Years back, when I lived on the backside of Woodward Reservior
every summer, we managed to cause a real panic situation one
summer Saturday night . . . . . . . As you old Woodward sailors
know, after dark the wind shifts around slightly more from the north,
allowing one to reach both ways from the backside of the lake to
the ramp and then back. So about 2200 one fine night, we
attatched cylalume light sticks to the tails of about a half dozen
kites flown from about a half dozen boats and then proceeded to
sail from sailboat bay up to the front of the lake and back. The
kites were let out on a lot of string, and they were flying directly
over the campgrounds . . . . . Well, with the silent sailboats out on
the lake, and the strange lights dancing overhead, a whole bunch of
campers hit the panic button. There was few screamers in the
crowd, and a few brave souls that tried throwing rocks at the lights
and then a couple of them took off in their vehicles looking for the
park rangers to report a certain alien invasion was taking place.
We decided at that point to reel in the kites and hide the lights and
then just quietly slip away into the night (did you ever try to put
out/hide one of those lights?). The next morning, the park rangers
came around asking us if we had seen any sgrange lights in the
sky the night before, and later that day a reporter from the Modesto
Bee was on the scene asking questions. "Strange lights? No, we
didn't see any strange lights" . . . . . . . .
Dik