If I'm Lying, I'm Dying: Holz Sees a UFO
Okay, you can be as skeptical as you want on this, but I swear, last night I saw a real life UFO. Does this mean I think it was aliens visiting Northern California? Not exactly... the term simply means Unidentified Flying Object, and that's exactly what it was. And as you can expect, my initial reaction upon seeing it when driving home is summed up in the text I sent to Kristine:
"Holy shit i just saw a fucking UFO!"
The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes, and I'm amazed I haven't seen any other similar reports in the news yet, because it happened while I was on a major road with a shitload of cars. Not to mention the fact it happened in a fairly populated area, above Richmond, which is just outside of Oakland. I tried to get a shot of it with my camera phone, but let's be honest camera phones suck ass.
Seeing as I had no idea how I'm supposed to report these things (Kris recommended I should've called a radio show, but honestly, what the hell would that've done), I went online and reported it on the National UFO Reporting Center. The following is what I sent to them, it sums up my sighting fairly well:
*** While returning from the Oakland Airport, I was driving along 580 towards the Richmond Bridge, when in the sky there appeared some type of cylindrical object of flashing lights. I first saw this object in the sky while passing the IKEA in Emeryville, CA. The object was stationary, but far in the distance.
The lights I saw were clearly in motion, moving in a circular pattern, but in a pattern that varied from a solid circular pattern of uniform shaped lights, to certain areas flashing while other areas are black.
If it had lasted only a minute, I may have ignored it, but this went on for more than ten minutes, and as I moved along 580, it was clear I was approaching the object. While I originally thought it stationary, it must have moved at some point because I lost eye contact with it for approximately 2 minutes, then it came back into sight. I cannot say the exact place I "passed" the object, but it was on my right-hand side, somewhere nearby the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park.
Shortly after I passed where I thought it was above, I saw what I thought was a helicopter moving towards the location from the Southwest. By the time I reached the Richmond Bridge, I had seen an additional 3 helicopters in the area. ***
So there you go. Laugh all you want, but this happened, and it's something I'm gonna be thinking about for weeks. And before you ask, no I wasn't confusing it with an airplane, or helicopter, or street lamp. There was something up there, and it wasn't anything I could explain.
The Oakland Army base and the Oakland Naval Supply Center are both within 2 or 3 miles of the IKEA at Emeryville.
Assuming that's where the helicopters came from, you could file an FOIA request to find out what the base had on radar at the time, and if there was anything sent up to investigate an unknown bogey.
One final theory, and then I'll leave it, because although you might have thought you gave a good account of your siting, you neglected a few details like... time of the sighting, and how far in degrees was the thing above the horizon...
I note from a quick glance at Google maps, that the BART line runs, more or less, along this route.
If it was dark enough, a distant train could (with the aid of intermittant objects blocking the view of the carriage lights) could have been what you saw. Maybe.
I honestly didn't even think of a a blimp. I think if it was a blimp, I would've recognized it, and the lights on it wouldn't have made any sense on a blimp, but hey, who knows.
And I think it's great that you immediately think it has a more prosaic explanation than ass-lovin aliens
Comes down to the fact that while I do believe in aliens, I don't believe they are choosing to simply however above a city and not expect to be seen.
you neglected a few details like... time of the sighting, and how far in degrees was the thing above the horizon...
Didn't even realize I didn't include the time, mainly because it was one of the fields I had to fill out in the reporting screen.
Furthwer clarificaiton. I saw it originally around 8:35pm, and it lasted about 10 minutes. Angle, not so sure, more than 45 degrees, but less than 60. Probably closer to 45 though.
If it was dark enough, a distant train could (with the aid of intermittant objects blocking the view of the carriage lights) could have been what you saw.
Again, if this had last for a minute or so, I'd lean towards this, but the fact it was in the sky (and high in the sky) for such a long period of time, I have a hard time beleiving it wasn't a flying vehicle of some sort.
Watching: Lost, Heroes, 24, Criminal Minds Listening: Brobdingnagian Bards Reading: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Playing: Final Fantasy XII Eating: Healthy...er Doing: Running... hopefully Wishing:
Comic Quote of the Week
"It's trying to end the suffering of everything. Do you want to discuss our options? Maybe together we can, you know, workshop?"
"Okay, best way to stop a ten-story godlike monster from destroying existence? I'm gonna go with hitting, you have anything?"
"You took mine."
Wesley and Angel, Angel: After The Fall #15
Who Am I?
Name: Holz Home: Sonoma County, California About Me: I'm a comfortador. See my complete profile
AKA: Ozymandias, DrOzymandias, Darth Angelus, Darque Feonix, Trip McNeely Kicking ass for: 29 years Job: UWing Systems Design Specialist Walking Theme: Believe It Or Not by Joey Scarbury Most watched movie: The Princess Bride Most read book: The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
"Let a man get away with fuckin' you once, you stay bent over so's he can fuck you again whenever he damn well pleases. An' if one man can do it? Another will too. An' another, an' another still. So's being fucked, that's yer life. 'Til who you were, you ain't. 'Cause all you are is an asshole." 100 Bullets #42
