NUFORC Sighting 55348

Occurred: 1972-08-15 01:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2007-02-18 19:56 Pacific
Duration: 2 HRS
No of observers: 1

Location: Ellensburg (south of)), WA, USA

Shape: Circle
Characteristics: Lights on object

Very large UFO sighting south of Ellensburg WA. Multiple following sightings.

Returning home to Yakima winding up I-82 south of Ellensburg, WA, I noticed many lights in the sky moving below the low cloud cover to the west of me. I-82 climbs a large ridge a few miles south of Ellensburg. It was a very dark night so the many various color light stood out. When they first caught my attention they were a few miles away from my position. The clouds cover was solid and low over the Umtanum Hills. I watched them with interest as I continued winding up the highway which goes over this ridge. My memory is of alternate red, yellow, green, and white lights in a circle with no specific pattern of appearance or distance between.

At first I thought it might be helicopters from the US Army Firing Center but the lights had no familiar pattern that I could identify. My curiosity caused me to stop my car on the shoulder so I could study the object. At first I just rolled down my window expecting I might hear the familiar sound of the helicopters (which is what I tried to convince myself it must be). Hearing no sound, I then shut off the ignition, turned out my lights and then eventually stepped out of my car. I do not remember seeing another car on the highway going in either direction.

There was a light wind blowing from the direction of the lights and I strained to hear any sounds. There was none except that of the wind. The UFO moved slowly on a level plane north of the ridge. Now as the lights got closer I could see it was large and I got more frightened as it got closer. now I knew I was seeing my first UFO.It was approaching slowly but steadily in my direction. There was no decernable sound at all coming from the UFO. I wanted to get back in my car and speed away but I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I now shivered in the wind but was afraid to open the car door to show any lights.

The object seemed to stop directly above me for a few moments. The sky was black with clouds. It did not appear to be a perfect circle but neither could I say it was eliptical. Size of the UFO would only be a guess because I really didn't know how high above me it hovered but its size as I saw it there would have more than spanned the 1/2 of the freeway I was traveling, maybe 300 feet end to end as I saw it. I strained to see more but all I could make out were the lights which I guessed was the perimeter of the UFO. The lights were constant and not flickering. Soon it proceeded its tract to my east and eventually moved over the ridge south where I lost sight of it.

As soon as it was out of sight I got in my car and raced up the highway wanting to get over the ridge and get another look at it. As I drove I couldn't help but wonder what the hell I saw, and then began to wonder how long this experience had taken. I hadn't thought to check the time.

I got to the top and started down the other side of the ridge. As soon as I got to an open area where I could scan the area, I stopped my car and scanned the sky. About 1 mile further down the road from this point is a military parking and staging area. The UFO was not visible but I noticed what looked like the 2 red tail light bars of an older Ford T-Bird in the sage brush beyond the parking area. I thought it odd that a car would be where it was when the two lights suddenly seperated and in an instant went different directions over the hill away from me (a distance I guessed at being about 2 miles away).

Struck in awe at this second sighting, I sat there a while longer. A couple minutes later I saw two lights going through the brush in the same approximate location as the previous lights had disappeared. These lights looked like they were the lights of 2 motorcycles, like 2 riders were racing each other through the brush, except that 1 light disappeared down out of sight and the other shot straight up and dissappeared in the night sky.

I sat here for maybe 15-20 minutes wondering if I might see something more before I proceeded south toward home in Yakima. As I was going down a slow grade toward a bridge which spans what I think is called Indian Creek I couldn't help but notice the area was well lighted. I stopped just short of the bridge. Up the creek to the west, hidden from my direct view I could see the area was well lighted, almost like Las Vegas was just around the bend. I was tempted to jump over the fence and climb the hill to see what was happening. This is government property well posted and part of the Firing Center so I decided it had to be a military operation.

I proceeded home it was now about 2:30. I called the Army Base, asked for the duty officer and reported the lights and activities up Indian Creek, asking if there were any military exersizes going on. He said there were none. I left out the UFO part afraid they might figure I was a nut. The duty officer said he would send someone to investigate and promissed to get back to me. The following day I called and asked for the same officer and was told there was no such person ever on that base. There was no record of my report and no investigation was noted.

In retrospect, it is about 35 miles between Ellenburg and Yakima on that highway. What would have normally been a 1/2 hour drive took me about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. It didn't seem like I was there that long but I can't honestly tell you how long I watched the first UFO or how long it stood over me. I went from curiousity to awe to fear and then finally relief.




NUFORC Note:

Witness indicates that the date of the incident is approximate. PD


Posted 2007-02-24

© 2023 National UFO Reporting Center. All rights reserved. Use or reproduction within any application without written consent is prohibited.