Post by auntym on Sept 13, 2011 12:53:31 GMT -6
www.ufodigest.com/article/highways-high-strangeness
Highways to High Strangeness
Submitted by Scott Corrales on Tue, 09/13/2011 - 10:05
By Scott Corrales,
Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU)
We’ve all driven in the dark of night. On our way to college at the start of a school year, off to see relatives, or simply to catch the earliest flight out of a distant airport. Our companions are the radio and a cup of coffee – or the beverage of choice – as we hold on to the wheel and stare through glass at the expanse of road ahead. We do so with certain information in the back of our minds: that there will be exits off the expressway where food or fuel can be secured, rest areas at which we can close our eyes for a few minutes, and the security of calling a towing service if our vehicle should break down.
There are parts of the world, however, where driving is truly an adventure. Highways stretch though the emptiness for hundreds of miles, bereft of services, with only the moon providing the least bit of illumination. Drivers in some of these countries are necessarily mechanics, as the possibility of assistance is slim at best. Even the legendary Pan-American Highway, while fully paved and marked, traverses some of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth, from terrifying mountain heights to vast silent deserts like the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile.
These are the distant roads that beckon to us as we seek the unknown...
Chile: Two Cases, Decades Apart[/color]
One of these roads – a 40-mile stretch of asphalt in Northern Chile between Salitrera Victoria and Quillagua - has acquired a reputation as place where strange events befall drivers. The particular location is the aptly named Pampa Soledad (the “pampa of solitude”), a bleak desert environment where the horizon stretches out to infinity and mind reaches even further, conjuring up all manner of possibilities.
On August 16 1974, the last thing on Tito Fernandez’s mind was the unknown. Chile had just undergone the violent overthrow of the Allende regime and the military junta held the country in its clenched fist. Army units fanned out across the country searching for subversives and enforcing martial law. At the time, Fernandez was part of a troupe of itinerant young singers, going from one small town to the next with their show, singing a mixture of pop and folk songs – the kind of thing that was sure to attract negative attention from the regime. A total of five performers were driving to their next gig through the vast emptiness of Pampa Soledad between one thirty in the morning to three in the morning, tired but happy after their successful show at Quillagua.
At one point, the driver and the front seat passenger – humorist Jorge Cruz – became aware of an orange light in the distance, fast approaching their position on the road. Some speculated that the light was that of a locomotive, although no train tracks ran perpendicular to the desert road at any point. Of more concern was the likelihood of a military patrol that would stop the vehicle and challenge them, demanding to see their safe conduct documents.
The performers pulled over and got out of the car to see the orange light, convinced that it was being directed at them from an army spotlight. But after watching its maneuvers, Fernandez became more convinced that it was “one of those UFOs” that people were talking about. So impressed were the young singers that some of them began to pray. This was understandable, as there were now two lights visible – one joining the other down the road and approaching the apprehensive group.
Their apprehension gave way to fear as they quickly boarded the Volvo and sped away down the asphalt, as though an internal combustion engine could somehow provide enough distance between their vehicle and the inexorable lights. One of the performers took a crucifix out her handbag, holding it against the orange lights through the window, hoping to ward off their unwholesome presence. “At this point,” observed Jorge Cruz, “we were all in tears.”
CONTINUE READING: www.ufodigest.com/article/highways-high-strangeness
Highways to High Strangeness
Submitted by Scott Corrales on Tue, 09/13/2011 - 10:05
By Scott Corrales,
Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU)
We’ve all driven in the dark of night. On our way to college at the start of a school year, off to see relatives, or simply to catch the earliest flight out of a distant airport. Our companions are the radio and a cup of coffee – or the beverage of choice – as we hold on to the wheel and stare through glass at the expanse of road ahead. We do so with certain information in the back of our minds: that there will be exits off the expressway where food or fuel can be secured, rest areas at which we can close our eyes for a few minutes, and the security of calling a towing service if our vehicle should break down.
There are parts of the world, however, where driving is truly an adventure. Highways stretch though the emptiness for hundreds of miles, bereft of services, with only the moon providing the least bit of illumination. Drivers in some of these countries are necessarily mechanics, as the possibility of assistance is slim at best. Even the legendary Pan-American Highway, while fully paved and marked, traverses some of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth, from terrifying mountain heights to vast silent deserts like the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile.
These are the distant roads that beckon to us as we seek the unknown...
Chile: Two Cases, Decades Apart[/color]
One of these roads – a 40-mile stretch of asphalt in Northern Chile between Salitrera Victoria and Quillagua - has acquired a reputation as place where strange events befall drivers. The particular location is the aptly named Pampa Soledad (the “pampa of solitude”), a bleak desert environment where the horizon stretches out to infinity and mind reaches even further, conjuring up all manner of possibilities.
On August 16 1974, the last thing on Tito Fernandez’s mind was the unknown. Chile had just undergone the violent overthrow of the Allende regime and the military junta held the country in its clenched fist. Army units fanned out across the country searching for subversives and enforcing martial law. At the time, Fernandez was part of a troupe of itinerant young singers, going from one small town to the next with their show, singing a mixture of pop and folk songs – the kind of thing that was sure to attract negative attention from the regime. A total of five performers were driving to their next gig through the vast emptiness of Pampa Soledad between one thirty in the morning to three in the morning, tired but happy after their successful show at Quillagua.
At one point, the driver and the front seat passenger – humorist Jorge Cruz – became aware of an orange light in the distance, fast approaching their position on the road. Some speculated that the light was that of a locomotive, although no train tracks ran perpendicular to the desert road at any point. Of more concern was the likelihood of a military patrol that would stop the vehicle and challenge them, demanding to see their safe conduct documents.
The performers pulled over and got out of the car to see the orange light, convinced that it was being directed at them from an army spotlight. But after watching its maneuvers, Fernandez became more convinced that it was “one of those UFOs” that people were talking about. So impressed were the young singers that some of them began to pray. This was understandable, as there were now two lights visible – one joining the other down the road and approaching the apprehensive group.
Their apprehension gave way to fear as they quickly boarded the Volvo and sped away down the asphalt, as though an internal combustion engine could somehow provide enough distance between their vehicle and the inexorable lights. One of the performers took a crucifix out her handbag, holding it against the orange lights through the window, hoping to ward off their unwholesome presence. “At this point,” observed Jorge Cruz, “we were all in tears.”
CONTINUE READING: www.ufodigest.com/article/highways-high-strangeness