2012-10-16 - Gunnison, CO - Flash

Strange lights observed at Castle Mountain area of Gunnison

Early this morning I experienced a strange occurrence at my home in the Castle Mountain area of Gunnison, Colorado. My alarm went off at 5:33 AM. I was lying prostrate and opened my eyes. At this time I saw an orange light illuminate my bedroom door. The light was from the South and was very warm in color. The duration was similar to that of a car driving by; however the road is on the West side of the building and head lights could not shine into my South facing windows. My bedroom is on the North side of the house; the intensity of light was bright, especially since it came through the Southern bedroom window to illuminate the door to my bedroom. My family has owned this home for over 30 years and I am very familiar with the typical patterns of light that shine through the window.

This strange light woke me up very quickly. I then saw another light pass by the exterior windows on the North side of the house. This could have been more typical of headlights passing by the house. At this time I got out of bed and went into my living room which has large picture windows to the North and South. I did not see or hear any vehicles in the neighborhood – from my windows it would have been possible to see the vehicle that had passed by on the North side, but there was nothing. I then looked out to the South and saw a very bright flash of light. This appeared to be about ¼ of a mile away, only lasted for an instant, and was a bright white light. I kept looking around and saw another light across the river to the Southeast; however I believe this really was a vehicle. I observed the sky for a few more minutes, but did not see anything else.

I do not believe I have witnessed anything like this before – this is the first time I have reported a strange sighting. My background is a professional lighting designer. I have an exceptional skill at observing natural and artificial light and am also very perceptive about source intensity, direction, and color. This was a very strange occurrence.