
I mentioned in a comment to Durango that something even spookier occurred that evening of the Thunder Road excursion. The young lady who bravely sprinkled baby powder also related this story:
"Between the years 1910-1926, Wink, a bustling expanding oil town, experienced a great migration of people wanting to invest and become wealthy. One of those migrates, a young man, his wife and their baby daughter, settled on the outskirts of town on HWY 115. The young family erected a moderate home and the inexperienced business man and father set about the business of growing his wealth. In the
beginning, oil shot through the air, people made money hand over fist, investments reaped plenty." This is where the story becomes a bit convoluted, but this man as well as plenty of others experienced the depression and succumbed to losing his fortune. "Fear and trepidation set in as the man drove home that evening, afraid to tell his wife that they had lost everything. He fatefully decided he couldn't face his family and have them look upon him as the failure he'd become. He arrived home that evening, paused in front of the little house, rested his hand on the tall tree from where the rope swing swayed gently in the breeze. Sweat beaded up on his forehead, rolled slowly into his eyes, blurring his vision momentarily, but the axe finally came into focus. With purpose, he gripped the axe handle, felt the smooth wood and steadily trudged towards the house.
Upon entering the homestead, the man set about the grisly business of killing his wife and daughter. Overwhelming grief settled in, and he hung himself from the tree using his daughter's rope swing." The story continued with, "if you go down that road late at night and you see three owls, the man's disturbed spirit is out seeking revenge." Revenge for what...I wasn't sure, but not only did we see an owl, but a large white cow stood passively in the middle of the road. Our headlights beamed making the cow's eyes glow red. It truly was eerie and all that occurred before the tracks and baby powder.

I returned home that evening, exhausted and still a bit excited from the night's events. Since we just moved to Wink, my little brother and I were sharing a room and a mattress on the floor. He was already asleep as I crawled into the makeshift bed. I had a nightmare and awoke, I looked over to my left and a white figure was sitting up next to me. I covered my head with the blanket and proceeded to scream. I believe my brother was also screaming which caused my parents to come flying down the hallway to our room. Once the lights were turned on, and my parents were able to calm us both, they returned to bed. I laid there next to my younger brother and admitted that I had the strangest dream...a man dressed in white, wielding an axe, entered our room and said that we were not going to get out alive. My brother's eyes widened to large saucers...he said, "I had the same dream."
I know it seems to be an unbelievable story, but my brother and I have discussed it and both of us even today, vividly remember the dream. What is even odder and unfortunate...the young lady who related the story of Thunder Road...took her own life a month before graduation in the year of 1987.



