We made it to the restaurant and ordered two of the famous burgers. Whatever the
sauce is, it’s amazing. Ancient alien secret recipe or some crap, delicious!
the hungry passers-through. I saw the “guy at the end of the bar” again and he was busy
talking to a lady that obviously lived there too. They passed around a book of sightings
which had a high rez photo from a Russian satellite of Area 51. Kris studied it and his
jaw hit the floor...
All this time, all of these miles now traveled in the area that morning. My
insistence on pointing the trailer in the right direction and not settling for a second rate
camp spot came to a sudden revelation. This was a really big deal. Our campsite was only
13 miles as a crow flies from the most advanced, high tech, secretive installation in the
world.
With a new sense of appreciation for our current location on planet Earth, we
geared back up and headed south to camp down 375. A total of 4 cars passed us all day.
Some cows had crossed the road and a baby calf was left behind and was reluctant to
cross. I’ve taken my quad a lot a places and have done a lot of cool things with it but up
until this point, I’d never herded with it. That little fella didn’t like the sound too much
and he was a squirrelly devil but I managed to get him across safely.
We made it back to camp and topped off our tanks with the last of the fuel. We
took a look around, looked up at the sun’s position in the cloudy sky, looked back at
Tikaboo Peak and decided it needed to be done. There was a hint of blue sky coming
through in the east and from our experience, plenty of time to knock out a 15 mile hike.
We took a look at the topo map, agreed on a trajectory and hit the trail again.
After some doubt, just like the night before, it seemed like we would never find
the left-hand turn that is shown on the map. We found it however and it all started to line
up to the foot hills of the mountain. We found an old rancher trail that worked its way up
into the unknown and ran our bikes hard over rocks and shrubs to stay on the line.
The trail faded in and out of clarity a few times and I had to cut in a few feet and
hope it connected. Luckily, we pressed on through the gigantic wash and eventually I
kept us connected to the main trail.
As we approached the basin, we realized that we had lost track of the actual peak
we needed to climb. The terrain was very similar but as it got higher, the rocks and
sediment changed color. At least that gave us some bearing as to where to look for the
peak. We left our over worked rigs and headed south on foot.
Much deliberation followed as we tried to decide which hill to dedicate our climb
to. It was around 1 pm that we started and as 3 pm closed in; we had hiked for 10 miles
and hadn’t really climbed in any upward direction. Finally, we picked a peak that overlooked
the valley and got an amazing view. We confirmed the location of Tikaboo Peak
from there and found the ravine that we needed to take way north of where we were. It
was pretty cool to be up at about 7000 ft and see only our trailer again in the entire valley.
We were “it” for activity for the Camo Dudes to watch and that was kind of cool.
By 4pm we had started to head back to the bikes (my ATV/quad and Kris’ XR
650 dirt bike) We had one last little foothill to clear before we made it and it hit us.
There’s the peak, there’s the ravine, and it’s SO CLOSE! Let’s bust it out so we can say
we did it. We took off at a jog and got back into a groove and a hope of conquering this
mountain. The sky was clearing up and we had the sun cooking us while we pushed
ourselves up boulders and in through some of the most difficult terrain.
I have to admit, as 5 pm approached, I wussed out. Kris wanted to press on. We
were SO CLOSE. Staring at the bottom of the last 500 feet of the climb to victory, it
became clear. A steep, sharp climb would have been in the cards 3 hours ago but we
don’t have a ride waiting for us at the top. Our gear is 20 miles away, the bikes are sitting
out in the middle of nowhere…we have to quit while we’re ahead.
Staring up at these last few hundred feet, we both were disappointed but it is what
happened later that made that a great decision.
The sun was starting to set. We found our bikes easily thanks to good ‘ol “Honda
Red” sticking out in the desert sand light a light bulb. My Forest Green ATV would have
been a little trickier to locate. Exhausted from the attempt at the peak and 18 or so miles
from camp now, we needed to make some decent time. I was worried because that trail
had been so difficult to follow in the first place. Amazingly, once we got out of the main
wash and found the trail head, the lower sunlight hit the now impressed weeds from the
first trip up in such a way that the trail was clear as daylight. We flew down the trail and
kicked up dust in places the Camo Dudes haven’t seen in many years!
Getting back to camp was a cinch. We off loaded the bikes and each cracked a
Corona faster than green grass through a gooses….rear end.
The day’s activities at that time felt like two days of non-stop adventure. We had
ridden over 100 miles and hiked over 12. We were both wiped out and ready to get
cleaned up and grab some dinner.
After we grubbed, we agreed that we had to get some sky watching in. Kris’
trailer is really nice and very roomy but it is still a “one butt kitchen”. So, he volunteered
to clean up dinner and dishes and I went outside to check on the clearing sky. There was
still a considerable amount of low, scattered cloud cover. I looked to the south and saw
Sirius blazing away more brightly than I think I have ever seen it. It could be compared to
a police car with full code lights, tossed into the sky and stuck there, 5 miles away. No
other stars were visible it was just peeking through. I shook it off because I knew it was
Sirius just acting normally. (Aside from it’s heightened luminosity)
I looked due north and caught another star doing nearly the same thing. They
were both twinkling violently. Interesting choice of words to describe a star - You just
had to be there. These stars were twinkling to a degree of luminosity that I have never
seen before!
I went back in for a while because it was windy and cold. The temp at this point
was around 45 or 50 degrees - Cold for an AZ guy. About 15 minutes passed and we
were both layered up and were wearing as much clothing as we could muster. We stepped
outside and the clouds had significantly dispersed. It was a new moon (a completely
moonless night). The southern sky was the deepest blue imaginable, near black. Every
star in the sky was 3 times brighter than we’ve ever seen. There was one spot in the sky
near the constellation Orion that looked as if a thousand airliners were circling in a
holding pattern 30,000 feet up. I can’t explain the amount of twinkling and do it justice. It
was simply incredible.
Astounded, we grabbed our chairs and climbed to the top of the RV. With a 20
mph wind and it being pitch dark it was a task. We got settled in and began to focus our
two sets of binoculars on the outline of the foothills just this side of Area 51.
We were very lucky to find a red light way off in the distance and just on the
horizon. I assume this is the main gate as it does line up with where there road was, past
the Camo Dudes and into the restricted zone. We used this light to explain where we
were looking. Trying to get two people to look at the same spot through optics at night is
a pretty big challenge so this red light was perfect. We saw some vehicles driving around
and one vehicle in particular was driving very fast on one of the trails up way past where
civilians are allowed.
It’s my understanding that they do have covert training for foot
soldiers and snipers out that way as well as vehicle surveillance training. Who knows
what was going on but it was cool to see at least something taking place.
I wasn’t very disappointed at all that in two days we hadn’t seen so much as a
helicopter fly by in any direction. I was ok with that, but now that the sky was clear and
we out paying close attention, I really started to worry. We struck up a conversation
about that fact, eyes to the sky and horizon, watching the same place at the same time -
Dead center of the base.
I’ve seen some very interesting and unexplainable objects in the sky. I know what
ordinary aircraft of all shapes and sizes move like. I know what typical aircraft have for
lighting and they way it looks in all kinds of conditions. Havasu is a prime location to get
very familiar with these things. We are “on the way” to Phoenix to L.A. and back and
Phoenix to Vegas and back.
Havasu is constantly the site of military exercises and on the path for a regular
refueling training routine. I live on the south side of town and our airport is on the north
so smaller aircraft fly over constantly. All of this is a constant reminder that the things
I’ve seen up to this point have been extra ordinary and what I am about to see is the third
most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life to date.
A 200 plus foot long object approximately 30 feet thick, “jumped” into sight
from just above the horizon directly above where the bulk of the buildings are at the base.
It “jumped” three more times into position and began traveling on a horizontal plane due
south. There were three huge lights on the side that were mostly white but we could see
an occasional red and blue hue emitted. The lights were each probably 20 to 30 feet in
diameter and either attached to the craft or were a result of some type of energy emission.
|
Arguably nothing like what we saw...But the Closest Image I can Find |
We watched the craft move south for a few seconds then saw something neither of
us could understand nor believe at first. The craft “jumped” up 200 feet or so, then
“jumped” back 500 feet then forward, down, up and back. It was popping in and out of
existence and leaping hundreds of feet without following the normal laws of physics. I
can best describe it as teleportation. We watched as it popped around this horizontal
plane and went behind some clouds and a mountain not far from the base and disappear.
We knew what we just witnessed was probably the most incredible thing possible
- an actual UFO sighting at Area 51. We were ecstatic!
We kept looking in that same location but nothing appeared for a while. We
looked to the north and there were a bunch of exercises going on with conventional craft
now. Possibly C-130s and some fighters were practicing. I am not sure what the larger
aircraft were but they were lit up like Christmas trees. They would strobe then stop then
strobe and go dark - Pretty wild stuff. Kris spotted the object over the base again while I
was looking north and I missed it. According to him, it behaved the exact same way the
second time.
It was so great to have an immediate reference to what we just saw. Here are
several, actually about ten, aircraft of understandable size traveling within the parameters
of known science just 30 miles away at nearly the same 30 degree plane from where we
witnessed all physics break down.
The Butterfly Effect was at play. That all of these things that happened took place
to bring us to that moment, that one occurrence and 60 second or so test of this gigantic
craft over this immense secret base…What are the chances? We deliberated and thought
about the what-ifs until we realized it probably wasn’t going to show itself again.
By this time it was late and we were freezing up there in the wind. We had a huge
adventure that day and we decided to try and watch a little longer from inside the trailer.
After about an hour, it was around 1:30 am Sunday we gave up. I was dozing off up in
my loft in the back of the rig and he was toast and unable to see anything at the front.
I stepped outside to water the bushes one last time before I crashed. The night was
so extremely quiet. Being so far away from civilization there is an unbelievable quiet that
is just surreal. I slowly stepped out to a field across the main road facing the base hoping
for one last glimpse of super secret activity. My senses were lit up and I felt so absolutely
sure I was being watched. I started to spook myself and talk myself out of doing my
business and just wiz in the bathroom of the trailer. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t. I
finished, zipped up and froze solid. I couldn’t believe what I heard...
There is a distinct cough a man makes when he is messing with someone. It’s a
single cough that is so intentional and so clear that a guy just knows it
beyond the shadow of a doubt. I heard it, it was distinct and as real as the absolute
blackness I was starring into. I tried desperately to get a bearing. I know what I had heard
but from which direction?
My defenses were severed. I had a .380 caliber pistol on me which was
less effective than a golf ball sized rock in this situation. I had no way to see this person
and they could see me very clearly. Thank God I had studied up on this place. Somehow
logic took over and I thought it through even though my adrenaline was pumping, my
brain had to kick in since physical reaction was worthless. I started to think about where I
was.
We haven’t seen a vehicle on the road since that afternoon when we were coming
down the hill and we saw the caravan leaving, headed back to wherever it was they go
home for the day. I know there are zero campers out here and the probability of hillbillies
traipsing around out in the night to cause trouble in one of the most secure locations in the country is
slim and none. I also know that there are all sorts of training programs with the most high
tech equipment imaginable out in these parts. I am 13 miles away from Area 51, can I
expect that there is some military bad ass or bad asses out in the field in front of me training for
a sniper mission or assassination and covert ops training going on around me? Yes, yes I
can. This guy coughed and let me know he was there on purpose and in retrospect, I think
that is so totally cool.
I walked back into the trailer and told Kris we were as safe as we could possibly
be right now. He agreed. The world’s most powerful army just outside our 1/8” thick
aluminum walls out in the middle of BFE…pretty humbling. I slept like a baby.
Confirmation
The next day I was up at about 7am. Today, there wasn’t an 80 mph caravan of
government vehicles headed off into nowhere to wake me earlier. I stepped outside to a
beautiful Sunday morning. Very few scattered, bright-white clouds off in the distance. A
slight breeze came from the north but in the sunlight it was perfect.
An hour later we were packed up and headed home. We decided to skip breakfast
in the trailer and treat ourselves to the little café / bakery that we spotted 40 miles away in
Alamo, NV.
We found it and pulled in. It was a very cool little place, as down home as it gets.
There were a few people finishing up their breakfasts but the grill was switched to lunch
by the time we ordered.
The food was great!
We finished up. They were having a bake sale, Kris got up and began
investigating the situation. I was hovering over the table while the waitress cleaned off
the last empty seat. She asked me if everything was ok. I said the food was great and I
was just waiting for the check. She smiled and showed me where she had left it. "If it were a
snake it would have bit ya."
I laughed and said I was so tired and “out of it” from my trip. She asked where we
were headed and I explained that we were going back to Vegas and Lake Havasu
respectively after having had camped outside of Area 51 all weekend. She got this look
like, “What else is new” and asked me if we saw anything weird while she rolled her
eyes.
This was awesome because I deal with people as a profession and I can read folks
very well. She did a very good job of screening me. This is the part where I am supposed
to say, “No we didn’t see anything” and then she plays the role of – “Yeah, most folks
come out here and ask a thousand questions about what “we” see but never share their
own sightings off hand”.
I didn’t hesitate though when she asked me if we had seen something. I lit up and
explained our sighting in detail. She smiled and said she knew exactly what I was
talking about. She saw the exact same thing 3 nights earlier! What she said next blew me
away. She very calmly stated that as she and her husband were watching “at a closer
distance than what you saw it”, it bugged her that he couldn’t tell her what it was. I didn’t
ask, she offered this info, this is the real deal. He works at the base; her son is a Camo
Dude. He does not say a word to her about work, neither does her son. They follow
protocol to a “T”. The only thing she could confirm to us was that we weren’t crazy, nor
were our eyes playing tricks on us.
She made it absolutely clear that the Men in Black were real and that they do
regular check ups on her and her friends and co-workers. She knew the conversation we
were having at this moment would come up. She didn’t seem worried because she didn’t
divulge any real information. At this point, I am convinced that the government almost
demands an air of mystery. They allow people to speculate to a certain degree without
ever actually allowing the presentation of facts.
This lady had been visited by the MIB before regarding another friend whose
husband worked for Skunk Works and was a mechanical engineer working on the Stealth
Fighter back in the early 90’s. This conversation was the absolute icing on the cake for
us. By the way the conversation started, it was clear that she didn’t offer this information
to just anyone.
Everything came together and fit so that it was just a great opportunity for her to
share. No other customers, I wasn’t prying for information and we both had seen the
same thing in the sky within days of each other - The perfect end to an incredible trip.
We loaded back up into the truck and headed south. We had a few hundred miles
of pavement ahead. The Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is just minutes from
Alamo.
We talked about conquering Tikaboo Peak soon and are putting together a plan to
bring my Dobsonian telescope up to the top on a clear day to see into the base. As we
mapped out our plans, our second blowout on the trailer occurred and we realized we
were heading back to reality. Glad we stopped at the tire shop and got to say hi to Billy!
We threw the new spare on and made it home safely.