Phoenix ufo
© UnknownWitness photo from August. 31, 2008.
A Phoenix woman reported today on an August 31, 2009, UFO she photographed near South Mountain, Arizona.

Following is her original report on what she saw.

Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade. If MUFON investigates and reports back on this case, I will update this page. You can read my selected cases by type of UFO report at the UFO Traffic Report main page.

The following report is unedited.

This is a shot that was taken in Phoenix behind South Mountain on August 31, 2008. This was seen around 5-5:30 pm in broad daylight. My husband, myself, and my son all witnessed it from our backyard.

It was moving at a slow steady and purposeful speed below the high clouds heading from south to north around the I-10 freeway.

I was thrilled to hear others have seen this triangle object too. To us, it appeared like three round white objects held together.

Phoenix ufo
© Unknown
At first, we were thinking balloons, but this did not drift of get smaller, it simply moved with forward motion without veering or going higher. I thought you might like to add it to your collection. It's quite a mystery.

We regularly see unusual things in the skies here, perhaps the curse of no clouds and no obstructed view, or perhaps that we're not that far from Area 51.

This one, however, really intrigued us and even my completely skeptical husband said, "that's a UFO."

Mystery Castle
© Unknown
South Mountain landmark

And since we're on the subject of South Mountain in Phoenix, I can't help but point out the Mystery Castle - which is situated in the foothills of South Mountain.

Boyce Luther built the place in the 1930s after he learned he had tuberculosis. The man died in 1945, and his wife and daughter moved in. But what makes this home rather unusual is that it was built from found or inexpensive materials - a story that attracted national attention and earned it a cover story from Life magazine on January 26, 1948.

From Wikipedia: Said to be held together by a combination of mortar, cement, calcium, and goat milk, the sprawling 18-room, three story castle is built from a wide range of materials - stone, adobe, automobile parts, salvaged rail tracks from a mine, telephone poles, etc. It features a chapel, cantina, and a dungeon. Parts of the castle remain unfinished, and electricity and plumbing weren't added until 1992.

Mary Lou Gulley, as of March 2009[update], still resides there. Though too weak to lead tours herself, she is frequently present in the house while guides conduct the tours.