NUFORC Sighting 47888

Occurred: 2005-11-13 00:00 Local
Reported: 2005-11-22 02:25 Pacific
Duration: 2-3 Minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Cottonwood, CA, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

BRIGHT LIGHT IN SKY, APPEARS BEFORE OUR VERY EYES!

I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON HWY. 273 IN ANDERSON, HEADING FOR THE I-5 SOUTH WHEN I SAW A BRIGHT LIGHT OUT IN THE SOUTH WEST SKY. MY 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS ALL WRAPPED UP IN A BLANKET LAYING DOWN ON THE SEAT OF THE VAN. I SAID... LOOK AT THIS BRIGHT LIGHT, WHAT THE HECK IS IT? IS IT A METEOR? I WAS FASCINATED WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF IT.THE NIGHT WAS SO DARK OUT, THE CLOUDS WERE THICK AND FAIRLY LOW. THERE WERE NO STARS TO BE SEEN. I COULD SEE A SHADOW OF THE MOON FROM TIME TO TIME AND THEN IT WOULD BE DARK. AS WE CAME ONTO THE I-5 SOUTH THERE ARE A FEW HILLS AND I WAS DRIVING RATHER FAST TRYING TO GET AROUND THEM SO I COULD SEE THIS LIGHT AGAIN. IT WAS MUCH BRIGHTER THAN ANY LIGHT I CAN REMEMBER SEEING. I HURRIED AROUND ONE HILL AND THERE WAS A LITTLE SPACE IN BETWEEN WHERE I COULD STILL SEE THE LIGHT BEFORE WE CAME ONTO THE OTHER HILL THAT HAD BLOCKED OUR VISION. I HURRIED AROUND THAT HILL AND HERE WE COULD SEE THE LIGHT REAL CLEAR. I KEPT SAYING... WHAT COULD IT BE! MY DAUGHTER SAT UP IN HER SEAT WATCHING IT WITH ME. I SAID... IS IT AN AIRPLANE? I THOUGHT AND SAID IT CAN'T BE...IT'S TOO BRIGHT. THE LIGHT WAS NOT ROUND IT WAS MORE OF AN OVAL SHAPE FROM WHAT I COULD SEE. I WAS SWERVING ALL OVER THE FREEWAY. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THIS LIGHT THAT FIRST LOOKED LIKE A METEOR OUT IN THE SKY, WAS COMING TO US AS WE WERE DRIVING. NEXT I LOOKED OVER AND IT WAS JUST HOVERING OVER IN ONE SPOT, KIND OF LIKE A HELICOPTER. MY DAUGHTER WATCHED IT AND GOT A MUCH BETTER LOOK AT IT. I ASKED HER IS IT A HELICOPTER? BEFORE I COULD EVEN FINISH THE SENTENCE I SAID... THERE IS NO WAY IT COULD BE A HELICOPTER BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS BRIGHTER THAN ANY I'VE SEEN AND IT WAS WAY TO BIG. ALL OF THE SUDDEN IT STARTED DROPPING STRAIGHT DOWN. FROM WHERE IT WAS HOVERING OVER, NOT MOVING, TO STRAIGHT DOWN. I SAID.. IS THAT THING DROPPING DOWN OR IS IT JUST MY EYES CAUSE I'M DRIVING? I TOLD MY DAUGHTER I WAS GOING TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY SO I COULD GET A GOOD LOOK AND SHE SAID... THAT IS TO BIG DON'T PULL OVER...KEEP ON GOING... DON'T STOP! IT SCARED THE HOLY CRAP OUT OF HER. ALL THE SUDDEN I LOOKED OVER AND IT WAS AS IF THIS AIRCRAFT? THING HAD TURNED, WE WERE NOW PASSING EACHOTHER. I NO LONGER SAW THE BRIGHT LIGHT BUT WHEN I LOOKED OVER AGAIN...WHAT I SAW WAS HUGE! AT A GLANCE IT KIND OF HAD THE SHAPE OF AN OLD MILITARY HELICOPTER (THE GRASSHOPPER LOOKING KIND) BUT MUCH MUCH BIGGER. BIGGER THAN ANYTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN THAT COULD FLY. IT HAD ROWS OF LIGHT, WHICH APPEARED TO LOOK LIKE IT HAD DIFFERENT LEVELS TO IT. THE EASIEST WAY TO EVEN TRY TO DESCRIBE IT WOULD BE MY THOUGHT OF STANDING ON A CITY STREET IN THE DARK NIGHT AND LOOKING AT A FIVE TO EIGHT STORY BUILDING WITH LIGHTS ON IN SOME OF THE ROOMS, ON EACH LEVEL. I TOLD MY DAUGHTER...I HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS BETTER. I REMEMBER LOOKING BEHIND ME ON THE FREEWAY AND I ASKED MY DAUGHTER...CAN'T ANYONE ELSE SEE THIS? PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO BE SEEING THIS! THERE WERE OTHER CARS FURTHER BEHIND US, I COULD SEE THEIR HEADLIGHTS. BEINGS I ALMOST WENT OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON THE FREEWAY, I TOLD HER I AM GOING TO GAS POINT, THE STREET WE WERE GETTING OFF AT, THEN I HAVE TO PULL OVER. I TOLD HER WE WOULD BE FURTHER AWAY AND WE WOULD BE OK. AS I EXITED OFF ON GAS POINT, I INSTANTLY STARTED LOOKING FOR IT. THERE WERE A FEW TREES IN THE WAY AND AS I GOT PASSED THEM I LOOKED ALL OVER FOR THE LIGHTS AND THEY WERE NO WHERE TO BE SEEN. POOF...JUST GONE. NOT A TRACE! I HAVE SHARED MY EXPERIENCE WITH A FEW PEOPLE, MOST MAKE A JOKE OUT OF IT. MY BIGGEST QUESTION...DID ANYONE ELSE SEE WHAT WE SAW? I CALLED AROUND TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY REPORTS OF A SIGHTING. WOW! IT WAS LIKE I HAD THE PLAGUE. I WENT TO THE AIRPORT AND FUNNY AS IT SOUNDS, THE LADY AT THE DESK SAID THE WEIRDEST THING HAPPENED TO HER...IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, SHE WAS OUT RIDING HER HORSE AND A BEAM OF LIGHT CAME OVER HER AND FOLLOWED HER FOR A SHORT WAY AND THEN IT WAS GONE. BUT, SHE HAD NO INFO. AND COULD NOT TELL ME WHERE TO GO TO FIND OUT IF ANYONE ELSE HAD SEEN THIS. I CALLED A RADIO STATION, A NEWS STATION, LEFT A MESSAGE AT THE PLANITARIUM, CALLED THE TOWER AT THE AIRPORT...NOBODY, I SAY NOBODY WANTED TO HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT IT. EACH PASSED THE BUCK AND NEVER EVEN ASKED SO MUCH AS A DESCRIPTION. I WAS VERY...I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN JUST HOW I FELT. THATS WHEN I GOT ON THE INTERNET AND STARTED READING. ONE PERSONS DESCRIPTION WAS ALMOST WORD FOR WORD WHAT WAS SAID AND SEEN BY ME AND MY DAUGHTER.

AFTER READING THROUGH QUITE A BIT OF INFO. I REALIZED A FEW THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO LIST...WHERE WE SAW THIS THING DROP DOWN FROM A STAND STILL IS DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM AN AUCTION YARD.(NOW IS THE TIME ALL THE RANCHERS ARE MOVING THERE CATTLE FROM THE HIGHER ALTITUDES TO THE AREAS WITH MORE FEED, AND THE AUCTION YARD IS VERY ACTIVE AT THIS TIME.) THERE ARE QUITE A FEW LINES RUNNING THROUGH THE AREA AND QUITE A FEW OF THOSE ELECTRICAL LOOKING TOWERS ALL THROUGH THE AREA IT WAS SEEN IN. RIGHT OVER THE HILLS I SPOKE OF, BEING ALMOST DIRECTLY NORTH EAST OF OUR SIGHTING IS REDDING AIRPORT. OTHER THAN THAT OUR SURROUNDINGS ARE ALL MOUNTAINS. WE SIT IN A BIG VALLEY.

COTTONWOOD IS A RATHER SMALL PLACE. THERE'S ALOT OF LAND SPREAD OUT. I JUST WONDER WHAT THE HECK BROUGHT THAT BIG OLE THING HERE? KEEP IN MIND, I WAS DRIVING. MY YOUNGSTER WAS WATCHING THE WHOLE TIME. SHE GOT A MUCH MORE DETAILED PICTURE OF THIS THING. SHE SAID...IF IT WERENT FOR THE LIGHTS ON IT, I WOULDN'T OF BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE SHAPE OF IT. QUITE AN EXPERIENCE, I WON'T FORGET. WHAT SEEMED LIKE 20 MINUTES WAS ACTUALLY ONLY 2 MINUTES.

Posted 2005-12-16

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