1988-03-15 - Gallup, NM - Cylinder

SUMMARY: Driving west on I-40 just after dark, saw lights strobing over median of hwy. Thought it might be a helicopter, but there was no noise and the unique pattern of lights. I passed almost under it and began to slow but it had disappeared. Two hours later,on same hwy., a brown cylinder shape hovered and passed over my car. I estimated the first sight to be 40 ft up and ~40 ft wide and the second sight to be 2 and 1/2 ft long and 1 ft around.

The first sighting was quite large, at least40 ft wide, with lights centered in the middle.There were three large lights, flashing not on and off but in an alternating pattern. I couldn'tsay if it disappeared after I passed under it,because it was quite dark, but the lights were gone. The second sighting was around Joseph City,Arizona, on I-40. It reminded me of a large poster tube, light brown. It hovered at the farthest reach of my headlights directly in front of the car for about 20 seconds, came straight at the windshield to about a foot and a halfand went over the car. I was driving for a posting job I had held at that time for about 8 months. I had left that day from Santa Fe, NM where I was visiting a friend. After the first sighting, I called my husband from the very next truckstop.