YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 5

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Deschutes County

LOCATION DETAILS: On US Highway 97, north of the Highway 31 intersection and south of La Pine

NEAREST TOWN: La Pine

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 97

OBSERVED: I was driving home to Bend near sunset, just south of La Pine on US Highway 97, on Nov. 5th, 1996 when a hawk was flushed from the treeline ahead on my right. It flapped vigorously, headed southward directly toward my car, crossed over it and kept going. It was not gliding, it was accelerating.

Seconds later, I saw a tall, rangy figure suddenly emerge from the cover of the treeline, about 150 feet ahead on my right, and stride determinedly toward the road across a grassy fringe.

As I slowed and closed the distance to within 50 feet, the figure with no hesitation, stopping neither to look in the direction of my approaching car nor to gauge the speed and distance, glided across the two lanes in four strides and kept going directly into the cover of the pines on the other side of the road.

I asked my wife if she had seen the 'person' crossing the road. I wanted her opinion of what had transpired before expressing my own suspicions.

Unfortunately, she said no - that she had been trying to follow the flight of the hawk behind the car.

On immediate reflection, I realized I had seen something unusual but could not say what exactly I had seen. Nor can I say now what it was. But if it was a human being, it was a strange one.

The figure seemed not just tall but VERY tall - I would estimate close to 6'8" to 7' tall (based the figure's height relative to roof of my car).

The length of stride required to cross the road in just four strides would be quite large.
Its actions did not seem typically human. It did not wait for its chance to cross at the roadside - it waited hidden in the treeline. When its chance came, it never slowed until hidden in the
pines on the other side of the road. It didn't even turn toward me, though its efforts indicated it was aware of and concerned by our car's approach.
It didn't run or jog as a human might who is caught crossing the road in front of an approaching car. Its step was a well articulated (almost thoughtful) full heel to toe stride with a vigorous push off.

It moved briskly with a long swinging arc of the arms, a slightly stiff body-lean with the head and trunk bent forward from the waist. The head was not bent at the neck; I saw no neck; the whole upper torso was bent from the waist. I have thought about the 'clothing'. During the brief seconds, I had seen the figure, the clothing appeared to be completely and uniformly DARK - top to bottom - without distinguishing characteristics. I could not identify the articles of clothing - jacket,jeans, boots, gloves etc. with one exception. The one article of clothing that I might have
noted was perhaps a peaked lumberjack's cap with a fuzzy tassle.

On reflection, I wonder if it might instead have been the oft-reported pointed head or skull.

Please do not put my name or contact information on the public site. You may make it available to researchers if requested.

ALSO NOTICED: A large hawk flew out of the trees just before the figure crossed the road. The hawk came from the same direction and approximately the same location as the figure crossing the road.

OTHER WITNESSES: My wife and I were headed back to Bend from
Klamath Falls. I was driving the car. My wife was the only passenger. I was watching the road and shoulders ahead carefully. The setting sun through the trees made the drive challenging. I was concerned about hitting deer so I tried to be aware of any movements on the roadsides ahead. The speed limit was 55 but for safety I was probably doing closer to 45 mph. Just before the sighting, my wife and I both were distracted by a large Hawk which rose from the treetops, ahead on our right, flew strongly toward the car, passed over the car as it crossed the road and headed south at a good rate of speed. Since I was driving I did not turn my head to follow its progress once it passed the car. My wife however turned in her seat to follow its flight.
She was still following the hawk's flight when I saw something cross the road in front of me.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Late afternoon, just before dusk

ENVIRONMENT: This section of US Highway 97 is just a relatively narrow two lane road. Thick stands of pine closely border the roadway in many stretches.