TV
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch: On The Radar (S7E11)
Welcome back, fellow Skinwalker Ranch fans! I slopped my way back into the depths of UFOTwitter, and there is quite a divide happening right now. Just know that I did all of this for you. But what I’ve come to notice is that it’s AI pfps arguing with each other nonstop about the dumbest things. The time of active conversation in Ufology is dead. Hell, it might have died with Art Bell. Ufology is such a vast topic that can be discussed for thousands of hours.
But that’s not what’s happening. Part of me thinks that Lue Elizondo soured many people. David Grusch just barely outshines Lue’s questionable stranglehold on this topic. Seriously. Only a few people in this space can actually have and hold legitimate conversations. With all that said, I feel like my adventure into Ufology is better left as a singular experience.
I’ll continue reading my books and watching Grant Lavac, but there’s no point in paying any mind to UFOTwitter and Reddit. I’ll stick to things that bring me joy. And one thing that brings me joy is this week’s episode of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch!
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Launches a High-Altitude Drone Experiment
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 5:38 PM
Erik Bard, Thomas Winterton, Jim Royston, Matt Edminster (Sky Elements), and Brian Woodard (Sky Elements) sit around the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center table. Dr. Travis Taylor video calls in from his trailer on the ranch. He states he’s “sick as a dog” and unable to join the team in person. But he states there is an ambitious experiment he has planned that he doesn’t want to miss.
Erik Bard concurs on the importance of this experiment. This is something they’ve been anticipating for quite some time, especially now that they’ve found magnetic anomalies (Season 7 Episode 6 “All Mesa’d Up”). Dr. Travis Taylor states he’s excited to learn if the magnetic anomaly ends at the 1,000-foot mark or if it extends above that. Hell, what if it is…multiple?
Matt Edminster lays out the plan for the experiment. They will utilize 100 drones in the usual 10×10 grid. The drones, which will be spaced 5 feet apart, will take off and reach a staggering 4,000 feet. Travis compounds that information when he reveals that not only is that the highest elevation a drone has reached on Skinwalker Ranch, but in the United States of America. The team from Sky Elements must have some good pull with the FAA.
To make sure that he doesn’t feel left out, Travis will take part in the experiment, too. In an effort to keep his distance, Travis will be in a Jeep out in the East Field with two spectrum analyzers–both antennas facing The Triangle.
Drone Tests Detect Strange Signals and Communication Loss
East Field – 6:18 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor pulls into the East Field in his Jeep and sets up his antennas. While Travis sets up, Erik Bard, Sam Deriso, Thomas Winterton, Cameron Ellis (Sky Elements), Matt Edminster, Brian Woodward, and the rest of the Sky Elements team start setting up for the experiment. Due to the gravity, heh, of this experiment, you can almost feel a sort of unspoken anxiety in the air. Eyes dart quickly, people unable to remain still; it’s a very human moment we don’t often see in this show.
We are told that the drones will be equipped with GPS devices and magnetometers; the drones are coordinated from Wi-Fi access points placed on the ground. Since this is the highest they’ve ever gone, the Sky Elements team decides a few tests are in order. Dr. Travis Taylor says this is smart because of the Season 5 Episode 12 “Drone-Ageddon” incident; they should run tests to make sure no drones suddenly start falling out of the sky.
The Skinwalker Ranch Drones Fall From 3,271 Feet
The Triangle – 8:10 PM
With everything set for testing, Cameron Ellis sends up the first four test drones. While this is going on, Brian Woodward will be flying his FPV drone. Honestly, it’s crazy how he keeps bringing that (probably expensive) thing back, as it has crashed nearly every single time on Skinwalker Ranch. With the test drones and FPV drone in the air, the test is off. But, as probably expected, Dr. Travis Taylor notices the pesky 1.6 GHz signal. Right as that happens, Cameron mentions that the drones lost communication. All of this is around the 800-foot mark.
That’s around where the magnetic anomaly begins.
Once the test drones make it above the 1,000-foot mark, they somehow regain connection and continue on their flight path. Travis wonders if this reveals a defined space for the anomaly. The test drones continue ascending and eventually reach 2,500 feet in the air. Suddenly, Brian’s FPV appears to be pushed backwards by SOMETHING about 100 feet. It’s still unclear what it was.
Drones Crash as The Bubble’s 3,271-Foot Anomaly Intensifies
The drones continue their approach to the 4,000-foot mark, but all hell breaks loose at 3,271 feet. The test drones go black and fall from the sky like frozen birds. (Brian’s FPV drone is somehow unaffected.) Thomas Winterton screams to run for cover as these drones have 3,271 feet’s worth of time to gain acceleration. Eventually, all four test drones crash into the ground.
I just want to make a note of something I want to call before it inevitably happens. I truly believe that within the next few episodes we will learn that there’s a second, much larger bubble around The Bubble. Inside that larger bubble will be another magnetic anomaly. It will most likely be called The Big Bubble, or Bubble Two. (Or maybe the big one will be called Bubble One and the smaller one called Bubble Two.) Nevertheless, I’d put 50 on Kalshi for it.
Kill Command
They eventually find all four drones. Cameron Ellis looks at his flight system and concludes that something tampered with the flight; it’s as if the drones were told to deactivate. Erik Bard runs with this idea and asks aloud, if it is a kill command sent to the drones, where did it come from? Thankfully, the Sky Elements team is comfortable doing another test flight, as long as everyone is ready to run for cover should the drones fall again.
A Second Drone Test Repeats the Mysterious Failure
Test flight number two is off. Brian’s FPV drone takes off with no issue. And, once again, the drones hit 3,000 feet and immediately start plummeting out of the sky. Erik wonders if there is a second phenomenon above The Triangle. But, for safety, the Sky Elements team says they don’t think it’s a good idea to run all 100 drones and they call it for the night.
Meta-Frame Data Reveals a Possible UAP Above the Drones
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – Two Days Later – 10:43 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Thomas Winterton, Kaleb Bench, and Jim Royston sit around the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center table. Erik Bard says he has interesting data from when the drones started falling. Jim Royston also brings up the weird incident that took place with Brian Woodward’s FPV drone and how it seemingly got pushed about 100 feet by something invisible. Thankfully, Erik has that incident on his Meta-Frame.
Erik pulls up the Meta-Frame data of Brian’s drone. You can see it separated from the four test drones. Out of nowhere, we see it shoot away from the pack quickly. If it had been wind, then the rest of the drones would have been affected, as they were smaller and easier to manipulate with air. Moreover, Brian didn’t have any issues with wind resistance or controller malfunctions up to that moment or after. It’s a damningly interesting piece of data.
From there, Erik pulls up video of when the drones first fell out of the sky. One moment they are in the air, the next they are not. But before they start plummeting to the ground, we see them quickly shoot horizontally to the south (a different direction than Brian’s drone) a few feet. Erik has more video of the fall through his Meta-Frame. And a UAP appears directly above the drones seconds before they fall to the ground.
Doppler On Wheels Arrives to Study the Sky Above Skinwalker Ranch
But the fun isn’t over! Erik mentions another study they’ve been wanting to partake in. The space above Skinwalker Ranch is still a beast of its own. What better time than now to study it since the drill is still out of commission. They’ve been wanting to bring a Doppler radar onto Skinwalker Ranch to scan higher altitudes than they’ve been able to before.
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 5:15 PM
Kaleb Bench stands outside of the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center as large cars pull up; one is towing a giant radar-looking dish. Out of the cars come Dr. Karen Kosiba, Dr. Josh Wurman, and Dr. Oluyinka Oluwale. These three people are with Doppler On Wheels. Kaleb takes them (sans Dr. Oluwale) into the Command Center, where they meet up with Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, and Thomas Winterton.
Doppler On Wheels is a group of meteorology researchers who operate a fleet of mobile weather radars. Dr. Kosiba says Doppler radar is kind of like flashlights going through the atmosphere, sending out pulses of electromagnetic energy, and then measuring the point of return. While Doppler radar was initially designed for weather, the team has different plans for this experiment.
Dr. Travis Taylor Uses Aluminum Bottles to Test Doppler Radar at Skinwalker Ranch
Dr. Travis Taylor states that instead of relying on water, as Doppler radars usually gather information, they will be utilizing aluminum bottles. Travis goes deeper into the how and why. Doppler radars send out microwaves that bounce off raindrops in the air and then return to the radar dish. This helps spot and track storm clouds. But tonight, they will be adopting the technology. Since there is no rain in the forecast, they will be dropping GPS-equipped aluminum bottles with parachutes from a helicopter. The hope is that their movements can be tracked through the Doppler radar.
This test is best performed in the daytime, and since it’s so late already, they will do a test run. But it wouldn’t be The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch if there weren’t rockets involved.
A Strange Yellow Streak Appears on the Doppler Radar
East Field – 6:44 PM
The teams set up for the test experiment. Dr. Travis Taylor is with the Doppler On Wheels team at the East Field. While the radar gets set up, Kaleb Bench, Thomas Winterton, and Technologist Pete Kelsey set up the rocket at The Triangle. Once set up, the rocket is launched. It’s picked up by the Doppler radar! But that’s not all.
The Doppler team makes note of an anomalous yellow streak on the radar, and it’s not the rocket. This yellow streak is moving at a high rate of speed towards The Triangle. Travis tells the team at The Triangle to look up in the sky, but they don’t see anything. Suddenly, the yellow streak is gone.
Doppler On Wheels moves the antenna to a new angle. The yellow streak is back! Travis tells The Triangle team again to look towards the posts marking the western side of The Bubble boundary. But they don’t see anything still. Now, the yellow streak finds itself directly over The Triangle. They still don’t see it.
Helicopter Drops 200 Aluminum Bottles Over the Ranch
The Next Day – Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 12:33 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Pete Kelsey, Jim Royston, Thomas Winterton, Dr. Karen Kosiba, Dr. Josh Wurman, and Dr. Oluyinka Oluwale meet outside of the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center. Cameron Fugal, who has now been on the ranch more times this season than his brother, arrives with his helicopter. Alongside Cameron is Director of Maintenance for Aero Dynamic Jets Jereme Manhart.
We are told that Cameron will make multiple passes (they say multiple, but it’s two) above The Bubble. Once at the proper altitude, Jereme and Pete will release 100 aluminum bottles.
The teams head to their respective positions, the same ones they took during yesterday’s test. A rocket is launched from The Triangle; this is because they wanted to see if they could replicate the yellow streak from the day before. Once the rocket launch is complete, Cameron and his helicopter team take off.
Cameron gets the helicopter to 2,500 feet. Dr. Travis Taylor mentions how there is practically no wind, so the hope is that these aluminum bottles fall straight down. (But let’s not mention the amount of wind produced by the helicopter blades.) Jereme and Pete start dropping the bottles, and Dr. Karen Kosiba confirms that they are appearing on the Doppler radar.
A Mysterious Object Flies Over Skinwalker Ranch
Rather than falling straight down, Thomas Winterton notices that the bottles seem to be falling directly on the edge of The Bubble boundary. Not a single bottle made it anywhere near The Triangle. But they’re not done.
Cameron takes the helicopter to 3,500 feet. Jereme and Pete release a second set of 100 aluminum bottles. (After a quick rocket launch.) The bottles are dropped from the helicopter, but land in similar places as the first drop–nowhere near the center of The Triangle.
With all the bottles dropped, Cameron and his team decide to head back to the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center’s helipad. But as they’re flying back, Pete makes a startling discovery: something is flying above the treetops, and it’s not a drone.
To be continued.
Final Thoughts on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Season 7 Episode 11
It’s been a veeeery long time since The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch ended with a literal to be continued. And I’m kind of loving it. Since we didn’t get a data review for the Doppler radar/Doppler On Wheels stuff, I will hold off on giving my full thoughts on that part of the episode for next week. But I will say, the experiment seems kind of simplistically stupid. Though I honestly don’t understand how Doppler radar works, so I’m not a great judge on that.
What I will cover is the drone-ageddon incident. Now it’s made clear that drones aren’t supposed to go as high as the drones did. So it made me wonder: are they even supposed to go that high? My second car, a 1994 Cutlass Supreme, has 160 as the top of the speedometer…But I know for a fact that that car, even on its first day out of the factory, could never hit that speed.
Could this be an example of the drone manufacturer saying, “Yeah, sure, these drones have a 5k-foot range,” knowing full well that the drones will rarely ever hit half that height. But that’s not to say I don’t believe the Sky Elements team. As I’ve stated before, the only people I truly believe on this show are the team from LOC Precision, Dr. Jan Francke, and Sky Elements. I don’t believe they would sell us a false bill of goods.
I just find it odd that the drones died at the same height both times. They’re show drones. Brian Woodward’s FPV drone had no issue, sans the weird 100-foot push in midair. Could this just be an example of people pushing machines to a level they are told they can hit, while the makers know full well the drones will not be pushed to that extreme?
Wrapping this up, I know I said at the top that I was done commenting on Ufology stuff. And that’s true. But I should say my initial opening was a hellish rebuke of all things Lue Elizondo. Color me surprised when I woke up and scrolled Twitter for a few minutes. What do I see? A video of Lue Elizondo in his car (not driving for once!) basically threatening someone in the community who goes by the name Gerb. Fucking GERB. I can’t.
That’s all I have for you this week! Join us next week as we get closer to the season finale and see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
Welcome back, fellow ranchers! We’ve finally made it to the end of Season 7 of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. Can you believe it? It almost feels like nothing really happened! As discussed in our coverage of Season 7 Episode 13 “Heating Up”, the final episode of Season 7 is a full data review episode that will inevitably show us/tell us things we’ve heard thousands of times over this season. And since I just got married and don’t feel like wasting my time with that episode, curator of all things Horror Press, James-Michael, thought it would be a better idea for us to cover our favorite and least favorite moments of Season 7.
Before we get into it, let me just make one thing clear. As much as I crap on this show time and time again, it is still one of my favorite television shows. I’ve long been deep into the Ufology/cryptid/mysterious world. A show like The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and, to a slightly lesser extent, Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch does help relieve some of the stigma that comes with being involved in these worlds. Dr. Travis Taylor and Mormon millionaire Brandon Fugal’s constant bloviating don’t necessarily push the ‘D’isclosure conversation forward, but it does help elementarize the conversation. Simply put, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch makes these conversations easier to have, even if it does have some ethical concerns we may get into later.
The Best and Worst Parts of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch S7
To put it lightly, we did not get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch. But it will be fun for us to take a look at the moments that shaped the season, for better or for worse. Without further ado, let’s just dive right into it.
The Worst Parts of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch S7
One of my main issues with Season 7 of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch is how supremely unfocused it felt. There used to be some rhythm to this show before it turned into a cookie-cutter series of talk, test, data reveal. But now it is basically a series of something weird happens during an experiment, they spend the next episode looking into it, something weird happens that episode, the next episode is spent looking into it. A perfect example is how The Triangle became a focus. And then it was The Mesa. And then it was The Bubble. And then it was the magnetic anomaly. And then it was ceramics. And then it was drilling.
I just wish the show didn’t feel a need to cater each episode to a new viewership base. When it comes to television, I understand that you must make sure someone who is flipping through the channels can be caught up if they catch the middle of an episode. But that completely negates the existing fanbase who catch each new episode the second it is available to them.
Drilling Issues
Speaking of drilling, let’s talk about Triple A. One thing I’ve noticed about Skinwalker Ranch and Blind Frog Ranch is how there always happens to be a drilling issue at the most pivotal moments. Sure, it creates drama and interesting television. But it makes the reveal feel less interesting when nothing happens. When Triple A blew a hydraulic line in Season 7 Episode 8 “Rocket Men”, it did create fun drama. And when Triple A became operational again…nothing was found. Of course, this led Dr. Travis Taylor to question if the 400-foot-long object in The Mesa was morphing or moving to avoid physical detection. But it’s almost a slap in the face to the audience. Oh, you’ve been here since Season 1 Episode 1? Great, here’s more of nothing.
The Most Baffling Episode of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
But what was most egregious about Season 7 was Season 7 Episode 5 “Home Sweet Homestead”. Where do we begin with this should-be-Razzie-nominated episode? Let’s start with the non-racist part first. The team invites Retired Navajo Nation Ranger Jonathan Redbird Dover and Medicine Man (or Shaman, as Dr. Travis Taylor refers to him) Art Hardy to the ranch. Not only are they brought here to practically debase themselves, but it just feels wrong from beginning to end.
Not only did the property of Skinwalker Ranch (and hell, the entire US) belong to indigenous people, but they had to watch as the land was taken from them, turned into public land, and then watch as billionaire after millionaire came through and slowly started extending the boundaries of what was “their” land. It’s almost a slap in the face to those who died to attempt to save their land from the Mormon people to turn around then and use them as fodder to “instigate” whatever may be happening at the ranch. We should want, as a community, to retrospectively understand and appreciate how we got to where we are today, and why we are here. The lives of the Native Americans are fraught with sadness and death at OUR hands. But sure Travis, let’s bring them out here to instigate spirits and then tell them to leave. Fucking nonce.
A Questionable Doctor Makes an Appearance
And what makes it even weirder is when they introduce Dr. Haleigh Lundgreen. Now, every time they bring someone who is a doctor onto the ranch, they refer to them multiple times as Doctor BLANK. But not in this episode. Dr. Travis Taylor refers to Haleigh Lundgreen as Doctor once and then completely drops it (and that she’s a neuroscientist at UVU).
But what really gets my goat about this whole thing is why she is there. They refer to her as an EEG specialist. Tell me why she immediately misuses an EEG headset, which leads to the team chalking this whole thing up as anomalous. It’s single-handedly the most disingenuous thing this show has done since their misuse of the KRACKEN device. But hey, Brandon Fugal wants to pay his way into the history books, and he’s doing a damn good job at it.
The Best Parts of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch S7
I don’t want to end this season of Skinwalker Ranch on a bad note, so let’s talk about some things from this season that ARE fun. Now I don’t understand a single iota of what/how Doppler radars really work, besides from this show’s explanation. But including some Doppler experiments did bring a sort of levity to this whole season. It’s a unique way to attempt to find answers, and what is science if not multiple unique ways of understanding life? I only know that the team misused the KRACKEN device because my friend Jeremy McGowan told me how they actually work.
UAPs!
One thing that I greatly appreciated about this season is that rather than the usual screams of “UAP!!” and us not seeing anything, we see tons of UAPs. Most notably, Season 7 Episode 11 “On The Radar” and Episode 12 “Hot Pursuit”. The most undeniable proof of UAPs is when Technologist Dave Mason captures clear evidence on his FLIR camera of UAPs playing chicken with not only Jim Royston’s thermal drone, but with Cameron Fugal’s freaking helicopter! To be honest, it was those moments of the season that kept me engaged and coming back every week (well, that and because I told James-Michael I would cover this show).
Equipment Malfunctions
Continuing with our talk of Season 7 Episode 12 “Hot Pursuit”, we have SFX experts and smoke specialists Steve Bolan and Jeff Ference out on the ranch for a night experiment with Nu-Salt Laser. Like many experts who visit Skinwalker Ranch, Steve Bolan’s smoke machine epically breaks. It’s not just one thing that goes wrong; it’s multiple things in tandem. One of my favorite things about The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch is when these experts, who have decades of experience, come onto the ranch and they see their tools break in ways they have never seen before. Whether you believe what goes on at Skinwalker Ranch or not, it’s hard to refute that kind of evidence.
Paranormal Investigations
Finally, my number 1 moment of Season 7 of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. Except for the Art Hardy/Haleigh Lundgreen experiment at Homestead Two, I loooooove how many paranormal-esque experiments we had between Homesteads Two and Three. It felt like a way for them to get back to their roots of what this show was initially about. Moreover, these experiments resulted in some fascinating data. Like how Homestead Three (which the team rarely even steps foot on) lit up in Jim Royston’s thermal drone like a Christmas tree AT night–Pete Kelsey compares it to a house whose furnace had been on all day. Hopefully this means that Season 8 will take more time to look into these two homesteads to see if there is anything funky going on. Maybe they’ll get Dr. Jan Francke to run some GPR scans!
Final Thoughts Now That Season 7 of the Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Is Over
Unlike The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, I won’t end this piece reiterating what you all have just read. And just because there is so much wrong with this show doesn’t mean I’ve completely written it off. There’s a unique balance of great versus awful with this show, just like how there is a balance of it with regular science. Experimenting and exploring is part of how we got to where we are today, and that’s okay. What I don’t like is how Brandon Fugal seemingly attempts to continually pull the wool over our eyes and use labs that he may be personally funding. That has to be an ethical line that shouldn’t be crossed.
But…what do I know? I’m just a fan of the supernatural who likes to see weird things. Will I cover Season 8 of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch? Most likely (if I’m allowed to). Though the question is, how far can this show Oak Island itself before they completely lose their fanbase? Who knows. Thanks for joining us on this journey and we hope you tune back in with us for Season 8! And maybe, just maybe, we’ll finally get to uncover 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.
