One tale of interest, which is not connected with the mission, has recently been related by an elderly Carmel resident. This lady, as is the custom of so many Carmelites, was in the habit of taking long leisurely walks. One evening, just at dusk, as she was strolling along a tree-lined street near the water, she experienced a strong "difficult-to-describe feeling of evil". Hastening her pace, the uncomfortable feeling gradually diminished as she passed a large tree near the side of the road.

Being quite disturbed and confused as to what could have caused such a strong evil sensation, she described her frightening experience to a gentleman friend, only to discover he had experienced the same unexplainable feeling, at the same time of day, in the exact same location!

Upon checking into the history of the area in questions, the bewildered couple was visibly shaken when they learned that in the area about which they were inquiring, a young girl had once been murdered!

Other tales, such as jewelry disappearing only to suddenly reappear in its proper place, huge black bears being spotted in the woods, and buried gold belonging to the fabled bandit Joaquin Murieta, are often credited to the Carmel area..., but the best known, and certainly the most interesting tale, is the story of a white horse and white-clad rider who was often spotted near the ancient Carmel Mission.

Early campers and long-ago hunters (not to mention a one-time caretaker of the crumbling church ruins) frequently told of being awakened in the dead of night by the echoing sounds of approaching hoofbeats. Rising from their bedrolls to see who this nightrider might be, their accounts spoke glowingly of a mighty white stallion - but these long-forgotten observers failed to recognize the phantom rider. Galloping through the crumbling adobe walls of the ancient mission courtyard and on to the challenging Santa Lucia peaks, this expert rider and his spirited steed were always observed heading south.

Perhaps, as some Peninsula residents feel, the lonely rider was a member of the Spanish expedition led by the famous explorer Don Gaspar de Portola. Portola, as history tells us, marched the California coast in 1769 in search of the elusive bays of Monterey. Not finding the peaceful harbor described in Sebastian Vizcaino's 1602 account, Portola did find, and make camp on, the curving shores of Carmel Bay. With Portola's thirteen-day stay in the area of the present-day Carmel Mission, supporters of this "ghostly guess" have some interesting facts to back up their beliefs.