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5 strange UFO events that have happened in Colorado

By December 29, 2020 | updated 6 years ago

1. Truck Driver Loses Memory in San Luis ValleyIn March 2001, a truck driver reportedly saw a bright light in the sky of southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Then, the light unexpectedly appeared in the road just ahead of him on U.S. 285 near Saguache. The driver said he slowed his truck to pull over to the side of the road, but doesn’t remember what happened next.Photo Credit: ktsimage (iStock)

Colorado is often considered a hotspot for unidentified flying object activity, specifically in the vast and remote San Luis Valley. Here are five unsettling stories of UFO sightings, encounters, and other events that continue to spark intrigue among those that hear them.

1. Truck Driver Loses Memory in San Luis ValleyIn March 2001, a truck driver reportedly saw a bright light in the sky of southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Then, the light unexpectedly appeared in the road just ahead of him on U.S. 285 near Saguache. The driver said he slowed his truck to pull over to the side of the road, but doesn’t remember what happened next.Photo Credit: ktsimage (iStock)
1. Truck Driver Loses Memory in San Luis ValleyIn March 2001, a truck driver reportedly saw a bright light in the sky of southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Then, the light unexpectedly appeared in the road just ahead of him on U.S. 285 near Saguache. The driver said he slowed his truck to pull over to the side of the road, but doesn’t remember what happened next.Photo Credit: ktsimage (iStock)
1. Truck Driver Loses Memory in San Luis Valley (cont.)When his memories restarted, he was driving again on the same road past Saguache toward Monte Vista. The man stopped in Monte Vista to fill out his log book at the truck stop, but realized the past four hours were unaccounted for – and forgotten. Since this odd lapse of time and memory, the man reports feeling claustrophobic in his truck and having violent nightmares.Route 285 near Monte Vista. Photo Credit: krblokhin (iStock).
1. Truck Driver Loses Memory in San Luis Valley (cont.)When his memories restarted, he was driving again on the same road past Saguache toward Monte Vista. The man stopped in Monte Vista to fill out his log book at the truck stop, but realized the past four hours were unaccounted for – and forgotten. Since this odd lapse of time and memory, the man reports feeling claustrophobic in his truck and having violent nightmares.Route 285 near Monte Vista. Photo Credit: krblokhin (iStock).
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis ValleyAnother unexplained event that reportedly took place in the San Luis Valley is the story of Snippy, a horse whose death made national news and today remains a mystery.Photo Credit: StellaMc (iStock)
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis ValleyAnother unexplained event that reportedly took place in the San Luis Valley is the story of Snippy, a horse whose death made national news and today remains a mystery.Photo Credit: StellaMc (iStock)
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis Valley (cont.)A 1967 journal entry from a local family details the day a caregiver went looking for Snippy (then called Lady) when she didn’t show up for her water and treat. The caregiver found Snippy lying on her side deceased with her head skinless. The journal entry said the cuts on the horse’s head were so precise that it was unlikely an animal had attacked the horse. The caregiver also noted a strong chemical scent in the area around the horse and investigators traced radiation levels throughout the scene. The closest hoof prints were found about 100-feet away from the horse and no other tracks were found. And even more strange, the bushes within 100-yards of the horse’s body were flattened.Photo Credit: Daniel Balakov (iStock) (Daniel Balakov)
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis Valley (cont.)A 1967 journal entry from a local family details the day a caregiver went looking for Snippy (then called Lady) when she didn’t show up for her water and treat. The caregiver found Snippy lying on her side deceased with her head skinless. The journal entry said the cuts on the horse’s head were so precise that it was unlikely an animal had attacked the horse. The caregiver also noted a strong chemical scent in the area around the horse and investigators traced radiation levels throughout the scene. The closest hoof prints were found about 100-feet away from the horse and no other tracks were found. And even more strange, the bushes within 100-yards of the horse’s body were flattened.Photo Credit: Daniel Balakov (iStock) (Daniel Balakov)
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis Valley (cont.)A medical expert later found that Snippy’s lungs, heart, and thyroid were removed with extremely precise cuts. The brain and abdominal organs were also missing from the horse’s body. No blood was found on the ground around Snippy nor on her skin. The cause of Snippy’s death continues to rattle curious minds today. Read more about the San Luis Valley here.Photo Credit: Sparty1711 (iStock)
2. The Mysterious Mutilation of a Horse in the San Luis Valley (cont.)A medical expert later found that Snippy’s lungs, heart, and thyroid were removed with extremely precise cuts. The brain and abdominal organs were also missing from the horse’s body. No blood was found on the ground around Snippy nor on her skin. The cause of Snippy’s death continues to rattle curious minds today. Read more about the San Luis Valley here.Photo Credit: Sparty1711 (iStock)
3. UFO Caught on Camera in SalidaIn 1995, a UFO was captured on video by a Salida resident and his young daughter at their home. National Geographic said this sighting is “one of the most compelling” UFO videos they’ve seen. Tim Edwards recorded the light-colored, oval-shaped object in the sky as his daughter anxiously asked him questions about it. In the video, the flying object hovers in the sky and makes sudden movements. Also, a ball-shaped object seems to bounce around the oval aircraft. Read more about the UFO sighting here.Photo Credit: Ken Lund (Flickr).
3. UFO Caught on Camera in SalidaIn 1995, a UFO was captured on video by a Salida resident and his young daughter at their home. National Geographic said this sighting is “one of the most compelling” UFO videos they’ve seen. Tim Edwards recorded the light-colored, oval-shaped object in the sky as his daughter anxiously asked him questions about it. In the video, the flying object hovers in the sky and makes sudden movements. Also, a ball-shaped object seems to bounce around the oval aircraft. Read more about the UFO sighting here.Photo Credit: Ken Lund (Flickr).
4. Mysterious Orbs Recorded Over Fort CollinsIn August 2020, a woman took to Twitter to post a video recording of what she claims to be a UFO over Fort Collins. Two orbs of light hover next to each other in the sky and alternate a flashing sequence.Photo Credit: ktsimage (iStock, cropped).
4. Mysterious Orbs Recorded Over Fort CollinsIn August 2020, a woman took to Twitter to post a video recording of what she claims to be a UFO over Fort Collins. Two orbs of light hover next to each other in the sky and alternate a flashing sequence.Photo Credit: ktsimage (iStock, cropped).
4. Mysterious Orbs Recorded Over Fort Collins (cont.)Further analysis led people to believe the aircraft could have been a weather balloon or a Google Loon balloon, though some continue to think otherwise.Photo Credit: milehightraveler (iStock)
4. Mysterious Orbs Recorded Over Fort Collins (cont.)Further analysis led people to believe the aircraft could have been a weather balloon or a Google Loon balloon, though some continue to think otherwise.Photo Credit: milehightraveler (iStock)
5. Unidentified Aircrafts Fly Over Colorado Military BaseA report included in Project Blue Book, a retired investigation by the United States Air Force into unidentified flying objects, tells of a sighting at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs in 1949. Three Air Force personnel reported that they witnessed several circular objects fly over the base. The objects were seen passing over a B-52 aircraft at a high rate of speed.Photo Credit: The Gazette, Bryan Oller
5. Unidentified Aircrafts Fly Over Colorado Military BaseA report included in Project Blue Book, a retired investigation by the United States Air Force into unidentified flying objects, tells of a sighting at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs in 1949. Three Air Force personnel reported that they witnessed several circular objects fly over the base. The objects were seen passing over a B-52 aircraft at a high rate of speed.Photo Credit: The Gazette, Bryan Oller
BONUS: Hooper UFO WatchtowerOne of Colorado’s most intriguing places for UFO sightings is Hooper, a town of about 100 residents in Alamosa County of the San Luis Valley. This valley is home to so many reports of unexplained sightings and events that a local woman was inspired to construct a UFO watchtower.Photo Credit: Faina Gurevich (iStock)
BONUS: Hooper UFO WatchtowerOne of Colorado’s most intriguing places for UFO sightings is Hooper, a town of about 100 residents in Alamosa County of the San Luis Valley. This valley is home to so many reports of unexplained sightings and events that a local woman was inspired to construct a UFO watchtower.Photo Credit: Faina Gurevich (iStock)
BONUS: Hooper UFO Watchtower (cont.)The 10-foot tower includes a viewing platform and a campsite around it for the ultimate place to scan the skies where little to no light pollution exists. Accounts from visitors include spotting flashing lights, sometimes of different colors, that travel along the sky, over nearby mountains, then disappear into the sky.Photo Credit: David Ramsey
BONUS: Hooper UFO Watchtower (cont.)The 10-foot tower includes a viewing platform and a campsite around it for the ultimate place to scan the skies where little to no light pollution exists. Accounts from visitors include spotting flashing lights, sometimes of different colors, that travel along the sky, over nearby mountains, then disappear into the sky.Photo Credit: David Ramsey
More recent reports of unusual sightings in Colorado’s sky can be found at the National UFO Reporting Center. Similar reports include bright ovals flying together or in erratic patterns seen in both daylight and at night from various places around the state.Photo Credit: Artem Peretiatko (iStock)
More recent reports of unusual sightings in Colorado’s sky can be found at the National UFO Reporting Center. Similar reports include bright ovals flying together or in erratic patterns seen in both daylight and at night from various places around the state.Photo Credit: Artem Peretiatko (iStock)
Leslie James

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