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extraordinary, and since I owned the house, I knew I’d be putting their camera crew in jeopardy if I let them in.
    As I write this book, I’m midway through filming my documentary about the house. There are so many more things that have happened that I want to talk about, and so many more details that I’d like to share, but it’s complex…and dangerous.
    LOOK FOR THE DEMON HOUSE MOVIE
TO COME OUT IN 2015.

4
M Y O ASIS IN THE D ESERT
    Getting away is a necessity.
    In the days leading up to a lockdown, we do a lot of preparation and talk to a lot of people. When we filmed in Pioche, Nevada, I spoke with a few old-timers who lived there and found each of their stories to be similar to mine. One used to live in Las Vegas and had escaped to this old mining town because life was simpler there, and another was slowly being overtaken by disease and wanted to spend the rest of his days away from the noise of society. At times like these, I find myself face-to-face with who I may become when the time is right.
    There are only a couple hundred people living in Pioche today. It’s one of those communities where everyone gathers around a grill and the old fire truck drives in with Santa riding high atop it for the kids at Christmas. It’s those simple pleasures of life that I pine for, preserved in Norman Rockwell style in these little towns that time has turned a blind eye to.
    I’m not saying that Pioche is a perfect, idyllic place, but it is far less noisy and pretentious than mainstream America, and I always seem to be drawn to these types of towns. People who live in towns like these don’t obsess over Bieber and the Kardashians, and the local press is more concerned with relevant civic issues than with worshipping pop stars and socialites.
    This day and age makes me sick sometimes. It’s disgusting and selfish in so many ways that it drives me to separate from it. That’s one reason I love traveling: It gives me the chance to escape into these nooks and crannies of space and time. But my experience is always a little different from everyone else’s. Being a sensitive and an empath, I’m not just visiting an old town looking at rundown buildings; I can actually feel the spirits and their energy. If you put a blindfold on me, put me in a van, and drop me off in a town like Pioche, I can instantly feel that I’m in a different time. It’s a therapeutic escape that I miss after the shoot is over and I’m back in loud, neon Vegas. Traveling to these places off the beaten path is my privilege and my sanctuary. I’m definitely a guy who prefers the road less traveled.
    This temporary release from the noise of society is one reason I keep making
Ghost Adventures.
It’s a serene island in an ocean of chaos. Everyone wishes they could go back in time and feel what it was like to live in a different world—at least temporarily. We all enjoy the comforts of modern life, like medicine, transportation, electricity, and running water, and I have to admit that I’m no different.
    Some of my favorite spots to film are old Wild West mining towns in the desert. I’ve been all over Nevada and the Southwest and have swallowed more than my fair share of dust. But the more desolate a place is, the more I enjoy it. Bannack Ghost Town in Montana is beautiful. Historic old towns like Gettysburg are insanely cool to me as well. I love a location with a good story, and the Colonial East Coast has a ton of stories to tell. On set, I’m no longer in 2014; I’m in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. I wear my cowboy hat and boots or whatever the location calls for, and for three days I’m truly free. I’m not famous or successful, just a guy doing his job, and at times I wish I could stay there. In these ghost towns, I’ll sit in an old rocking chair and observe the people who live there. Many look like they’ve been through hell but are peacefully riding out the rest of their days in solitude. Some days I want that for myself,