Pacific Strange.

The Pacific Northwest is where the modern UFO era began — Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting over Mt. Rainier coined the phrase "flying saucers." This route follows the origin points of the modern phenomenon down the Cascades.

1. 01
   SIGHTING

   Mt. Rainier, Washington

   NEXT STOP 4.5 H

   June 24, 1947: Kenneth Arnold, a private pilot and experienced mountain flyer, observed nine objects moving at an estimated 1,700 mph near Mt. Rainier. He described their motion as a saucer skipping across water. The phrase "flying saucer" entered the language that afternoon. The mountain itself is one of the most volcanically active in the US and produces significant electromagnetic anomalies.

   OVERNIGHT Ashford or Packwood, WA
2. 02
   CURIOSITY

   Portland, Oregon

   NEXT STOP 2.5 H

   The Columbia River Gorge east of Portland has a consistent history of UAP sightings going back decades. The gorge creates unusual atmospheric conditions that may account for some reports. The Hanford Site — the most contaminated nuclear site in the US — is 3 hours east and has its own anomalous report history.

3. 03
   SIGHTING

   McMinnville, Oregon

   NEXT STOP 5 H

   On May 11, 1950, Evelyn Trent photographed a disc-shaped object from her farm near McMinnville. The photographs — two frames — have been analyzed by Condon Committee investigators, Kodak scientists, and independent photogrammetrists for 75 years. No analysis has definitively explained them as a hoax. The annual McMinnville UFO Festival is held here each May.

   OVERNIGHT McMinnville — Hotel Oregon
4. 04
   CURIOSITY

   Mt. Shasta, California

   Mt. Shasta has one of the richest anomalous histories of any location in North America — not all of it credible, but the volume is significant. The mountain sits at the junction of multiple ley line systems (per esoteric traditions), has a consistent history of orb sightings, and has been the subject of military flight restriction events that were never officially explained.

• Mt. Rainier weather changes in minutes. Pack for rain regardless of forecast.
• The McMinnville UFO Festival in May is excellent — worth timing the trip around it.
• Mt. Shasta town is deeply esoteric in character. Approach with appropriate calibration.