NUFORC Sighting 12721

Occurred: 2000-04-19 13:30 Local
Reported: 2000-04-26 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 5-10 min
No of observers: 1

Location: Arroyo Seco, CA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object

Blue glowing cloud shape.

I went camping/biking at Arroy Seco last week with three other friends. the plan was to bike the Indians Road to the top of the mountain and turn back before it began it's descent to Big Sur. My friends were pretty much too out of shape to make the 14 mile ride so I went alone while they stayed at the gorge, roughly three miles from the camp site. I began the ride well before noon to avoid direct sunlight since the trail is on the west side of mountain. Initially, I was at this same mountain last summer, when i only completed about 7 miles of the trail. I was determined to make it to the top since then. About 9 miles up the mountain, I paused for a short break at the 9 mile marker. There is a sign there outlining the trails you can access from there and thier distances. While I was resting and eating, I noticed a small 'rainbow' in the sky near a cluster of common clouds. The 'rainbow' had an unusual shape. More like that of the Aurora Borealis (did I spell that right?) then a conventional rainbow. It appeared to be eminating from the cluster of clouds in a sheet-like pattern. I really didn't pay a great deal of attention to it since the colors were familiar to that of a regular rainbow. Other then the fact that it was extremely pretty, it really didn't strike me as odd. However, when I got back on my bike and rode for maybe another mile or two, I came around a blind curve all the while glancing up at the rainbow. When I came around though, I noticed an additional cloud that was out of view before. This cloud had a strange shape in the sense that it was not like the other clouds around. It was more like a heavy mist below the rest of the clouds. The strangest thing about this cloud though was it's color: the top half of the cloud was normal white/grey, but the bottom half was a neon blue! No kiddin! I have never seen such a color that was not man made, i.e., it had the color of a those glow sticks you would see at a dance or perhaps on Halloween. It seemed to just hang above the mountain I was riding. Being so high in the mountains has a somewhat breathtaking feeling by itself, add a sight that you have never before seen, and you can become downright freaked-out. I stopped riding and just watched the cloud and it's unusual color. I thought I would continue my ride and hope to 'get a closer look' at the 'object'. I began riding again for another mile or so when the trail began a descent for about a quarter mile in a very curvey fashion. The road ended at this point due to a landslide that had occured, perhaps this last winter. I climbed the slide and realized that it was surely unstable. Should I fall, I would have been screwed. I looked up to see if I could still see the 'cloud' but could not. I assumed that because of my position, my vision was impaired. Note: when i first saw the cloud, it was in the S/SE sky. At the current postion I was in, I was facing SW and because I still had a ways to go to reach the top of the mountain, it is possible that the cloud was much lower to the mountain top then I had once though. At this point, rather then hiking my bike over the land slide, I decided to turn around head back to camp. The rest of the trail would all be down hill. I stopped at the same point in the trail that I first saw the cloud to see if it was still there...of course, it wasn't. Witness note: I have always been fascinated with space/science, etc and have never been one to accept things without a logical explaination. Yet, there is certainly a part of me that wants to believe in such things as intelligent beings from other worlds, spirits, ghosts, god, etc. But until now, I usually have an explaination for things that most people would rather just excuse as 'miracles' 'un-explained phenomona' 'UFO sightings', etc. I have begun a search for such Meteorological anomolies(?) but have turned up empty handed. A friend told me that there is a talk show host that believes that the government is conducting experiments to control the weather patterns. I surely cannot give that much credit to our government. I think that there is a logical explanation for what I saw, I just have yet to find it. If anyone has any info on such 'lights in the clouds' please post them on this site or contact me via e-mail. Thanks for 'listening'.

Posted 2000-05-03