Patch

Rob’s Story
Received a call from an Air Force buddy stationed at Cannon AFB, Clovis, New Mexico. Strange lights in the sky were being reported around Rhea, Texas, lights that were not showing up on any radar screens, he himself checked it out, strange lights indeed, definitely UFOs. Cannon launched F-16s to check out the lights, strangest of all, while people on the ground could see the lights; the F-16 pilots could not. This is the reason I took the UFO van and took off for Texas. This was the weekend Patches was visiting friends in Weirton W.Va.
Met my AF buddy in Clovis N.M. and proceeded to Rhea, Texas (NE of Clovis on the Texas/New Mexico State line.) The lights were no longer there, bummer. Other UFO chasers said there were new reports that the lights were now in and around White Sands National Monument N.M. Off we went to White Sands. No lights, again bummer. New reports placed the lights in and around Bonneville Slat Flats Utah. We picked up another chaser named Rich to help with all this driving (engine blew up on his truck.) At Bonneville we saw the lights for the first time. White lights, oval in shape, with bluish streaks running through the middle. Before I could get any of the detectors set up the lights disappeared to the north. The guy Rich did get a range detector on them, 15 kilometers (11 Miles). My Air Force buddy called some friends at Hill AFB, Roy, Utah. (South of Ogden), they had no indications of unknown air activity in northern Utah. (Can’t name the AF buddy as he is high up in AF Security and chasing UFOs is a no-no for him.)
By now there were UFO chasers scattered all over New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada and we kept getting reports, thanks to cell phones, information flowed freely. The best reports were coming out of Idaho, so off we go. Speeding north on I84 we spotted the lights and chased them all the way to the area around the Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is near the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (the Department of Energy has operated and tested more than 50 reactors at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) in southeastern Idaho. Also tested were waste-disposal, fuel processing, and fuel handling facilities.) Not too surprised that UFOs would nose around this place. Here we finally got a good look at the lights (UFOs.)
First, we could not detect the UFOs with anything but our eyes, our detectors recorded nothing. WOW!! They were very difficult to see in daylight, but no problem at night. The UFO would zoom from one point to another, like a light beam on a wall and no sound. Also we could only get so close and then they would move off, keeping about the same distance. 1.6 kilometers (1mile) was the limit. And we could not get a good photo, photos always came out blurry. We also got the feeling that the UFO was watching us, just by the way when we moved it moved always keeping about the same distance.


We chased these UFO around for a couple of hours and the zoom off they went heading west towards Oregon. So off we go heading west on I84 and Oregon.
Reports came by cell phone that the UFOs were around John Day, Oregon and later they were near John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. My AF buddy had to get back to Clovis, New Mexico, duty called, and the guy Rich said he had enough and wanted to go home. I dropped them off at the Boise, Idaho airport and went on alone.
This is where the fun started. Heading west on US Route 26 in eastern Oregon, I stopped to take a break. This was just west of Brogan, Oregon. I was standing in front of the van looking west when I see the UFO, 12 O’clock high, heading east and down right at me! In the blink of an eye the UFO was right on me, everything got very bright, like I was standing inside the thing. I couldn’t see anything, just light. Then zoom it was gone, heading south towards Nevada. This action took 2 seconds at the most, leaving me to wonder did it really happen. No pain, no strange feelings, nothing but light like someone shone a spotlight over you. Got in the van and it checked out ok, started right up, nothing missing, everything worked. Got back out and looked around, nothing, not a sign that anything happened. And no sound, how can something move like this and not make any noise? Hay it was great, I’ve been looking for UFOs for along time. Called some of the other UFO chasers, no one but me had seen any, that’s strange. I watched that UFO zoom all the way across southeast Oregon into Nevada and no one seen it? Nothing to do but head south to Nevada and see what happens.
I picked up US 95 south towards Winnemucca, Nevada. At Orevada, Nevada I saw the UFO to the south and west. It would zoom away, then zoom back, like it was telling me to follow it. So like a bright boy from Cincinnati, Ohio, I did. I followed the stupid thing all the through the black rock desert to Gerlack, Nevada Now the black rock desert is no Shenandoah Valley. This is the home of the burning man festival. ( http://www.burningman.com/ )
Talking to the locals (all 37 of them) about UFOs, they said there is always some flying around the black rock, they think its US government stuff out of area 51. They also say that they have the same problem as the folks down in Utah with the Government spraying poison gas, LSD and who knows what all around the desert. Finally left Gerlack and headed north into the black rock, set up a camp and started waiting for that stupid UFO to show up.
And show up it did, come zooming down and stopped and just sat there hanging about 150 meters above the desert floor. As the daylight faded the UFO kept getting brighter and easier to see. I tried driving closer but as usual it kept the same distance from the van. So I went back to my camp site opened a beer and watched the dumb thing. This is when I went against Patches advice. I removed the infrared detector and mounted the .50 caliber rifle, should have listened to Patch. The laser scope on the rifle takes a bit to warm up, as it was warming I pointed the rifle at the UFO and the thing moved. As soon as the laser was warm I put the sight on the UFO, got the range, 1.5 kilometers (bit under a mile.) No wind so I sighted on the top half of the UFO and started squeezing the trigger.
……woke up with a freezing cold rain falling on my face, day was beginning to break, just enough light to see the van. Holy Cow the van or what was left of it was sitting 30 meters from where I had parked it. It was empty, everything gone, all the detectors, the .50 caliber rifle, even Hampton's new car seat, all gone. How could I see this laying on the ground 30 meters from the van. Easy, as all the body parts on the van were also gone. Looking at my watch, it was 0530, it was around 2200 hrs when I shot at the UFO. Or I think I shot at it, as the last thing I remember is pulling the trigger. I don’t remember the rifle going off. What happened? I staggered over to the van and checked it out, it seemed ok, started up ok, steering was ok, transmission ok. Good thing as I was 160 kilometers from the nearest town, Gerlack. Also found my backpack with some dry clothes and rain gear, wonder why the UFO didn’t take it? Cell phone was gone, not that it was of any use out here, gas, do I have gas? Yes, more then enough to get back to Gerlack, Whew! Beer, any beer? No, that stupid UFO took the beer and the cooler it was in. Good thing it took the rifle or I’d try shooting it again, taking a man’s beer.
So I got in the van and headed to Gerlack, man it was freezing cold driving through the desert in the rain. Well all 37 residents of Gerlack got a good laugh when I got to town. Ha Ha Ha, what happened to your van? UFO got it, HA Ha Ha, you must come back for the burning man project, you’ll fit right in. Ha Ha Ha. I called Patch, come and get me, fly to Reno, rent a truck and hauler, drive to Gerlack. How will I find you in Gerlack Patch asked, just ask for the UFO guy, no problem Patch.
Rob
Van before UFO encounter and After

From Patch; Insurance adjusters having a ball, needless to say they don't buy the UFO story. Rob may have to eat the van. All the contents were covered, helps some. Rob said he would tell more of the story in latter post. We had agood time coming home. Spent 3 days sitting on those hills out in Colorado watching sun rises.

Patch