Ah, I love a good joke.

In my whole life – almost 50 years worth – I have never been the butt of such an elaborate and successful practical joke, but I guess everyone’s gotta go sometime.

For what it is worth, I am relieved that my fundamental faith in the rationality of the universe remains unchallenged.

The Alpine Ghost Train – I am happy to report – is a fraud. An elaborate, careful and meticulous fraud, but a fraud nonetheless. <Very Big Sigh>

I was chopping and hauling wood on my parents property when a couple of neighbors dropped by. As men will do, we got to chatting about things around the neighborhood, and I mentioned in passing that I had heard the Ghost Train on Thursday night. One of them asked, “when did you hear it”, and I repeated that I had heard it on Thursday night. He commented, almost under his breath, “Pat didn’t say he was gonna do it…”

I didn’t let on that there was anything unusual about what I had heard, but when I got back to the cabin, I told my mom that I had solved the mystery. She began laughing and telling me what a good time she had with fooling me. (My mom is an irrepressible cut-up.)

Apparently, a guy up at Alpine has a specially tricked out Jeep with an elaborate sound system which he uses specifically to play the “Ghost Train” soundtrack as he drives up the road. He has been doing it for at least 20 years. All the Alpine residents know about it but do enjoy fooling the newbies. I fell for it harder than most.

So, the reason there have been so few references to the Alpine Ghost Train is because it is a fraud.

Color me relieved.