Thursday, November 1, 2007

Blackstar Canyon Road - Irvine

Perhaps it is the local lore that surrounds this spot that is to blame for the eerie vibes one gets upon visiting it, but I would be lying if I said that Black Star Canyon Rd. didn't give me the heebie-jeebies from the get-go.

Some legends about the road include a bearded man with no teeth called "Black Star Bill" who chases any visitors he finds away, creatures shrouded in black with a penguin-like gait, witchcraft and KKK rituals, ghost cars, and your regular run-of-the-mill squatters. To be quite honest, it's that last one that worried me the most.

Upon my voyage I saw no penguins, toothless men, or pagan rituals, but the consistent chill running up my spine was enough to inspire me to make my visit brief. Black Star is the kind of place where you constantly feel like you're being watched, and if it is true that there are various people residing here, it is quite possible.

For more info:
http://www.blackstaradventures.com/ghosts.php
http://www.ghosts.org/stories/tales/blackstar-canyon.html
http://www.warriorssociety.org/Blackstar_info.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Star_Canyon

Getting there from VU:

1: Start out going EAST on FAIR DR toward NEWPORT BLVD. 0.2 miles Map

2: Turn LEFT onto NEWPORT BLVD. <0.1> Map

3: Merge onto CA-55 N via the ramp on the LEFT. 1.7 miles Map

4: Merge onto I-405 S via EXIT 6A toward SAN DIEGO. 1.8 miles Map

5: Take the JAMBOREE ROAD exit- EXIT 7. 0.3 miles Map

6: Turn LEFT onto JAMBOREE RD. 3.6 miles Map

7: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto CA-261 N (Portions toll). 5.7 miles Map

8: Take the SANTIAGO CANYON RD / CA-241 S exit- EXIT 6A- toward CHAPMAN AVE. 0.2 miles Map

9: Take the SANTIAGO CYN RD exit on the LEFT toward CHAPMAN AVE. <0.1> Map

10: Turn RIGHT onto SANTIAGO CANYON RD. 5.3 miles Map

11: Turn LEFT onto SILVERADO CANYON RD. 0.1 miles Map

12: End at Black Star Canyon Rd & Silverado Canyon Rd
Silverado, CA 92676, US
Map
Total Est. Time: 25 minutes Total Est. Distance: 19.47 miles

2 comments:

Colin said...

This place has some weird stuff going on. My friends have been stalked by cults, chased at high speed by a pickup truck, and shot at

Moelsk said...

Actually there was a Black Star Bill. He was actually a very cool guy. I hope he still alive but I haven’t been there in decades so I don’t know.

There was another person who chased everybody out. I won’t mention his name to protect his privacy. He had legitimate reasons to not let people pass. In fact it was Blackstar Bill talked this person into letting my hiking buddy and I pass because we would take out more trash then we took in when visiting the falls. This along with giving him a card to do some work for him he relented and let us pass.

The issue was, back in the day, a series of El NiƱo storms destroyed the only access to Black Star Canyon. The local government refused to repair and maintain the access basically handing it over to the private citizens. Since that property was then considered private property the local residents were left to repair and maintain the access. Because of that they did not want to end up being sued and held responsible for anything happening to people who used that access.

Anyway, I have always adored the urban legends of OC!