similar experiment to what they had done in Homesteads Two and Three. They plan to fill The Triangle with smoke and have Nu-Salt fire lasers through The Triangle. Tim says they will utilize eight 30-watt RGB solid-state lasers. Steve has brought a mega-smoke machine to the Skinwalker Ranch for this experiment. It uses a turbo jet aircraft engine, which will pump five gallons of smoke per minute of air show smoke oil to create 10,000 ft³/minute. Once that’s done, Cameron Fugal and Pete Kelsey will fly above The Triangle and shine a laser light directly into The Blob.
Everyone heads to their respective locations and tests their equipment. Everything seems to be going swimmingly. Surely that won’t change! (I can now understand why Steve and Jeff were referred to as smoke specialists because their smoke rig is NO JOKE.)
The Team Sets Up for Another Night at The Triangle
South Field – 9:01 PM
Kaleb Bench and Thomas Winterton join Dr. Travis Taylor at the South Field. Dave Mason is near the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center and is setting up his FLIR thermal cameras. Jim Royston gets his thermal drone set up. And it’s showtime!
Steve Bolan’s Smoke Machine Suffers a Mysterious Malfunction
Tim Anderson gets the lasers turned on. I always love when they do giant laser experiments on the show. Steve Bolan goes to turn on the smoke machine…but nothing. Brandon Fugal humanly says, “Where’s the smoke?” Steve’s smoke machine is broken.
What we learn is that four different malfunctions happened simultaneously. They lost their fuel control, the battery blew a fuse, the smoke pumps broke, and the ignitors went out. Jeff Ference radios Erik Bard and tells him that they have never had issues like this before. Erik tries to make them feel better by saying, “Welcome to the club.” Steve drops the line of the season when he says, “Feels like some voodoo shit going on here.”
In a talking head, Steve states that he and Jeff have been prepping for weeks for this experiment. That includes new parts, batteries, etc., they prepared to the max. Steve has been doing this for 35 years, and he has never once had things go haywire as they have tonight. Dr. Travis Taylor makes a fascinating point when he says that Skinwalker Ranch does an excellent job of demoralizing expert after expert. Which is very true.
Jim Royston’s Drone Gets Pushed by an Unseen Force
Dr. Travis Taylor radios Sam Deriso and says he wants to get Jim Royston’s thermal drone in the air. The drone goes up without any issue. But as Jim is flying his drone towards The Triangle, something happens. Well, two things happen. Firstly, the drone has an error stating it failed to obtain remote control (we’ve seen that one before). Secondly, a warning pops up and says Gimbal 1 pitch axis endpoint reached. And then suddenly, the drone is pushed 15 feet in the sky. And it wasn’t due to wind.
Dave Mason is watching through one of his two thermal cameras, but doesn’t see anything physically push Jim’s drone. And then it happens again. They have Jim return the drone so that they can move on with the next part of the experiment.
Cameron Fugal’s Helicopter Flight Gets an Unexpected Visitor
Cameron Fugal is radioed and told to start his flight. They get the helicopter in the sky, and Pete Kelsey successfully shines the laser into The Triangle. Suddenly, something zips by the helicopter. And it’s not a bird.
Thankfully, Dave Mason was able to catch the thing that flew by the helicopter. That’s when Jim Royston, who is watching Dave’s FLIR video on a monitor, sees a second object in the sky. This second object flies in and out of frame multiple times. Dr. Travis Taylor tells Jim to get his drone back up in the sky, hoping they can get a better look at whatever is flying around Cameron’s helicopter.
Multiple UAPs Engage in a High-Speed Chase
The drone goes up, but not all that glitters is gold. Jereme Manhart sees a “dot” chasing Jim’s drone. First it’s in front of the drone, then behind, and then back in front. It’s moving surprisingly fast. But no one can see this from the ground, unfortunately.
At that exact moment, Dave reports seeing an object in front of Jim’s drone through the FLIR. And as he sees that object, Jim’s drone is harshly pushed multiple feet. This happens multiple times whenever Jim is trying to fly the drone over The Triangle. But that’s not all! A third UAP appears, and at this point, it feels like a giant cat-and-mouse game.
Due to the potentially unsafe nature of what’s going on, Brandon Fugal radios his brother, “Hey Cameron, this is your brother…pull the plug.”
The Team Reviews Dave Mason’s FLIR Footage at Brandon’s Office
Salt Lake City – Two Days Later – 1:13 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Kaleb Bench, Jim Royston, Erik Bard, Thomas Winterton, and Cameron Fugal join Brandon Fugal at his villain-like office. Dave Mason joins the team via video call. Erik Bard pulls up Dave Mason’s FLIR video. The first thing we see is Jim Royston’s drone getting pushed hard by an invisible force. But this happens the first time we see a UAP.
It’s actually incredible to watch the UAP slowly come into frame before disappearing into nothing. What’s more incredible is how the UAP is nearly four times the size of Jim’s drone. Dave Mason is sure the UAP is not a cloud.
And then the episode just kind of ends?
Steve Bolan’s Smoke Machine Meltdown Was the Episode’s Real Highlight
Typically when we have these data review segments at Brandon Fugal’s office, there are some high-profile people there. Or, at the very least, tons of data to look through. But this whole setup feels weird. Why are we at Brandon’s office to just look at a couple pieces of FLIR video? Is this a weird way to justify using his office space as a write-off?
The experiment would have been so much cooler had the smoke machine worked, but I think that goes back to something I’ve been saying for a while. Steve Bolan’s smoke machine incident is captivating. He, like Dr. Jan Francke, the team from LOC Precision, and Sky Elements, are respective experts in their fields. Seeing Steve’s reaction after his smoke machine went down shows that he is either an INCREDIBLE actor, or he was truly surprised by what happened. I am going to say it was the latter.
I don’t know…nothing from this episode really felt solid. It kind of was a beat-to-beat episode that had a few incredible moments that felt like they didn’t lead to anything worthwhile. Oh well, that’s just how it goes, I guess. That’s it for us this week, so join us next week to see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch!
