I’m a sucker for the weird and tourist traps, the hokier the better, so I couldn’t resist talking John into taking a little detour, on our easterly trek across Texas, to do an overnight stop at the Marfa Lights Viewing area. I want to see these lights for myself, or lack of lights.
As you can tell, John is not nearly as excited about this stop as I am.
The Marfa Lights are described as basketball-sized orbs of light displaying in white, red, yellow, and orange. These orbs flicker, fade in and out, remain steady, and fly at incredible speeds across the night sky. They have been seen in the same area for over a hundred years and have yet to be conclusively explained.
Looking out into the desert area, there doesn’t seem to be much out there.
But if you look at an aerial map, showing the direction I am looking you can see some tracks and possible structures beyond a small airfield. I know what you’re thinking, but these lights have been seen long before cars and airplanes.
As night falls, its cloudy, misty and cold. John and I watch out the window waiting to see some lights. OOOO!!!!! There they are!! I head out to the viewing area to see if I can get a clearer view. I’m a bit skeptical about what I’m seeing. They look like taillights and headlights maybe of stationary vehicles, except the are quite big for that at the distance they appear to be from the viewing center.
They don’t move around much and seem pretty level and close to what I think is the ground. They do fade in and out. I remember reading that they rarely show up, maybe ten to fifteen times a year. There is another gentleman here who is very excited, claiming that this is a rare sighting, especially with the cloudy skies and rain.
Is he a local sent out to verify that lights seen by tourist are the actual lights to keep people coming or am I really seeing a rare event?
If you want more scientific info about the Marfa Lights, check out LiveScience web page. They have a much different picture of the lights than mine. Either way, I enjoy a good mystery and I enjoy speculating and sharing with all of you.
