Founded in 1872, Alum Rock Park, in a valley in the Diablo Range foothills on the east side of San Jose, California, is one fantastically mystical and magical place to visit and picnic, especially if you (like I do) happen to like photographing “light form beings.”
What are light form beings, you ask?
Well, before I get into detail about the myriad of light form beings inhabiting the park, let me tell you a bit more about Alum Rock Park.
About the Park
Originally known as "the reservation," Alum Rock Park received its current name around the turn of the 20th Century, when it was thought (mistakenly so) that the large powdery white rock near its entrance contained alum.
Red-tailed hawks, Great egrets, Black-tailed deer, and even an occasional mountain lion are but a few of the many creatures inhabiting the park. Its steep hillsides embrace a diversity of vegetation, as well as a diversity of light form beings that thrive in the atmosphere of the pungent sulfur that streams from weeping rocks and mineral springs found in the valley.
Once upon a time, the park featured dozens of private, heated mineral baths, a restaurant, and a “natatorium” – a huge, heated indoor swimming pool. An electric railroad transported visitors from San Jose to the park.
From the late 1800s to the 1930s, Alum Rock Park was a famous health resort, known throughout the country. However, overuse caused some of the mineral springs became extinct, and surviving streams had very little output.
The Hayward and Calaveras Faults converge close to Alum Rock Park. And, at 8:04 p.m. PST on October 30, 2007, a 5.6 earthquake, centered 5 miles from Alum Rock Park, hit the Bay Area, causing a previously dried up spring to begin flowing again.
About Light Form Beings
"Light form beings" are bright, colorful, self-luminous entities – that is, they glow. Some are orb shaped while others display human appearing characteristics such as heads, arms, and legs, as well as antennae, wings, and other unusual appendages and bizarre shapes.
Even though light form beings can and do show up wherever and whenever they darn well please, I have found that many of them cluster in the hillsides surrounding the main parking area, where the terrain is steep and brush covered.
The orbs (light beings with circular shapes), however, appear in larger numbers toward the interior of the park, beyond the area where sulfur water runs down the steep rock walls. Running water seems to energize them. And, perhaps due to the influence of the sulfur in the park, many orbs photographed here display a pale yellowish color.
So grab your digital cameras, head out to Alum Rock Park, and start snapping. The more pictures you take the more likely you will be to capture images of some very unusual beings. The best time to photograph light form beings is a little after sunset, but be warned that the Park closes one-half hour after sunset and this policy is strictly enforced.
Not only is Alum Rock Park a great place to photograph light form beings, but it is also a great place to picnic as well. So, bring your digital camera . . . and the family. . . spend the day at Alum Rock Park.
