This is the closest picture I could find that looks like the one I saw hovering over the water... The lights around the middle of the craft are very similar but the craft I saw also had lights on the smaller, round section above the middle but this was the correct shape.
All the UFOs myself and the pilots I was on board with were similar to this -- all saucer shapes. Some with lights. Some with no lights but this was the general shape.
The only other encounter I had was when I was by myself in the Navy and I had moved my family to Strawberry Valley. During the week, I worked at Naval Air Station Alameda and on Friday nights late after the traffic had died down from people trying to get out of the bay area to Reno and Lake Tahoe, I headed home for the weekend.
One of the things I personally enjoy doing is driving and believe it or not... Driving at night. I just find it relaxing and I have always used it as an opportunity to work on stories I was working on at the time. This particular time, I had a little portable cassette recorder that I was dictating notes into as I drove and as soon as I got closer to Sacramento on Interstate 80, I used to take back roads home so I could take advantage of diagonal roads getting me to Marysville, California even faster because then it was a straight shot up the hill to Strawberry Valley. One such road took me right outside a town called Woodland. Lots of farming out there at the time. Lots of rice patties.
So this one night, I'm driving on this back two-lane road and dictating notes for a spec I was writing, and about a quarter-mile ahead up on the right, I see a very bright light that looked to be maybe 75 feet off the ground and a beam of light -- like a flashlight but stronger -- shining down to the ground.
My first guess... Being a helicopter aircrewman -- was that it was some kind of helo. I certainly wondered what it was doing out there literally in the middle of nowhere and as I got closer, I sat my recorder down and slowed down because there were several cars parked on the shoulder of the road and one about halfway into the lane I was in. This was all taking place at approximately 3:30 in the morning.
As I slowed way way down and crawled my vehicle along the road to see what I could see? I saw what looked to me like an older man in a suit. I could only tell because the beam of light that shined on him was massive and bright. He was totally lit up and looking up into the light, with his right arm and hand seeming to be shielding his face.
I know my mouth was OPEN because I didn't think UFO at all but I sure as hell was wondering what I was witnessing here.
I passed all the other stopped vehicles and pulled over to the shoulder and immediately got out of the car and as soon as I did? Everything was black and gone and silent except for the cars which I believe there were four of.
So technically... I didn't actually see the UFO -- just the bright light and beam of light and the guy on the ground crouching within the beam.
I stood there letting my eyes adjust to the outside light a little more but kept looking around and up in the air but saw nothing. I hung around for about three minutes when all of a sudden I felt an immense sense of DREAD. It was just a feeling and I'd never felt anything like that before and I've been in combat numerous times.
Went back to my black 1979 Volvo sedan and drove straight to the Marysville Police Department which was right around 25 minutes away from that spot. I explained what I'd seen and they gave me a field sobriety test on the spot and asked if I'd been drinking... LOL. I told them NO and one of the policemen took some notes but that was ALL the attention they gave it. They smirked and laughed even though I was obviously upset. They did say they would go check it out or have the Yuba Country Sheriff's Department check it out. They took my name, address, and telephone number but I never heard back... Ever.
Over the years, I have stopped at that same spot many times to just see if anything comes to me while I stand out there. I've done this in both daylight, night time, and early morning hours but I feel nothing and nothing comes to mind.
What happened? Hell if I know. I did hear over the years that many people who live out that way had seen UFOs hovering very low to the ground but again... This was just third party information so who knows?
All I know is that those cars were all parked in pretty much the same area and there wasn't anyone in any vehicle as I'd checked each vehicle out after I'd gotten out of the car.
