Tonight's episode features a previously secret recording of Campfire Stories from years gone by, plus an examination of the so-called "Mosquito Hawk" (or Skeeter Eater), which does not eat mosquitos. It doesn't really do anything but fly into your mouth while you're driving, or eating, or just trying to walk through your own house. Information regarding our May 2 / May 16 / May 23 "Campfire Stories" in Joshua Tree is also provided, with more details at DesertOracle.com/event-calendar/

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Tonight's episode features a previously secret recording of Campfire Stories from years gone by, plus an examination of the so-called "Mosquito Hawk" (or Skeeter Eater), which does not eat mosquitos. It doesn't really do anything but fly into your mouth while you're driving, or eating, or just trying to walk through your own house. Information regarding our May 2 / May 16 / May 23 "Campfire Stories" in Joshua Tree is also provided, with more details at <a href="https://www.desertoracle.com/event-calendar/">DesertOracle.com/event-calendar/</a>
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Plague of the Crane Fly + Campfire Tales From Skinwalker Ranch

We still live in the Time of Ancient Gods. At this very moment, in memory of a mission named for the god Apollo, astronauts of the Artemis mission are aboard the Orion spaceship, headed for La Luna. The mission is named for Blessed Artemis, goddess of the night, of the hunt, of the Moon. Daughter of Zeus. And just south of Death Valley National Park, one of the world's three Deep Space Network bases is bringing in the data from Artemis by radio.

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

We still live in the Time of Ancient Gods.&nbsp;At this very moment, in memory of a mission named for the god Apollo, astronauts of the Artemis mission are aboard the Orion spaceship, headed for La Luna. The mission is named for Blessed Artemis, goddess of the night, of the hunt, of the Moon. Daughter of Zeus. And just south of Death Valley National Park, one of the world's three Deep Space Network bases is bringing in the data from Artemis by radio.
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Artemis, Pyramids, Tatooine & Death Valley

What's going on with all these meteors & fireballs in the dark skies above? Where did Elvis Presley see a big UFO hovering over the Mojave Desert? And what drives so many people to the pilgrimage shrine of Graceland?

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

What's going on with all these meteors &amp; fireballs in the dark skies above? Where did Elvis Presley see a big UFO hovering over the Mojave Desert? And what drives so many people to the pilgrimage shrine of Graceland?
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Meteor Nights on the Road to Graceland

It's the magical time when the cold winter desert becomes an Eden of Wildflowers, as we luxuriate in the the spring warmth of the Sun & the birds are all delirious. Just like that, way up here in the Mojave mountains. ALSO: We dedicate this episode to the memory of Ray Barnes. PLUS: It's the 50th anniversary of the desert-fanatic classic The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

It's the magical time when the cold winter desert becomes an Eden of Wildflowers, as we luxuriate in the the spring warmth of the Sun &amp; the birds are all delirious. Just like that, way up here in the Mojave mountains.&nbsp;ALSO:&nbsp;We dedicate this episode to the memory of Ray Barnes.&nbsp;PLUS:&nbsp;It's the 50th anniversary of the desert-fanatic classic The Monkey Wrench Gang.
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Springtime in the Desert Mountains

Celebrating Ed Abbey's 99th Birthday with a road trip to Arches National Park, setting of his beloved 1968 book, Desert Solitaire. AND: What's going on within the federal government's "experimental forests" in Sasquatch Country? New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Celebrating Ed Abbey's 99th Birthday with a road trip to Arches National Park, setting of his beloved 1968 book,&nbsp;Desert Solitaire. AND:&nbsp;What's going on within the federal government's "experimental forests" in Sasquatch Country? New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com

Mountain Mysteries & Edward Abbey’s 99th Birthday

It’s time for Strange & Unusual Facts. Mostly about the desert, the wilderness, critters and criminals. We are not using our usual flurry of em-dashes because we've heard that's a sign of AI-slop writings. New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, for this new year and new springtime on the way.

It&rsquo;s time for Strange &amp; Unusual Facts. Mostly about the desert, the wilderness, critters and criminals. We are not using our usual flurry of em-dashes because we've heard that's a sign of AI-slop writings. New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, for this new year and new springtime on the way.

Black Widow Babies & Early Blooming Joshua Trees

Join Desert Oracle Radio for an audio tour of how the American Desert celebrates Christmastime, or Christmastide. With festive soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2025 http://DesertOracle.com

Join Desert Oracle Radio for an audio tour of how the American Desert celebrates Christmastime, or Christmastide. With festive soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2025 http://DesertOracle.com

Yucca Yuletide: A Desert Holiday

From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series about America’s strange history & uncanny folklore.

Tonight we visit the beautiful country estate of Clement Clarke Moore, the big house called "Chelsea" where he read his Christmas poem to the family. The poem is "A Visit From St. Nicholas," and the country estate is now the neighborhood of Chelsea, New York City.

Santa Claus, it turns out, is a New York City native. He was created from old Dutch traditions of St. Nicholas and Sinterklaas, by NYC boosters and literary men such as Clement C. Moore, Washington Irving and John Pintard.

Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Desert Oracle Radio © ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com

From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series about America&rsquo;s strange history &amp; uncanny folklore.
Tonight we visit the beautiful country estate of Clement Clarke Moore, the big house called "Chelsea" where he read his Christmas poem to the family. The poem is "A Visit From St. Nicholas," and the country estate is now the neighborhood of Chelsea, New York City.
Santa Claus, it turns out, is a New York City native. He was created from old Dutch traditions of St. Nicholas and Sinterklaas, by NYC boosters and literary men such as Clement C. Moore, Washington Irving and John Pintard.
Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.
Desert Oracle Radio &copy; ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com

Christmas In Chelsea with St. Nicholas

Snowy mountaintops across the Western Mojave, all the transverse ranges have at least a dusting, with the big peaks covered in white. San Gorgonio looks so pretty right now, you can almost forget it’s a haunted mountain that eats people alive and is usually known by its grim local nickname “Old Grayback.” It must be Thanksgiving in the High Desert! An all-new episode with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, this is Desert Oracle Radio Episode #253. 

ALSO: Listen to the end, for important information on our Stocking Stuffer Special: a rare print edition of Desert Oracle (issue #11) & a DOR yellow vinyl bumper sticker, postage-paid to your mailbox for only $15.99.

Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2024 http://DesertOracle.com

Snowy mountaintops across the Western Mojave, all the transverse ranges have at least a dusting, with the big peaks covered in white. San Gorgonio looks so pretty right now, you can almost forget it&rsquo;s a haunted mountain that eats people alive and is usually known by its grim local nickname &ldquo;Old Grayback.&rdquo; It must be Thanksgiving in the High Desert! An all-new episode with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, this is Desert Oracle Radio Episode #253.&nbsp;
ALSO: Listen to the end, for important information on our <a href="https://www.desertoracle.com">Stocking Stuffer Special:</a> a rare print edition of Desert Oracle (issue #11) &amp; a DOR yellow vinyl bumper sticker, postage-paid to your mailbox for only $15.99.
Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2024 http://DesertOracle.com

Thanksgiving In the High Desert

Recorded live in New York before an audience of DOR Patrons & assorted Manhattanites, this is Desert Oracle’s special Halloween Ghost Stories. Thanks to our special guests Matt Welch from The Fifth Column and Nicholas Lowry from Antique Roadshows & the new Czech graphic-design documentary Identity.

Special thanks to our listeners who told ghost stories, RedBlueBlackSilver for the spooky soundscapes that surrounded us all, and Jonathan Farber for hosting the event.

Recorded live in New York before an audience of DOR Patrons &amp; assorted Manhattanites, this is Desert Oracle&rsquo;s special Halloween Ghost Stories. Thanks to our special guests&nbsp;<a href="https://reason.com/people/matt-welch/">Matt Welch</a> from <a href="https://www.wethefifth.com/">The Fifth Column</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nicholowry/?hl=en">Nicholas Lowry</a> from <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/nicholas-d-lowry/">Antique Roadshows</a> &amp; the new Czech graphic-design documentary <a href="https://kviff.tv/catalog/identity-a-czech-graphic-design-love-story">Identity</a><a href="https://kviff.tv/catalog/identity-a-czech-graphic-design-love-story">.</a>
Special thanks to our listeners who told ghost stories, <a href="https://redblueblacksilver.bandcamp.com/">RedBlueBlackSilver</a> for the spooky soundscapes that surrounded us all, and Jonathan Farber for hosting the event.

All Hallows Tales, Live In New York

Desert Oracle Radio is a weekly road trip through the weird American desert from the publisher of Desert Oracle, the pocket-sized field guide published in Joshua Tree, California. Hear tales of mysterious lights, missing tourists, lost mines, venomous creatures, weird history and weirder people. Hosted by editor Ken Layne and featuring a cast of intriguing mystics, oddballs, scientists and artists, Desert Oracle Radio is your soundtrack for a desert night. The program is broadcast on Friday nights at 10 p.m. on KCDZ 107.7 FM in the Mojave high desert, with field reports from around and across the desert lands, and is distributed by Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

Desert Oracle Radio

From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series that’s all about America’s strange history & uncanny folklore.

Tonight we meet William Dunbar, frontier scientist on the Lower Mississippi, and hear his weird report to longtime friend Thomas Jefferson, regarding a large, low-flying mystery object that stunned the people of Baton Rouge in the Spring of 1800.

Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Desert Oracle Radio © ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com

From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series that&rsquo;s all about America&rsquo;s strange history &amp; uncanny folklore.
Tonight we meet William Dunbar, frontier scientist on the Lower Mississippi, and hear his weird report to longtime friend Thomas Jefferson, regarding a large, low-flying mystery object that stunned the people of Baton Rouge in the Spring of 1800.
Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.
Desert Oracle Radio &copy; ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com

The Eldritch Republic: Thomas Jefferson's UFO

There were two attempted assassinations of President Gerald Ford in September 1975. Both in California, both by women, and both with strange connections to Charles Manson. And then there was third incident six months later, involving not the president, but First Lady Betty Ford. A very strange third incident.

This is The Eldritch Republic, a new collection of uncanny history and American folklore from Desert Oracle Radio. Just in time for the Halloween season, with new episodes throughout the U.S. Sestercentennial, 2026. Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Desert Oracle Radio © ℗ 2017-2025 http://DesertOracle.com

There were two attempted assassinations of President Gerald Ford in September 1975. Both in California, both by women, and both with strange connections to Charles Manson. And then there was third incident six months later, involving not the president, but First Lady Betty Ford. A very strange third incident.
This is&nbsp;The Eldritch Republic, a new collection of uncanny history and American folklore from&nbsp;Desert Oracle Radio.&nbsp;Just in time for the Halloween season, with new episodes throughout the U.S. Sestercentennial, 2026. Written &amp; hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.
Desert Oracle Radio &copy; ℗ 2017-2025 http://DesertOracle.com

The Eldritch Republic: Year of the Assassins!

From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic with Ken Layne. A collection of uncanny true tales from America's strange history & folklore.

From&nbsp;Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic&nbsp;with Ken Layne. A collection of uncanny true tales from America's strange history &amp; folklore.

Ken Layne's strange true tales from American history & folklore.

The Eldritch Republic

Mysterious lights, missing tourists, lost mines, strange apparitions, magical rituals, false prophets & sinister characters. Weird tales from the wild places. This is Desert Oracle Radio, by Ken Layne, broadcasting from a Mojave mountaintop since 20&17.

Mysterious lights, missing tourists, lost mines, strange apparitions, magical rituals, false prophets &amp; sinister characters. Weird tales from the wild places. This is Desert Oracle Radio, by Ken Layne, broadcasting from a Mojave mountaintop since 20&amp;17.

Desert Oracle Radio

Social links:

Follow the podcast:

263 clip(s)

3 clip(s)