I first became "interested" in the UFO phenomenon at the age of 5. I was asleep in the back of my parents' van late one night on our way home. We were cruising down Hwy 1 late at night. At some point I felt the van pull over and heard my parents talking excitedly up front. I went up there to see what all the fuss was about and they were watching three extremely bright lights out over the ocean, maybe 3/4 mile away.
We got out of the van and watched the craft, which were shining spotlights on the ocean. As we watched, one flew South, one flew North, and the third headed inland toward us. It flew low enough that at a certain point we could see a clear "cockpit" on the front, inside of which was a large, diffuse red ball of light that pulsed slowly in and out.
It came on until it stopped directly over our heads, dead silent. It hovered there for a while and we just all looked up with our mouths hanging open in amazement. It was roughly oval with short triangular "stabilizers" on either side. No markings were apparent but it had a number of white lights on the bottom. My mom remembers the source of the intense white "spotlight" as being a large opalescent circular shape in the center underneath.
After a little bit (not sure how long), the thing flew slowly away, over the Davenport cement plant, and over a stand of eucalyptus trees behind it. At this point it picked up speed, and at a rate I can only describe as a combination of slow-motion and instaneous, it took of and just disappeared.
I have never seen anything like this since then but the memory has fascinated and intrigued me since then. Was it some sort of extraterrestrial or interdimensional craft? Or was it a super-secret gov't project? In 1979?? I don't have an answer, but either one has major implications.
-Yarrow Sweningsen
yswening@nermal.santarosa.edu