ON THIS PAGE:
- Mike knew where to stop the truck (and it wasn't a clearing), and when to drive off seconds later.
- Mike stirred the panic of the rest of the crew to control the experience.
- Mike has added into the narrative the chasing of a camper-pickup along Rim Road, which other witnesses deny.
- Mike knew when and where to return, to search for Travis.
If the thing that we saw didn't scare 'em, my driving certainly did.
- Mike Rogers, Paranormal Witness, 2012
I don't believe we went back to the same spot where Travis was zapped.
- Steve Pierce, personal communication, 2021
Crew boss to the rescue
Mike Rogers played a vital role in the hoax, even if it wasn’t his idea and even if he wasn’t sure how the UFO would be created. He deserves a page of his own!
This entire story hinges on what the witnesses saw during that 30-second stop on the road. After seeing the UFO zap Travis, they became terrified. They suffered for five days as murder suspects while Travis was missing, with no idea if he would ever return. They were completely convinced they'd seen a UFO.
Five credible witne$$es. Perfect.
Travis did return with an amazing story about being aboard alien vessels and seeing aliens (he also underwent regressive hypnotherapy a few days later, but "I did not recall any experiences under hypnosis that I could not remember before" (p.24)). There's no physical evidence this part of the tale is anything more than a fabrication.
All we have is what the guys in the truck say they saw.
Based on what Ryan Gordon claims Travis and Mike told him, let’s position the actors on location at Gentry Tower:
This entire story hinges on what the witnesses saw during that 30-second stop on the road. After seeing the UFO zap Travis, they became terrified. They suffered for five days as murder suspects while Travis was missing, with no idea if he would ever return. They were completely convinced they'd seen a UFO.
Five credible witne$$es. Perfect.
Travis did return with an amazing story about being aboard alien vessels and seeing aliens (he also underwent regressive hypnotherapy a few days later, but "I did not recall any experiences under hypnosis that I could not remember before" (p.24)). There's no physical evidence this part of the tale is anything more than a fabrication.
All we have is what the guys in the truck say they saw.
Based on what Ryan Gordon claims Travis and Mike told him, let’s position the actors on location at Gentry Tower:
Gentry Campground and Tower, location of "UFO", Travis, and truck on Rim Road (300).
But wait, wasn't the UFO in a clearing? Didn't the witnesses have an "unobstructed view" of the UFO? That's what the movie shows!
Gentry is actually in a clearing, in the sense that it's in a campsite with no trees immediately in front of it. However, from where the truck is located there are trees obscuring the view. The book is not entirely clear about how clear this clearing is. Let's read it carefully:
We rolled past the intervening evergreen thicket to where we could have an unobstructed view of the source of the strange radiance. Suddenly we were electrified by the most awesome, incredible sight we had seen in our entire lives... [Travis gets out]
I quickly stalked closer to the mysterious vehicle. Stepping over a low-leaning fir sapling, I carefully picked my way through the opening in the trees.
Travis has to go through an "opening" in the trees to reach the craft. This is not a wide open space (and let's just note that he is not going up a hill - this was added to the mythology later because the "official" abduction site is on a steep hill that a grown man cannot "quickly stalk" up).
In a 2020 interview, witness John Goulette confirms the clearing is actually full of trees:
"There was a clearing, and in the middle of that clearing was a pile of dead wood that they’d piled up to burn. I think they’d done it like 40 years before, when they were logging. They just never got around to burning it... There was some new growth in that clearing, so it’s probably a clearing they made when they were logging, but like I said they never got around to burn it. I think that’s basically what Travis was kinda behind, walking up to that thing, was the new growth. - John Goulette, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11th, 2020
So there were 40-year-old trees in this "clearing" that Travis went behind (from John's point of view in the truck). Google tells me Ponderosa pine grows 12-18" a year, so we're talking about trees that are at least 40 feet tall, and dense enough that Travis had to "pick" his way through an opening. Add to this his angled approach to the craft (which Steve Pierce always mentions, so apparently it struck him as odd), which should not be necessary if the clearing was open, and what we have is very much an obstructed view of the stilts of the lookout tower, even if the cab was easily visible, and an obstructed view of Travis as well.
Gentry is actually in a clearing, in the sense that it's in a campsite with no trees immediately in front of it. However, from where the truck is located there are trees obscuring the view. The book is not entirely clear about how clear this clearing is. Let's read it carefully:
We rolled past the intervening evergreen thicket to where we could have an unobstructed view of the source of the strange radiance. Suddenly we were electrified by the most awesome, incredible sight we had seen in our entire lives... [Travis gets out]
I quickly stalked closer to the mysterious vehicle. Stepping over a low-leaning fir sapling, I carefully picked my way through the opening in the trees.
Travis has to go through an "opening" in the trees to reach the craft. This is not a wide open space (and let's just note that he is not going up a hill - this was added to the mythology later because the "official" abduction site is on a steep hill that a grown man cannot "quickly stalk" up).
In a 2020 interview, witness John Goulette confirms the clearing is actually full of trees:
"There was a clearing, and in the middle of that clearing was a pile of dead wood that they’d piled up to burn. I think they’d done it like 40 years before, when they were logging. They just never got around to burning it... There was some new growth in that clearing, so it’s probably a clearing they made when they were logging, but like I said they never got around to burn it. I think that’s basically what Travis was kinda behind, walking up to that thing, was the new growth. - John Goulette, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11th, 2020
So there were 40-year-old trees in this "clearing" that Travis went behind (from John's point of view in the truck). Google tells me Ponderosa pine grows 12-18" a year, so we're talking about trees that are at least 40 feet tall, and dense enough that Travis had to "pick" his way through an opening. Add to this his angled approach to the craft (which Steve Pierce always mentions, so apparently it struck him as odd), which should not be necessary if the clearing was open, and what we have is very much an obstructed view of the stilts of the lookout tower, even if the cab was easily visible, and an obstructed view of Travis as well.
Instead of driving closer, Mike stopped the truck just short of the campground entrance. Had he gone a few yards further up Rim Road, the crew would've have had a much clearer view of the UFO... and the scaffolding holding it up.
Mike's precise actions that night drove the entire experience. He chose where to stop, he turned off the engine so nobody could urge him closer, and he knew when to drive away in a panic - immediately after Travis was zapped, in case anyone got any ideas about jumping out to help him.
Travis has made a very big deal about not blaming the crew for leaving him. Because he needed them to leave. If they'd hung around to investigate, they'd have found him alive and well and realized the UFO, up close, was not so otherworldy.
In Travis's retelling, after he was struck by the beam the guys in the truck were screaming at Mike to leave:
“It got him!” Steve yelled.
Dwayne [Smith] screamed: “Let’s get out of here!”
“Get this son of a bitch moving!” Allen shrieked hysterically.
Mike did not need to be asked. He was already desperately groping, fumbling around for the ignition switch... (p.59)
But in his own retellings, Mike says he switched the engine back on before Travis was zapped. It's almost as if he knew what was about to happen...
"I just knew something was gonna happen. So I turned away, and turned the truck back on, released the emergency brake..." [then saw the blue light and Travis falling back] Mike Rogers on UFO Classified with Erica Lukes, Jul 16, 2021
Steve hinted in 1978 that Mike was in control:
Mike's precise actions that night drove the entire experience. He chose where to stop, he turned off the engine so nobody could urge him closer, and he knew when to drive away in a panic - immediately after Travis was zapped, in case anyone got any ideas about jumping out to help him.
Travis has made a very big deal about not blaming the crew for leaving him. Because he needed them to leave. If they'd hung around to investigate, they'd have found him alive and well and realized the UFO, up close, was not so otherworldy.
In Travis's retelling, after he was struck by the beam the guys in the truck were screaming at Mike to leave:
“It got him!” Steve yelled.
Dwayne [Smith] screamed: “Let’s get out of here!”
“Get this son of a bitch moving!” Allen shrieked hysterically.
Mike did not need to be asked. He was already desperately groping, fumbling around for the ignition switch... (p.59)
But in his own retellings, Mike says he switched the engine back on before Travis was zapped. It's almost as if he knew what was about to happen...
"I just knew something was gonna happen. So I turned away, and turned the truck back on, released the emergency brake..." [then saw the blue light and Travis falling back] Mike Rogers on UFO Classified with Erica Lukes, Jul 16, 2021
Steve hinted in 1978 that Mike was in control:
"The one who took off was Mike. No one else had anything to do with that." - Steve Pierce interviewed by Philip Klass, Jun 1978.
While Travis does describe Mike as wanting to leave in a hurry, Steve makes it clear it was Mike's decision alone. "No one else had anything to do with that."
In this Michael Vara interview (2013), Steve says: “As soon as I said ‘They got him!’, Mike takes off.” He repeats the same phrasing in this 51 Areas interview (2021), where Mike was also a guest and doesn't correct him: “As soon as I say ‘They got him!’, Mike starts the truck back up, takes off.”
More recently, John Goulette has also stated that it was Mike's decision, and Mike's alone, to leave: "he took off and left Travis... and we didn't decide to leave[,] he did."
In this Michael Vara interview (2013), Steve says: “As soon as I said ‘They got him!’, Mike takes off.” He repeats the same phrasing in this 51 Areas interview (2021), where Mike was also a guest and doesn't correct him: “As soon as I say ‘They got him!’, Mike starts the truck back up, takes off.”
More recently, John Goulette has also stated that it was Mike's decision, and Mike's alone, to leave: "he took off and left Travis... and we didn't decide to leave[,] he did."
John's Facebook message copied to Steve's page, May 2022
Steve claimed in 1978 the other guys couldn't even see the UFO (or what he initially mistook as deer hunter lights) because of their position in the truck:
"The rest of those guys didn't even see what happened... I was blocking the view of the two guys sitting beside me." - Steve Pierce interviewed by Philip Klass, Jun 1978.
A Brief Encounter of the Third Kind
How long did the crew actually see the craft for? Did anyone really see it take off?
Travis wrote that he "quickly stalked" toward the UFO. In his 2021 interview on Joe Rogan he "ran" toward it. Let's assume he jogged over at 4 or 5mph. At that speed he'd cover the distance in 12 to 15 seconds, though he stopped and looked back once (let's add 5 seconds) and walked the last few yards (add another 5 seconds).
The ship started to wobble so he ducked behind a log. "I resolved to waste no time in getting the hell out of there!" (p.58) Halfway out of his crouch, he was struck by the ray and thrown back. While the telling of this part of the event takes a page in the book, the actual actions described - crouch, quickly stand, immediately getting hit and thrown back - it would only take about 5 seconds. Steve yelled: "It got him!" and Mike immediately drove off.
Add it up: 27 seconds, or 30 seconds at most. The crew saw that thing for 30 seconds.
Mike corroborates this timespan, and adds an additional 15 seconds for starting up the truck and leaving (which contradicts his other retellings where he's already started up the truck before Travis got zapped):
"This whole thing took like 30 seconds. All in all, by the time we left we’re talking about a 45-second adventure." - Mike Rogers, Dark Fringe Radio, May 27th, 2021
Steve weighs in:
"This all happened within 30 seconds." - Steve Pierce, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11th, 2020
Did they see the UFO following them as Mike hastily drove away? In the book, Travis describes the scene thus:
[Mike] frantically spun the steering wheel one way, then the other, navigating the tortuous road.
“Is it following us?” he yelled over his shoulder. Nobody answered. “Is it after us?” he shouted again.
When again no reply came, he turned to see the looks of stupefied shock on the faces of his crew. Their pale faces stared straight ahead, blankly. He knew then that it was entirely up to him to get them all to safety. (p.59)
In SyFy's 2012 Paranomal Witness, Steve recounts (as they drove away): "Mike kept saying it was following us, but I don't think anybody was looking back." [11:32]
So, that's a firm no. Nobody saw the UFO following them, but Mike made sure they remained panicked. Remember, all they actually saw was a "hovering" "UFO" through the trees that looked like a framework and windows, a blue ray of light, and Travis falling back.
Travis describes the guys deciding whether to go back for him:
Everyone piled [back] in the right side of the truck. As Mike went around the driver's side of the truck, he exclaimed: "Look! Did you see that?"
The men scrambled to look. One of the men ran to the front of the pickup. "What was it?" he asked.
Mike told them he thought he had briefly seen the outline of the golden disc through the trees to the south. It had raised itself vertically to treetop level and streaked away toward the northeast at incredible speed. (p.63)
Travis wrote that he "quickly stalked" toward the UFO. In his 2021 interview on Joe Rogan he "ran" toward it. Let's assume he jogged over at 4 or 5mph. At that speed he'd cover the distance in 12 to 15 seconds, though he stopped and looked back once (let's add 5 seconds) and walked the last few yards (add another 5 seconds).
The ship started to wobble so he ducked behind a log. "I resolved to waste no time in getting the hell out of there!" (p.58) Halfway out of his crouch, he was struck by the ray and thrown back. While the telling of this part of the event takes a page in the book, the actual actions described - crouch, quickly stand, immediately getting hit and thrown back - it would only take about 5 seconds. Steve yelled: "It got him!" and Mike immediately drove off.
Add it up: 27 seconds, or 30 seconds at most. The crew saw that thing for 30 seconds.
Mike corroborates this timespan, and adds an additional 15 seconds for starting up the truck and leaving (which contradicts his other retellings where he's already started up the truck before Travis got zapped):
"This whole thing took like 30 seconds. All in all, by the time we left we’re talking about a 45-second adventure." - Mike Rogers, Dark Fringe Radio, May 27th, 2021
Steve weighs in:
"This all happened within 30 seconds." - Steve Pierce, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11th, 2020
Did they see the UFO following them as Mike hastily drove away? In the book, Travis describes the scene thus:
[Mike] frantically spun the steering wheel one way, then the other, navigating the tortuous road.
“Is it following us?” he yelled over his shoulder. Nobody answered. “Is it after us?” he shouted again.
When again no reply came, he turned to see the looks of stupefied shock on the faces of his crew. Their pale faces stared straight ahead, blankly. He knew then that it was entirely up to him to get them all to safety. (p.59)
In SyFy's 2012 Paranomal Witness, Steve recounts (as they drove away): "Mike kept saying it was following us, but I don't think anybody was looking back." [11:32]
So, that's a firm no. Nobody saw the UFO following them, but Mike made sure they remained panicked. Remember, all they actually saw was a "hovering" "UFO" through the trees that looked like a framework and windows, a blue ray of light, and Travis falling back.
Travis describes the guys deciding whether to go back for him:
Everyone piled [back] in the right side of the truck. As Mike went around the driver's side of the truck, he exclaimed: "Look! Did you see that?"
The men scrambled to look. One of the men ran to the front of the pickup. "What was it?" he asked.
Mike told them he thought he had briefly seen the outline of the golden disc through the trees to the south. It had raised itself vertically to treetop level and streaked away toward the northeast at incredible speed. (p.63)
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And from Bill Barry's book:
[Mike] saw a streak and a blur of flashing light and then empty sky, total blackness. "Hey, did you guys see that?" he yelled at them. They didn't. They were all climbing into the truck. Now they clambered back out again and ran around to where Mike was standing. "I'm sure that was it," he said, excited. "It just shot off into the sky. I didn't see all of it, just a streak as it went. I'm sure it's gone."... But the others hadn't seen it. Ultimate Encounter, Bill Barry (1978), p. 18 |
Ultimate Encounter, Bill Barry (1978), p. 18
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More recently Mike describes the departing UFO like this:
"I saw a light raise up from back in that direction. It was so heavily wooded that it was just a light raising up, then it took off to the horizontal almost but above trees and towards the northwest" Mike Rogers on the Observation Deck with Captain Ron, Oct 24, 2021
No mention of any "golden disc". The effect described could have been created by simply swinging the searchlight around. In any case, it was wasted effort by the accomplice because only Mike claimed to have seen it.
Only Mike saw it chasing them. Only Mike saw it fly away.
In this 2013 behind-the-scenes video by Travis producer Jennifer Stein, in which Steve Pierce and Travis Walton return to the site, Steve indicates they ("we") did see the UFO leave but it was as they were getting out of the truck, not getting back in: "We all thought you were dead... When we were getting out, we saw something go across the sky, so we thought it was gone. So we were more worried about coming back and seeing you lying there, dead. Charcoal."
While Travis's book says Mike "thought" he saw it leave, and retellings over the years include this in the story, when we go back to the original witness report to GSW, we find that the “unbelievable acceleration of that streak” was entirely omitted:
"I saw a light raise up from back in that direction. It was so heavily wooded that it was just a light raising up, then it took off to the horizontal almost but above trees and towards the northwest" Mike Rogers on the Observation Deck with Captain Ron, Oct 24, 2021
No mention of any "golden disc". The effect described could have been created by simply swinging the searchlight around. In any case, it was wasted effort by the accomplice because only Mike claimed to have seen it.
Only Mike saw it chasing them. Only Mike saw it fly away.
In this 2013 behind-the-scenes video by Travis producer Jennifer Stein, in which Steve Pierce and Travis Walton return to the site, Steve indicates they ("we") did see the UFO leave but it was as they were getting out of the truck, not getting back in: "We all thought you were dead... When we were getting out, we saw something go across the sky, so we thought it was gone. So we were more worried about coming back and seeing you lying there, dead. Charcoal."
While Travis's book says Mike "thought" he saw it leave, and retellings over the years include this in the story, when we go back to the original witness report to GSW, we find that the “unbelievable acceleration of that streak” was entirely omitted:
- NO, the object did not speed up
- DID NOT SEE if it changed direction
- NO, the object did not rotate (contradicting Travis's account)
Excerpt from the initial report to Ground Saucer Watch: witnesses say the UFO did not speed up, change direction, or rotate.
Note also that in SyFy's Paranomal Witness (2012), which included new interviews with the witnesses and a recreation Travis has called accurate, nobody in the contemporary interviews mentions seeing the UFO depart, and nor is it mentioned or shown in the recreation. Did the FX budget run out?
By the time of this 2019 interview, a new tale is firmly established to bolster the eyewitness accounts, with Travis saying: "When they headed back, they saw the craft taking off towards the northeast."
Notice that sneaky "they"? No, initially nobody saw the UFO leaving, and in the two 1970s books only Mike claimed to have seen it leaving.
By the time of this 2019 interview, a new tale is firmly established to bolster the eyewitness accounts, with Travis saying: "When they headed back, they saw the craft taking off towards the northeast."
Notice that sneaky "they"? No, initially nobody saw the UFO leaving, and in the two 1970s books only Mike claimed to have seen it leaving.
Cut to the chase
In Travis's book and Bill Barry's book, what happens next is a brief chase along Rim Road in the hope of catching a passing camper-pickup to ask for help, or in the hope they have guns. Mike and Travis have both repeated this part of the tale in interviews.
The problem is that witnesses Steve Pierce and John Goulette deny this happened. They both believe that they headed right back to look for Travis.
Why would Mike and Travis add this seemingly irrelevant false detail to the narrative? The excerpt below from The Walton Experience makes it very clear that Mike drove some distance along Rim Road:
"they were startled by the sudden approach of headlights coming west on the Rim Road. The dim outline of a camper-pickup could be seen passing by in the dark.
“Let’s go catch that pickup and get help!” John yelped excitedly.
“We can’t catch that guy,” Mike said, dispirited. “He’s long gone by now—but maybe he’ll stop up the road somewhere,” he added, brightening a little. “If we can’t catch him, maybe we can find some other hunters or somebody.”
“Yeah, let’s go!” Dwayne agreed.
[Mike sees the UFO depart.]
...He drove rapidly, half hoping to catch up with the vehicle that had passed.
...They argued on, rehashing what had happened. They did not find any hunters or anyone else.
They were still arguing a mile down the road, where they reached the turnoff that went north to Heber from the Rim Road.
...Mike turned the truck around at the turnoff and said firmly, “This truck is going back..."
...as they turned left off the Rim Road towards the original scene, their apprehension started steadily rebuilding. (pp. 33-34)
In Bill Barry's book, he repeats the same story:
As they were arguing, one of them glanced up to the Rim Road, about fifty feet away, and saw a camper go by... "Let's catch that camper," he said. "They can help us."
[They get back in the truck and Mike sees the UFO depart, then they discuss returning to look for Travis.]
"...we've got to go back and look."
"Well, let's try to catch that camper first," somebody said.
...Mike drove [the truck] up onto the Rim Road, and they took off, chasing the camper. Of course, the camper was long gone. But Mike figured that maybe it would stop somewhere along the way...
They drove all the way to the Turkey Springs cutoff, but they didn't see anyone. So Mike turned the truck around... (pp. 17-18)
Here are Mike and Travis talking about it during various appearances, to make sure you understand that Mike did drive along Rim Road that night and then returned to the logging trail:
"A lot of people think we just turned around and went back. A camper or a pickup or something went by on the Rim Road, you could see it from there. We were 100 feet or so from the Rim Road. ...you could see clearly what was going down the road, something with headlights on, something went down the road to the west. These guys were saying, “let’s get those guys, they probably have guns, hunters have guns.” I was thinking, what good’s that gonna do? ... I said okay. I couldn’t turn around right there anyway. I went on out to the Rim Road and turned and went a-ways down the road chasing this thing, I don’t remember how far we went... I kept saying, I’m going back. ...we went back real slow. Once we actually got on what they call the B-4 road, it was marked capital B and then 4, that was the logging designation of that logging trail... we went back very slow because remember it’s still a closed road..." Mike Rogers, Observation Deck, Oct 24, 2021
"They started to build a fire – I guess they didn’t actually build a fire but I think what happened was a deer hunter went by out on the Rim Road and so one of the guys suggested they chase them down and see if they could get help. Somebody with some guns. And so they tried that and weren’t able to catch up with him. So finally Mike and Ken were saying we gotta go back and see if we can help him." Travis Walton, International UFO Congress, 2009
Here Mike seems a little unsure of whether they chased the pickup - "I think..."?!
"...after we stopped awhile and argued about it - I think we even went up what they call the Rim Road a little ways... cuz a truck went by. We could see if from where we were, a pickup truck and it was [unclear] so somebody in the back, Steve[?] was yelling, “Let’s go chase those guys, they’ve got guns.” And I thought, “Guns? What in the hell [unclear].” We chased maybe a quarter mile or something. I stopped and I turned the truck around and we went back, and this time we went right back where we stopped before…" Mike Rogers, UFO Classified with Erica Lukes, July 16, 2021
Chasing the pickup on Rim Road is an established part of the story from at least 1978 until 2021. But did it happen? And if not, why do Mike and Travis want us to think that it did? Remember, it's not only us they have to fool but the witnesses as well.
I suggest that after fleeing from the site of the "UFO" at the Gentry Tower campground, Mike pulled up on a side trail. Someone saw headlights passing nearby and suggested they flag the vehicle down. Mike distracted them by pretending to see the UFO take off, making it safe for them to return to look for Travis. So they did.
Then it comes time to write the book. Travis asks Mike to retell this part of the tale, and Mike points out that the crew saw passing headlights. What if one of them were to say this in public, destroying the illusion that the entire event took place on a backwoods logging trail?
"We'll hang a lantern on it!" Travis says. "We'll just admit you did drive out to the Rim Road - but only to chase that pickup."
Steve and John are adamant there was no chase. Here's what they've said (unprompted) in interviews:
"I was arguing both ways, man. I could see down on the Rim Road which wasn’t too far away - you could see vehicles going down that road every once in a while…" John Goulette, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11, 2020
"Some of us wanted to go get guns and come back" Steve Pierce, Night Dreams Talk Radio with Gary Anderson, May 4, 2021
From these witness recollections, it seems that after they got out of the truck, there was merely a discussion about following the pickup to ask for help. The chase adds some drama, and makes it seem like the crew did something to actively seek help.
But most importantly, it pre-empts any recollections by the crew of being on Rim Road.
My correspondence with Steve in January 2022, who did not appear to be aware of this part of the official story:
Steve: Where did you get we chased down a pickup?
In Travis's book, in his and Mike's interviews multiple times... Do you remember chasing the pickup along Rim Road before deciding to go look for Travis?
Steve: NO
Can you ask John if he remembers this?
Steve (having called John 2 hours earlier): I just talked to John he said we did not NOT chase no truck
This is what Mike said in an interview last October... [transcript quote]
Steve: This is all bullshit. None of this happened but like I said everything he said about me didn't happen either...
In this later interview Steve reiterated it did not happen: "Mike said we chased down some truck... we never said that. I want the book changed." [UFO Classified, Jun 24, 2022]
The problem is that witnesses Steve Pierce and John Goulette deny this happened. They both believe that they headed right back to look for Travis.
Why would Mike and Travis add this seemingly irrelevant false detail to the narrative? The excerpt below from The Walton Experience makes it very clear that Mike drove some distance along Rim Road:
"they were startled by the sudden approach of headlights coming west on the Rim Road. The dim outline of a camper-pickup could be seen passing by in the dark.
“Let’s go catch that pickup and get help!” John yelped excitedly.
“We can’t catch that guy,” Mike said, dispirited. “He’s long gone by now—but maybe he’ll stop up the road somewhere,” he added, brightening a little. “If we can’t catch him, maybe we can find some other hunters or somebody.”
“Yeah, let’s go!” Dwayne agreed.
[Mike sees the UFO depart.]
...He drove rapidly, half hoping to catch up with the vehicle that had passed.
...They argued on, rehashing what had happened. They did not find any hunters or anyone else.
They were still arguing a mile down the road, where they reached the turnoff that went north to Heber from the Rim Road.
...Mike turned the truck around at the turnoff and said firmly, “This truck is going back..."
...as they turned left off the Rim Road towards the original scene, their apprehension started steadily rebuilding. (pp. 33-34)
In Bill Barry's book, he repeats the same story:
As they were arguing, one of them glanced up to the Rim Road, about fifty feet away, and saw a camper go by... "Let's catch that camper," he said. "They can help us."
[They get back in the truck and Mike sees the UFO depart, then they discuss returning to look for Travis.]
"...we've got to go back and look."
"Well, let's try to catch that camper first," somebody said.
...Mike drove [the truck] up onto the Rim Road, and they took off, chasing the camper. Of course, the camper was long gone. But Mike figured that maybe it would stop somewhere along the way...
They drove all the way to the Turkey Springs cutoff, but they didn't see anyone. So Mike turned the truck around... (pp. 17-18)
Here are Mike and Travis talking about it during various appearances, to make sure you understand that Mike did drive along Rim Road that night and then returned to the logging trail:
"A lot of people think we just turned around and went back. A camper or a pickup or something went by on the Rim Road, you could see it from there. We were 100 feet or so from the Rim Road. ...you could see clearly what was going down the road, something with headlights on, something went down the road to the west. These guys were saying, “let’s get those guys, they probably have guns, hunters have guns.” I was thinking, what good’s that gonna do? ... I said okay. I couldn’t turn around right there anyway. I went on out to the Rim Road and turned and went a-ways down the road chasing this thing, I don’t remember how far we went... I kept saying, I’m going back. ...we went back real slow. Once we actually got on what they call the B-4 road, it was marked capital B and then 4, that was the logging designation of that logging trail... we went back very slow because remember it’s still a closed road..." Mike Rogers, Observation Deck, Oct 24, 2021
"They started to build a fire – I guess they didn’t actually build a fire but I think what happened was a deer hunter went by out on the Rim Road and so one of the guys suggested they chase them down and see if they could get help. Somebody with some guns. And so they tried that and weren’t able to catch up with him. So finally Mike and Ken were saying we gotta go back and see if we can help him." Travis Walton, International UFO Congress, 2009
Here Mike seems a little unsure of whether they chased the pickup - "I think..."?!
"...after we stopped awhile and argued about it - I think we even went up what they call the Rim Road a little ways... cuz a truck went by. We could see if from where we were, a pickup truck and it was [unclear] so somebody in the back, Steve[?] was yelling, “Let’s go chase those guys, they’ve got guns.” And I thought, “Guns? What in the hell [unclear].” We chased maybe a quarter mile or something. I stopped and I turned the truck around and we went back, and this time we went right back where we stopped before…" Mike Rogers, UFO Classified with Erica Lukes, July 16, 2021
Chasing the pickup on Rim Road is an established part of the story from at least 1978 until 2021. But did it happen? And if not, why do Mike and Travis want us to think that it did? Remember, it's not only us they have to fool but the witnesses as well.
I suggest that after fleeing from the site of the "UFO" at the Gentry Tower campground, Mike pulled up on a side trail. Someone saw headlights passing nearby and suggested they flag the vehicle down. Mike distracted them by pretending to see the UFO take off, making it safe for them to return to look for Travis. So they did.
Then it comes time to write the book. Travis asks Mike to retell this part of the tale, and Mike points out that the crew saw passing headlights. What if one of them were to say this in public, destroying the illusion that the entire event took place on a backwoods logging trail?
"We'll hang a lantern on it!" Travis says. "We'll just admit you did drive out to the Rim Road - but only to chase that pickup."
Steve and John are adamant there was no chase. Here's what they've said (unprompted) in interviews:
"I was arguing both ways, man. I could see down on the Rim Road which wasn’t too far away - you could see vehicles going down that road every once in a while…" John Goulette, Paranormal UK Radio Show, Nov 11, 2020
"Some of us wanted to go get guns and come back" Steve Pierce, Night Dreams Talk Radio with Gary Anderson, May 4, 2021
From these witness recollections, it seems that after they got out of the truck, there was merely a discussion about following the pickup to ask for help. The chase adds some drama, and makes it seem like the crew did something to actively seek help.
But most importantly, it pre-empts any recollections by the crew of being on Rim Road.
My correspondence with Steve in January 2022, who did not appear to be aware of this part of the official story:
Steve: Where did you get we chased down a pickup?
In Travis's book, in his and Mike's interviews multiple times... Do you remember chasing the pickup along Rim Road before deciding to go look for Travis?
Steve: NO
Can you ask John if he remembers this?
Steve (having called John 2 hours earlier): I just talked to John he said we did not NOT chase no truck
This is what Mike said in an interview last October... [transcript quote]
Steve: This is all bullshit. None of this happened but like I said everything he said about me didn't happen either...
In this later interview Steve reiterated it did not happen: "Mike said we chased down some truck... we never said that. I want the book changed." [UFO Classified, Jun 24, 2022]
Disappearing act
After this alleged sojourn along Rim Road, the guys decide to check on Travis. His book spends some time recounting their doubts about whether or not they're in the right place:
“I think it was right along here somewhere, you guys, so keep your eyes peeled.” Mike drove on slowly, scanning the roadside.
“Hold it! It was right back there!” Ken exclaimed.
“Yeah! I think it was right about here!” Dwayne agreed. “I recognize that pile of slash over there!” (p.65)
[they get out and look around]
“Maybe this ain’t it,” Ken suggested. “All these piles look alike.”
“I thought it was farther down that way,” Allen said, pointing north down the ridge.
“Naw, if anything, it was farther back up that way,” Ken countered.
“No, I remember this spot,” Dwayne insisted. “See that tree leanin’ down over there?” (p.65)
They weren't in the same place. Mike probably turned off Rim Road onto one of many logging roads (perhaps one he’d previously scouted out - he was missing for two hours that day, remember?). Between them, the guys convinced themselves it was the same place. Of course there was no sign of Travis or the tower (now in darkness at a nearby location).
So why does Travis, here in the role of narrator (since he's not on the scene), harp on the guys' doubts over whether it's the same spot? To cover up the hoax, shouldn't he write the scene in a way that makes everyone look absolutely certain?
I think there are two reasons. Firstly, this scene is probably fairly accurate - they were in a different spot, and to some of the guys it didn't look right. If any of them read the book at a later date, Travis didn't want them querying the scene as inaccurate.
In August 2021 in private correspondence, Steve told me:
"I don't believe we went back to the same spot where Travis was zapped. I even told Travis couple times: I don't believe we drove back to the same spot where it happened. He said, You were just 17, you were confused."
Secondly, when people are not being quite truthful, they can overcompensate (often subconsciously). It looks like Travis included this dialogue to ensure readers come to the conclusion that despite all these meticulously detailed doubts, this was definitely the same spot since the guys ended up searching this area exclusively. The group consensus - which has persisted through the decades, without challenge - settled on it being the same location as the UFO was seen.
“I think it was right along here somewhere, you guys, so keep your eyes peeled.” Mike drove on slowly, scanning the roadside.
“Hold it! It was right back there!” Ken exclaimed.
“Yeah! I think it was right about here!” Dwayne agreed. “I recognize that pile of slash over there!” (p.65)
[they get out and look around]
“Maybe this ain’t it,” Ken suggested. “All these piles look alike.”
“I thought it was farther down that way,” Allen said, pointing north down the ridge.
“Naw, if anything, it was farther back up that way,” Ken countered.
“No, I remember this spot,” Dwayne insisted. “See that tree leanin’ down over there?” (p.65)
They weren't in the same place. Mike probably turned off Rim Road onto one of many logging roads (perhaps one he’d previously scouted out - he was missing for two hours that day, remember?). Between them, the guys convinced themselves it was the same place. Of course there was no sign of Travis or the tower (now in darkness at a nearby location).
So why does Travis, here in the role of narrator (since he's not on the scene), harp on the guys' doubts over whether it's the same spot? To cover up the hoax, shouldn't he write the scene in a way that makes everyone look absolutely certain?
I think there are two reasons. Firstly, this scene is probably fairly accurate - they were in a different spot, and to some of the guys it didn't look right. If any of them read the book at a later date, Travis didn't want them querying the scene as inaccurate.
In August 2021 in private correspondence, Steve told me:
"I don't believe we went back to the same spot where Travis was zapped. I even told Travis couple times: I don't believe we drove back to the same spot where it happened. He said, You were just 17, you were confused."
Secondly, when people are not being quite truthful, they can overcompensate (often subconsciously). It looks like Travis included this dialogue to ensure readers come to the conclusion that despite all these meticulously detailed doubts, this was definitely the same spot since the guys ended up searching this area exclusively. The group consensus - which has persisted through the decades, without challenge - settled on it being the same location as the UFO was seen.
The breakdown
After failing to find Travis, Mike's account in the book continues with this made-for-Hollywood moment:
The longer they continued, the more worried Mike became, more overcome with emotion. He stumbled, then stood, looking down, struggling to control his feelings. The loss of his friend, his guilt at driving away, and the pressure of the leadership being demanded of him all became too much to bear for a moment. He silently handed the flashlight to Ken.
“You all right, Mike?” Ken took him by the shoulder. “Take it easy, man. Come on, it’s going to be okay.”
After a few moments, Mike managed to regain his composure. Finally he could speak: “Okay, you guys, we’re not doing any good here. Let’s go!” [p.67]
Other accounts of this scene are even more dramatic:
Mike got to the ground bawling, really upset, saying “Look what I’ve done, look what I’ve done. I left my friend behind.” [Steve Pierce on Jay Michael Conundrums, Apr 14, 2012] [Steve places this scene a few minutes earlier, before they drove back to look for Travis]
[Mike] was pretty traumatized that night. Kenny said he kinda fell to his knees and was crying. Kenny took charge at that point... [Travis Walton at International UFO Congress, 2009]
Steve Pierce has a different take today: "Mike's the one involved – if this was a hoax, he's a great actor. Because he fell on the ground and he bawls for - And people said, well what took you so long to get to town? Well we was waiting for Mike to quit crying." [UFO Classified, Jun 24, 2022]
The longer they continued, the more worried Mike became, more overcome with emotion. He stumbled, then stood, looking down, struggling to control his feelings. The loss of his friend, his guilt at driving away, and the pressure of the leadership being demanded of him all became too much to bear for a moment. He silently handed the flashlight to Ken.
“You all right, Mike?” Ken took him by the shoulder. “Take it easy, man. Come on, it’s going to be okay.”
After a few moments, Mike managed to regain his composure. Finally he could speak: “Okay, you guys, we’re not doing any good here. Let’s go!” [p.67]
Other accounts of this scene are even more dramatic:
Mike got to the ground bawling, really upset, saying “Look what I’ve done, look what I’ve done. I left my friend behind.” [Steve Pierce on Jay Michael Conundrums, Apr 14, 2012] [Steve places this scene a few minutes earlier, before they drove back to look for Travis]
[Mike] was pretty traumatized that night. Kenny said he kinda fell to his knees and was crying. Kenny took charge at that point... [Travis Walton at International UFO Congress, 2009]
Steve Pierce has a different take today: "Mike's the one involved – if this was a hoax, he's a great actor. Because he fell on the ground and he bawls for - And people said, well what took you so long to get to town? Well we was waiting for Mike to quit crying." [UFO Classified, Jun 24, 2022]
Read on...
While Travis was missing, the remaining six men had a tough few days. Where was Travis? Why did he return after five days? And how did the crew pass their polygraph tests if the whole thing was a hoax?
(c) Charlie Wiser 2021
