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Barstow Dream

 

I used to travel the country quite a bit while in my twenties and was getting ready to take a bus ride from Kansas to San Diego. A few days before this trip, I had an odd dream. In the dream, I was a passenger in some sort of large vehicle along with a few people unknown to me and we were traveling through a city. It was dark and as we went down a hill, I noticed the street was flooded with water, making the lane a sort of raging river. In the water, which our vehicle went through with no problem, were many huge alligators, snapping at the air and swimming along side us down the hill. As we reached the bottom, I noticed a house on the corner. It was two stories tall, tan, and the lower level living room had an un-curtained window through which the light of a shadeless lamp shone. The lamp sat on a table in the otherwise bare room. I somehow got out of the bus/van and made my way to the house. Inside I was met by my sister and, a few minutes later, by my best friend at the time. As I made my way throughout the house, looking through the various rooms, they followed me; trying urgently to tell me something that I either could not understand or now do not remember. All the rooms were pretty much the same- dark, dank, and with little furniture in them. The downstairs lamp seemed to be the only light source; making shadows dance on the walls as it flickered. I stood at an upstairs window looking out at the city before waking up. The dream didn't frighten me; I just found it odd and it quickly faded from memory as I was preparing for my trip out West.

The bus trip was nice, if not uneventful, and toward the end of my journey I found myself in Barstow, California around 2-3 in the morning. We stopped at a deserted bus station to drop off some packages and stretch our legs before moving on toward Los Angeles and finally San Diego.

I am not sure why, but this bus station seemed eerie to me and although it was well lit and clean looking, I was happy when the bus driver, coffee in hand, started the engine up and pulled back out onto the street. As we made our way through the silent, sleeping city, I was suddenly hit with déjà vu. I had never been to Barstow before or since, but I suddenly knew every turn we would make and what we would see. Then we began to descend a hill. There was no raging river or snapping alligators, but I recognized the stores and buildings we passed and knew what would be at the bottom. Sure enough, there it was... The two storey house on the corner. It looked exactly as in my dream except there was a curtain covering the window in which I saw the table with the lamp on it. There was still a light on, though, and I could see the shadows of people moving about behind the thin fabric.

I often wonder who those shadows belonged to and why I dreamed of that place before having ever seen it. I wonder why I dreamt of it at all.

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Troja68 (1 stories) (12 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-30)
MiaG- Wow! Thanks so much for the information. I've been trying to find the word for that for a long time.
Although I haven't written much about it, this phenomenon happens quite frequently to me.
MiaG (28 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-24)
Hello Troyan,

An extract from an article I've read; (Finerminds.com)
... While often confused with déjà vu ("French for already seen"), the concept of seeing or feeling something that you previously experienced in a dream is a phenomenon called déjà rêvé (French for "already dreamed").

I think you'll find this article interesting. It explains why some people's dreams come true.

Https://www.finerminds.com/dreams-that-come-true/

Very interesting post.

Best wishes,
Miandra/SWS
Tweed (33 stories) (2475 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-22)
Troja, happy you're reconnecting with this great location again! Emotional attachments must strengthen some kind of bond and awaken something otherwise dormant in the soul. It's a rejuvenating process whatever's behind it.
I never submitted the dust storm day to the site. But I randomly got talking to the guy who saw her with me a couple of years ago and we talked briefly about that trip. I'll start typing it up properly and submit it to the site.

Have a great weekend too👍
Troja68 (1 stories) (12 posts)
+4
8 months ago (2023-07-21)
Tweed- Thanks for commenting! I'm unsure what to say about this event.
I had a dream about being inside a house I'd never seen before, located in a city I'd never been through before, and then a week or two later I'm passing by that very same house!
There were people awake inside and I really wish I had the chance to knock on the door and meet them.
This story took place in 1996, so not too long before you saw the woman in the dust storm (eerie! Have you posted about it on here? I'd love to hear more).
I agree that the desert (especially the Mojave) is a magical place with much to offer.
I do become emotionally attached to certain places and, having been in the area quite a few times, the Mojave desert is a biggie.
A few months ago I took a road trip to San Diego (containing more areas of emotional attachments), going through New Mexico, southern Arizona, and finally California.
On the way back I made it a point to go through Barstow but something came up and I didn't have time to look around (I doubt I could have found that house anyway).
Your post has given me the itch to get back to the desert so my next road trip will be concentrated around Barstow as well as 29 Palms, Joshua Tree, and that area.
I really enjoyed reading your post and want to wish you a good weekend. Thanks!
Tweed (33 stories) (2475 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-15)
Hi again Troja,

Dreaming about unfamiliar houses and exploring the rooms has been a theme in my dreams since I can remember. Unfortunately I don't have any real insight into your dream, however I think I understand the deja vu you experienced. Do you easily become emotionally attached to locations? I do and can't shake the feeling this phenomenon is connected. I believe a house or location can become sentient in some way, though I don't understand how. It's more something I feel, trust and not necessarily a bad thing either. Just makes things more interesting.

I was excited to read Barstow in the title. In the early 2000's my then boyfriend and I were traveling through Barstow (My first time in California.) I don't know if dust storms are common in those parts but on that day it was very windy. We had to stop and let the dust settle a couple of times. One of those times we think we saw a young woman walking through the dust. However when the wind slowed and everything cleared she was nowhere to be seen. Where we were was desert, no buildings or anywhere for her to have disappeared into. It was something cool and unexpected to have happen.
I love the Mojave desert and have been back over the years. It's a special place, alive and aware, I love the energy. To read this old experience of yours with the house in Barstow was a real thrill. So thank you for sharing, even thought it was years ago! I don't fully understand what you experienced with the dream and the house, but I suspect it was something very magical.
CrimsonTopaz (1 stories) (238 posts)
+2
8 months ago (2023-07-15)
Troyarn,
Goodness gracious, dreams are a whole new arena of things I know nothing about. I do Remember a lot of ocean waves, big waves and holding on tight to a pillar. Where it came from, who knows. So from driving down a black gravel road with a flooded dip caused by rain/storm and finally reaching the other side with grey industrial buildings on the left to the waves coming in big and fast tsunami like.
I'm off track here. I'll have to research all that. I have scribbles of my dreams, not sure if it's one of them or where those scribbles are. Lol
Troja68 (1 stories) (12 posts)
+4
8 months ago (2023-07-14)
CrimsonTopaz- what a weird dream! And it was very similar to mine. I wonder what the water in the street could mean.
I had never been to Barstow before so had no idea about the train/ bus station.
Now that we have the internet, I looked the place up and yes, it's supposedly very haunted.
I just know it gave off a negative vibe, few people opted to get off during the short stop, and the but driver was very quick to finish his purpose there.
I was happy that my feelings about the station could be validated with stories from the web.
Thanks for sharing your own dream and enjoy the weekend!
CrimsonTopaz (1 stories) (238 posts)
+2
9 months ago (2023-07-12)
AussieDaz, once again I like your take on Troyarn's dream. You have so much knowledge to share. I for one, learn a little more each time I read comments you publish.
CrimsonTopaz (1 stories) (238 posts)
+3
9 months ago (2023-07-12)
Troyan, The strangest thing-Ive had a similar dream. It started to come back to me as I was reading your posting.
I too travelled on a road that became a dip and it was filled with water. Rain/flooding, not a stream like your dream. I had a feeling of how will I get back, how long do I need to wait for it to subside, Will it get deeper etc. Strange industrial buildings were on the left when I finally crossed and it was grey, dull and eerie. I've had this dream often. I know it's not exactly the same but for some reason I was interested in this posting and maybe I needed to remember that dream and find out why I had it often.
Thanks for guiding me to this profile and all these postings. I'll try and get through them one by one.
Have you ever thought about researching that station stop to see what it's history was and why you felt so uncomfortable when you were there?
Angela1987 said in her comment that she lived in Barstow and she thought it was haunted. Your intuition has substance. It would be interesting to know your findings
troyarn (5 stories) (479 posts)
+3
8 years ago (2015-11-18)
Thanks for commenting, Angela 1987. I'd never heard of anything before stopping there that night but many of us felt uncomfortable. It was a beautiful place (bet you had a great prom), but we were ready to leave as soon as possible... Even the driver who's route went through there all the time.
Angela1987 (2 posts)
+3
8 years ago (2015-09-30)
I actually happen to live in Barstow California! And I had my Senior prom at the old train station 10 years ago! The banquet room seemed a bit more chilly the rest of the place. And my father in law said it is DEFINATELY haunted!
troyarn (5 stories) (479 posts)
+3
9 years ago (2015-02-14)
Thanks for reading and for the comments, notjustme. It was a very weird event and I'm still not sure why it happened. As for the eerie train station we briefly stopped at, I found out years later that it's supposed to be haunted. If I ever get the chance perhaps I'll go back there and check some things out.
notjustme (19 stories) (852 posts)
+3
9 years ago (2015-02-09)
The one thing I could suggest is... Past life. You've been there before, but not in this life. Interesting yet again!
troyarn (5 stories) (479 posts)
+3
12 years ago (2011-12-30)
Thanks for all the recent and two year old comments. For some reason, the older onces just showed up recently. Hope no one thinks I was being disrespectful by not answering. And have a very Happy New Year!
teneki (10 stories) (140 posts)
+3
12 years ago (2011-12-28)
This reminds me of an account I read as a child in a book about reportedly strange but true experiences. In this account, a person of nobility was visiting af friend and awakened in the middle of the night to a loud crash outside.

When he looked outside, he saw a hunched over figure who then looked up to him and smiled. The man never forgot the face that shone in the moonlight.

Fastforward a few years to the point that elevators were new and needed an elevator man. The noble and an assistant had just checked into a hotel and was going to use the elevator until he saw the operator looked exactly like the man he'd seen that other night.

Pulling his assistant and himself out of the elevator, he waited for the elevator to move on and then was explaining to his assistant why he'd done what he did. As he was explaining, a loud snap and then a rumbling was heard in the shaft followed by a tremor that was felt, the elevator car had fallen killing everyone inside. When he looked at the elevator indicator, showing what floor the elevator had been on, it was just before the floor he would have gotten off on.

Now, that account isn't completely reputable but not easily dismissed either. However, yours did remind me of it. Thank you for sharing.
Argette (guest)
+3
12 years ago (2011-12-28)
I stumbled upon this story tonight, and I'm glad I did. It is the experience I have been searching for; that is, I had this experience myself prior to moving to a Midwestern town for college. A week or so before my move, I had a vivid dream of a neighborhood south of the campus where the guy I thought I loved lived. I had seen the neighborhood on a map (pre-Google days) but that was it. I had no idea that it was filled with antique stores, hamburger joints, ice cream shops and import stores or that it had a festive, almost carnival atmosphere because of all the students who lived there. Reality and the dream were almost identical. Yes, I had visited the campus before, but had no reason to visit this neighborhood until this guy moved there, which was just prior to my move. I had a lot of strange experiences regarding this guy from the first time he asked me out onwards. Fortunately, the relationship never really went anywhere. But I sure was attached to him psychically.
DannyBruise (9 stories) (125 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-04-15)
troyarn

Thanks for verifying my nightmares.

I wish I could describe my nightmares as well as you did your dream. But mine are in black and white for some reason...yet...all my other dreams are always in color.
Out of curiousity, do you ever wake up and wonder where in the hell your mind went in that dream?

I often wonder...
Thanks for sharing... Gotta check out your other posts.
Great description of your dream...
aussiedaz (19 stories) (1565 posts)
+4
14 years ago (2010-04-03)
Good post granny😁where on the same wave length, I too have also noticed... How most ederly people, are much more accepting and gracious from their life long journey, as you said chalk it up to experience, cheers mate.❤
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+4
14 years ago (2010-04-03)
Aussie: Wow! That's like "which came first: the chicken or the egg?" 😆...I believe that we are spiritual beings living with human experiences... Every new go-around we learn and grow and carry those lessons to the next human life...That's why people who are considered "old souls" are very sensitive and gifted... Chalk it up to experience! 😆 ❤
aussiedaz (19 stories) (1565 posts)
+3
14 years ago (2010-04-03)
Are we humans living with spiritual experiences or are we spiritual beings living with human experiences? What I believe is that sometimes when we sleep our spiritual consciousness kicks into gear giving us experiences that are sometimes surreal and sometimes, they end up creating premonitions... When our body falls away, we are left with our spirit and its own self conscious, these projections (dreams) and paranormal episodes we have now, are just the beginning of what helps us to function and exist in the after life and for some unfortunatley they end up repeating nightmares, we loose a few senses when we die, reality projection is one we gain.
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+3
14 years ago (2010-04-03)
vulcan:That was no kind of dream!...I think maybe what he would have told you is to call your friend #1 sooner than you did, though that wouldn't have helped since he wasn't home at the time anyway... That was a very interesting account! 😊
vulcan10 (5 stories) (332 posts)
+3
14 years ago (2010-04-03)
I've had many dreams similar to yours during my life, one of which was recalled the other night while I was reading "Parting visions: pre-death visions and spiritual experiences".It brought back a premonition dream, or maybe you'd call it a real time dream. Mmm... Actually I don't know what you'd call it, anyway, It happened when I was in oregon, about three months before my other story. I'd forgotten all about it until I read a story somewhat similar in the above mentioned book. It was a Friday or Saturday night, I don't remember which, I only know that it was a weekend night. I remember that because I thought it odd at the time that even though I had lots of money in my pocket and all night to do it in with no school tomorrow that I chose to come home early and do nothing. I'd just been to a pizza place/game room in town that was not a chain, privatly owned by a man named "john". I remember his name because before moving to oregon I went to a hangout called johns snack shack back home that had games and pool tables and was a hangout for teens and hanger ons. The place local there in rainier was downtown. It had the best toasted ham and cheese sandwiches on the planet. It makes me hungy now just thinking of them. My dad was gone and I had the house to myself when I got home. It must have been about 9:30 because I had time to make something to eat (4 hotdogs and a can of popeye spinach), before the tonight show came on at 10:30. I'd just finished cleaning up after myself and had set down in the recliner in front of the tv. The music started... Do do do do do... Dmm dmm dmm... Now heeeeerrreeeesss Johnny. And I was out. The next thing I knew, I was in my car, back home just taking off from a very familier corner light with friend 1 and 2 in the front seat with me and probably 4 people in the back. Just as we took off friend 2 looked back and said,"hey there's (friend 3). He's running after us". I saw him in the rear view mirror and started to stop, then it dawned on me, (I'll just refer to them as 1,2,or 3 now), that 3 was dead. We all looked at each other in the front seat and we all knew that he was. They started yelling go go go! So I started speeding up, as I pulled away I could see that he was trying to flag me down and tell me something that seemed really important, then I woke up. Johnny was doing his monologue. I looked around and realized it was just a dream. I couldn't believe I had gone to sleep so fast. I got me a big glass of milk and sat back down to watch the tonight show. I'd just set back down and, Out again. This time It was just me and friend number 1 in the car. He looked back in a panicky sort of way and said,"He's still coming! Go go go!" I looked down at the speed and I was the same place I had been in the last dream, just starting and going about 20 and speeding up. I could see him catching up to us and out of the corner of my eye I could plainly see him wildly waving his arms at me and trying to tell me something. But I knew he was dead and only wanted to get away from a dead guy. I woke up. I was kind of freaking out because I remembered that I had dreamed the continuance of another dream and it had picked up where it left off and even after I had got up for a minute. I didn't want to go back to sleep because since it had gone down from all of us in the car to just me and friend 1, I was scared to think of what it might be if I went back to sleep. I paced the floor for a minute and considered leaving, but I didn't want to get into my car at that moment. I looked out the door and didn't want to go out in the dark. I sat back down and just told myself that I was definetly not going to sleep. I turned the tv up took a big drink of milk, l johnny was still doing his monologue and I went right out again. This time it was just me in the car, I was really scared and hit the gas. I saw the speedometer climbing, saw him waving his arms outside my window and moving his mouth trying to tell me something, and then he wasn't there anymore. I slowly looked to my left and sighed with relief. When I looked back at the road I realized he was setting in the seat beside me. He just looked at me with a sad look and a kind of questioning, like, why didn't you just listen to me? I felt guilty and scared at the same time. Then I woke up. I got up and knew I had to do something. I decided to call friend 1 back in oklahoma. While it was ringing I realized that johnnys monologue had just ended and the commercial had just came on. How can that be, I thought. How could I just pass out three times in the 15 minutes or so it takes him to do his monologue? And I also realized that friend 1 wouldn't be home because he would still be out partying or just carousing until all hours of the morning. His sister answered and after a few minutes of catching up and just before hanging up she said, he just walked in. As soon as he got on the phone I said, you'll never guess what I just dreamed about, and he said, you'll never guess what just happened. I was on the way home near the corner of ___ and ___ (the same intersection in my dream) and friend 3 and his cousins were out partying and swerved towards me hooping and hollering and honking then ran the light there and went under a semi truck. It killed them all. I was the last person to see them alive. I then told him of my dream. I have since wondered what he would have told me that would have been usefull if I had of stopped and listened.
Pete16 (2 stories) (49 posts)
+3
14 years ago (2010-01-25)
Troyarn, I certainly do not claim to be any psychic either. Maybe sometimes people just tune into strange things for no reason at all. Interesting about your Barstow bus station. Maybe you could research some more to try to figure out why in the world you should be so in-tune to this place? I wish I could figure out what and why I needed to know about that Tuberculosis center, but it's no longer standing, and I've long since moved away. Anyway, thanks for your comment!
troyarn (5 stories) (479 posts)
+2
14 years ago (2010-01-16)
Pete16, thanks for your comments and for sharing your own strange tale.

I do not consider myself psychic at all so have no idea as to why I had a dream about this place or what it could mean.

Another weird thing... I was surfing the web and discovered that the bus station in Barstow that I found to be very eerie is supposed to be haunted. I guess they even give ghost tours there... Something I never even knew about at that time.
Pete16 (2 stories) (49 posts)
+3
14 years ago (2010-01-05)
troyarn, Once I dreamed of the inside of an old Tuberculosis hospital in my hometown. At the time, it was empty, save for the occasional curious teenager or druggie. However, I had only driven by this place a few times when I was younger. In my dream, I was being wheeled around (perhaps in a wheelchair), and in the corners were patches of fire. I thought it simply strange until two years later, a homeless man warming himself inside the building accidentally burned the place down. Why in the world I dreamed about this particular place, I will never know. I thought it similar to your experience, especially since neither of us will likely ever understand such a dream.
troyarn (5 stories) (479 posts)
+2
15 years ago (2009-07-20)
Thanks to all who commented and I'm glad you were able to enjoy my little tale.

StillAlive, If ever I'm in that area again, I will surely stop by and see if I can find out anything (if I can remember where it was... This took place many years ago).

MouthoftheSouth, I doubt I am psychic but if I am I have no idea as to how to control it. As far as I'm concerned I just had a few very weird things happen in life.

BriFischer05, I'm unsure about houses in California (what styles were fasionable in what time), but the place could have been maybe 20-30 years old. If I ever DO get back to Barstow, I will definitely go and see if I can find any info on the place.

AuroaRosa, It really DID seem in the dream that someone or something was trying to tell me something. Why me, though? I was just passing by. Still, I never dismiss anything since it was a bit weird.

Libertybelle, I have to say that I have been doing what you have suggested... Accepting it as one of those odd things that happened that make life a bit more interesting.

Thanks again, everyone, for reading and again I am happy you were able to enjoy.
libertybelle (14 stories) (207 posts)
+4
15 years ago (2009-06-29)
Wow--I can really relate to dreams involving houses because I've had recurring dreams of one for nearly 20 years (hope I'm not haunting it--lol).

Seriously, though, it's pretty wild to dream of a place you've never been and then have it happen almost indentically to what you saw in your dream state.

I have no explanation for it, however, so I'd just accept it as one of those odd things that makes life so interesting.
StillAlive (1 stories) (7 posts)
+4
15 years ago (2009-06-24)
Wow, I must say I have read all your stories and they are all simply interesting. Maybe the house (or its contents) wanted to tell you something, so "it" communicated through your dream. If you ever get the chance or your in the area you should really go to the house and talk to the people living there and tell them your dream, maybe even ask them if they have ever experienced weird unexplicable things 😁 I would definatly love to hear more haha. But yeah I sometimes also get deja vu. I usually dream my future, its so weird!
MouthoftheSouth (1 stories) (3 posts)
+3
15 years ago (2009-06-23)
wow, I've read all your stories and I must say, you tell them very well. Have no idea what's up with the house in this one, but would say that it sounds like you might be a bit psychic. ❤
BriFischer05 (14 stories) (169 posts)
+3
15 years ago (2009-06-18)
How old did the house look? Maybe you had been there in a past life? I would certainly research it some more.

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