Close Encounters (of my own kind)

It was early January and cold. I was southbound on U.S. Highway 101 and driving in Washington State on my way to Alameda, California. I was on active duty in the United States Navy and a crew member assigned to the USS Enterprise CVN-65. We had recently completed the Extended Selected Restricted Availability (ESRA) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, where the Enterprise was altered and refitted to support the Navy's newest fighter aircraft, the F-14 Tomcat. Crew members who owned personal vehicles were offered the option of driving to NAS Alameda, California (where the carrier was home-ported) or arranging to have a shipyard crane lift their vehicles onto the flight deck of the carrier for transport back to our homeport. I elected to drive solo, believing it would be a pleasant break from duty aboard ship. My trip also included a stop and short stay to visit a friend who resided in southern Oregon. Nevertheless, as events unfolded that visit would never materialize.

I began the drive approximately 9 pm on the day I departed. Drive time to arrive in southern Oregon would be approximately seven hours. I decided to make the drive at night to minimize traffic, and to time my arrival to occur early to mid-morning of the following day. I factored in several short stops for fuel, a bite to eat, and bathroom breaks as needed. I remember the sky as cloud free, moonless, with unusually cold temperatures. I adjusted the car's heater to its highest setting as it was only barely keeping me comfortable, even with the heavy Navy 'foul weather' jacket I was wearing. With no moon as a beacon, it was (as they say) dark as ten feet down. I had to be particularly vigilant as I 'wound' my way down the Washington and Oregon Coastal Highway. I was trying very hard to avoid small animals that occasionally darted out on the road, and especially deer, losing count before the clock even struck midnight. It was around 3 am when I first became aware of events that ultimately unfolded.

"What the hell?" I yelled out loud. I was in northern Oregon and had slowed to navigate a sharp, round curve in the highway. A soft blue pulsating light about two miles ahead and on the other side of a hill seemed to appear out of nowhere. I was a little 'zoned out' to begin with considering my time behind the wheel and miles I had already driven.

As I slowly completed the curve in the road and straightened my car, the soft blue pulsating light I previously noticed was now an intense, pulsating blue/white light, round to oval in shape with a distinctive humming sound. It was hovering approximately fifty feet off the ground over a space devoid of any trees, brush or other vegetation. The craft appeared to be rotating in a clockwise direction, or giving the illusion it was rotating. My best description was that it looked almost identical in appearance and size to the interplanetary vessel from the movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," except it was silvery in appearance, like stainless steel.

Then it happened. The hovering saucer moved in an instant over the road and directly in front of my car. The craft then advanced slowly toward me, and to avoid contact I turned and drove to my right off the road and onto the spot the UFO had previously occupied. I turned my car around to face the highway and the unidentified object. I was attempting to position myself so I could put the 'pedal to the metal' at my first opportunity, but the UFO moved again in my direction, blocking any chance to escape. It then slowly descended, coming to rest on the ground less than one hundred meters in front of my mustang.

Over the next several minutes, the pulsating lights dimmed, the humming sound slowly faded. Finally, the rotation stopped and an opening became visible. The UFO appeared to split in a straight line all the way from its apex to its bottom ridge, a ramp now extending, only smaller and steeper than in the movie I previously mentioned.

The cold was no longer an issue. The combination of adrenaline and fear soon had me perspiring, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I remember turning off the car's heater. It was difficult to think clearly or logically.

I reached down under the right front seat of my mustang. I grabbed my colt python .357 magnum I carried whenever I was in unfamiliar territory, except this time I was scared out of my wits, and definitely not ready to be a captive ... or worse, their guinea pig -- not even their well treated 'guest'. Yes, I had read and heard about alien 'abductions' and the stories about what they do to their captive humans. I had absolutely no desire to be their next 'victim.' I wasn't going anywhere without a fight.

I sat there, my heart pounding, waiting for one or a group of extraterrestrials to walk down that ramp. I was going to blow its (or their) head(s) clean off at even the slightest hint of hostility or foul play. What else could I do? I was trapped. Personal cell phones were not available to the public at that time. I couldn't call anyone for help. I waited for what felt like an eternity for someone -- some being or some life form to exit that ship, but nothing happened. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I opened the car door and stepped out. It was time ... one way or the other to end this.

With my gun in hand, I moved cautiously in the direction of the alien spaceship (or whatever it was). And then something totally unexpected happened. The ramp began to retract, followed by the opening in the ship closing as seamlessly as it had opened. Simultaneously the pulsating lights began to flash brighter, the humming sound rising as if the UFO was powering up its propulsion system. I began to slowly step back, past my vehicle and well away from the energized vessel.

The saucer rose steadily until it was above the surrounding trees, then accelerated at an angle of approximately sixty degrees at an astonishing rate of speed. In the blink of an eye it was out of sight, and I just stood there, now in the dark and totally bewildered.

I finally walked back to my car, placed the gun back under the seat, and left. I never stopped in southern Oregon. I was in no frame of mind at that time to enjoy a visit with anyone, not even a good friend. I continued on to Eureka in Northern California before checking into a hotel and sleeping the remainder of the day. I wouldn't have slept a wink had I not been so mentally and physically exhausted. When I finally reported back aboard the Enterprise, I just kept my mouth shut. No one would have believed me anyway.

Over the years I've revealed this story to only a few people -- up until now, that is. The primary question asked is: "Why do you think they left without making contact?"

"One of two reasons," I always answer. "They (whoever THEY are) were wary about the weapon I was carrying, as they certainly must have noticed, or simply changed their minds in spite of it." Having said that, however, I firmly believe had the occupants wanted to take me, they probably could have. If they're technologically advanced enough to get here (wherever they're from) and back -- well, what do YOU think ?


P.S. I have attached a re-enactment of the 'alleged' examination of Travis Walton from the movie "Fire in the Sky" about a lumberjack abducted by aliens and subjected to a brutal physical examination during a day of tree cutting in the Arizona Forest in 1975. NOTE: If you haven't seen this previously, be WARNED -- it's very intense !


https://youtu.be/mO2W96NCiRc