Glowing Orb Sighting at the Imperial Sand Dunes, CA, 1998 [Personal Experience]
Time: Late night, around midnight in 1998.
Location: Buttercup Hill, Imperial Sand Dunes—approximately 30 minutes west of the Yuma, AZ border.
I wanted to share a memorable experience from years ago with a friend. I’m sincere in recounting this, so take it as you will—I’m not here to convince anyone. After reading various Reddit posts and hearing other accounts, I’m glad to know that at least some people won’t think I’m crazy. 🤪
It was Thanksgiving weekend in 1998, and we were on our annual trip to the dunes. I traveled to Buttercup with my friend and his family. Being in high school, we decided to kick off our arrival from Arizona with a couple of 40oz beers, waiting until late when others were done riding to wander around safely.
While sitting atop Buttercup Hill, enjoying our drinks and cigarettes, we caught sight of a bright glowing orb rising over the ridge of the large dunes to the south. It emitted a warm, almost orange hue with hints of yellow. It resembled a vivid buggy whip light coming over the hill, but it kept ascending way too high for that to be the case. It performed some erratic movements, almost as if it was scanning the area—it was particularly unsettling how it darted left and right from our perspective.
We observed it for about ten minutes, discussing it intensely and wondering how no one would believe our story once we returned. Eventually, we made our way back to camp. Like many here, I met with disbelief when I shared the experience with friends and family—they just chuckled it off. Even if smartphones had existed back then, I would have ended up with a blurry video of a hazy light that looked like (.).
Peace ✌️
Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s always fascinating to hear firsthand accounts of sightings like that, especially in such an iconic location like the Imperial Sand Dunes. It sounds like a pretty unique night, especially with the combination of the atmosphere, the beers, and the excitement in the air. The way you describe the orb’s movements is intriguing—it definitely adds to the mystery of what you saw.
It’s understandable that friends and family might not take such stories seriously, especially in the age of smartphones where visual proof can sometimes feel necessary to back up claims. But I think sharing these experiences helps keep the conversation going about the unexplained. Have you looked into any other sightings in the area or similar experiences others have had? It might help to build a bigger picture of what was happening that night! Peace ✌️