M22 nightmare....

 

The day had begun with a misty rain and now the sun was popping through the clouds.  Feeling confident the sun was going to continue to shine we set out for our fall color tour.  Halloween was on my mind and I was going to be on the lookout for a nice fat pumpkin for carving.  M22 is a pleasant drive and we set our destination towards it.

 As we got further away from our community we noticed the atmosphere strangely changing.

 It seemed as though the color was disappearing from the landscape and we had a sense we were not where we belonged anymore.

 As we worked our way through the curves and hilly areas we noticed the clouds were building again.  An ominous feeling was creeping in....we wanted to turn back but it seemed like a force was pulling us. We continued on.  In the back of my mind I started thinking of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and how she said

  "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto"....

The road gradually climbed higher and our view was a bit obscured as we were finishing a curve-  and then suddenly this field of corn and a barn in the distance appeared!  We both gasped at the same time!

I decided to get out of the car to take some pictures and as I exited Dan said "leave the door open".  We both had an uneasy sense about this place.

 In the field there were these corn shocks- a very old fashioned method of drying corn which seemed out of place these days.   A feeling that we had stepped into another time was all around us.

I worked my way closer to the very tattered barn- Dan crept along with the car keeping close to me.  I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched...I couldn't help but stare at the dark open areas with curiousness, but was afraid to approach any closer....
I was sure something would appear and frighten me to death!

 

Yikes!

 At first glance of this old wagon cart my mind was running wild...the white pumpkins seemed to look like skulls!  I knew better but my imagination was out of control!

 It was peculiar how all these pumpkins were set out.  You would think they were for sale but not a sign anywhere to indicate it.  It was as if the people had mysteriously disappeared!

I felt odd about the whole situation and now that second barn on the hill caught my eye.

The more I stared at it the more uneasy I felt. What might be in there? What might be hiding?

 I turned my attention towards the house.  I thought someone should have come out by now...I just couldn't shake that uneasy feeling
 - I needed to leave. 

I stumbled my way back to the car and in a choked voice I said we NEED get out of here NOW!

We pulled away and as I glanced at the house I swear I saw someone up in that gable window.

 We sped away from there as fast as we could.  Scenes from that movie Jeepers Creepers crept into my head-

 

 and I was really getting freaked out!

A ways up the road we came upon another barn, no house nearby.  We slowed a bit to see if anyone was around.

I swore I heard a blood curdling noise (probably me!) and I begged that we leave quickly.  

My neck was tense and my brain was in overdrive.

Further up the road was a roadside park so we decided to take a moment to collect ourselves.  It was so silent- all we could hear was the lapping of the waves. 

Looking down in the hill we could see a small community in the distance.  We decided to head that way and hoped we could find a a place to have a bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee.

There was no one around, no sign of life.  We were really far away from home and since we were in unfamiliar territory we decided we would go back the way we came....

 We seemed to be the only ones on the road but suddenly another car appeared.  As they passed us we noticed they had blank looks on their faces, almost like they weren't real.  We definitely felt we were not supposed to be there. 

We sped by the house and barn. I was too scared to even look at it again!  That dueling banjos song from Deliverance was playing in my head and scary images were flashing through my mind!

A overwhelming sense of urgency had come over us and we couldn't get out of there quick enough!

Spotting another home I thought perhaps we would see someone around the house but there was no sign of life there either.  

 After driving a few miles we started noticing the color was returning- It was so odd.  
Finally, there were signs of life- I was so relieved!

 The miles seemed to be going by more quickly now. We were so grateful to be returning to more familiar territory and pulling out of whatever it was we seemed to have found ourselves in....

 

Evening was coming quickly and we were glad to be nearly home.  I don't think we'll be heading down those country roads again any too soon!  

So much for finding a pumpkin to carve!

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 Suddenly  

I  was waking up and realized I had fallen asleep and it had all been a scary nightmare!  

I was so relieved to look out and see my back yard and know I was really home....as Dorothy said... 
There's no place like home!!

Ahh, peace and tranquility!

Thank-you for indulging in my Halloween spirited fun!
I know- you thought I was nuts
wink wink!! 

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 I had to include this clip from the movie Deliverance!