YEAR: about 1980

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: September

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Whatcom County

LOCATION DETAILS: about 5 miles south of Bellingham,just befor the Big WHite painted rock on the east side of the
freeway

NEAREST TOWN: Bellingham

NEAREST ROAD: on the I5

OBSERVED: Hello guys. I am Michael from Vancouver,British Columbia. About 25 years ago one summer evening, we were driving to Vancouver from Seattle. It was a warm,clear night. no wind. About 10 p.m.,we were a few miles south of Belingham. Now, that part just south of Bellingham on the I5 freeway, is a hilly wooded area for about 5 miles, surrounded by farms on the south and Bellingham on the north. Any way I was driving around a bend when all of a sudden I had to veer the van to avoid running into something running across the freeway going towards my right. I was on the outside lane,and he was almost across. At first I thought it was a large dog,but it was too big. It had short reddish fur, it was running on all fours.Then I thought a bear since it's shoulders were higher
than its hips. it was the size of a small bear from the ground to top of back about 3ft. and maybe 5 1/2 ft in length. All this is happening as I'm swerving around. good thing no one was in the inside lane. So when I swerve, he turns his face around,and then I'm surprised that it has a flat face,no snout like a bear or dog. It was definitely an ape type face. It had big eyes like a gorilla maybe. It wasn't feroucious looking.It just looked scared. I didn't stop,I was too freaked out.

OTHER WITNESSES: only me,passenger was having a nap

OTHER STORIES: only in reading a book much later-"Bigfoot Sightings in the Northwest"

TIME AND CONDITIONS: clear warm night,about 10 p.m.
no lights except headlights

ENVIRONMENT: the creature was crossing the freeway-woods on both sides

Follow-up investigation report:

The witness, Michael D., lives 30 miles north of Vancouver, BC. He is a photographer and painter and runs an art gallery. He was driving north on I-5 home to Vancouver from Seattle on a summer evening around 9:30-10 p.m. It was warm summer evening weather around dusk. He had a passenger in the car who was asleep. As he passed Lake Sammish northbound, the road curved to the west and drove through a hilly mountainous area that is forested with little population. Investigator knows of this area personally and can verify. Just before he passed a painted rock that high school seniors use to paint their graduating years on, the witness had to swerve to avoid a dark animal traveling from left to right across the freeway. The witness was in the outside lane. The creature was running on all fours. At first the witness thought it was a dog but thought it was too large to be one. Another reason that a dog was ruled out in the witness’s mind is that its back was not horizontal like a dog would be. The back shoulder area was higher than the rear. Also, the animal had “shoulders” that stuck out unlike the way a dog’s just go straight to the ground. Then he thought it might be a young bear. The creature was startled and stopped in the road and the witness said it gave him a frightened look. The headlights on Michael D.'s van were illuminating it's face. At this point, the witness knew it was not a bear because it had a flat face and no “snout”. He also described it had big eye sockets “like a gorilla”. The witness did not recall seeing any ears. The head had generally a round shape. The animal had a slim build and was covered with short reddish/copper colored hair. The witness estimated the height of the animal at around 4 ft when on all fours and around 6-6.5 feet if standing upright. At no time during the witness’s observation did the animal travel on two legs. Michael D. has had substantial experience observing bears. His art gallery/home is located in a rural, wooded area and he sees bears often.

Years later the witness mentioned seeing a book called “Bigfoot Sightings in the Northwest” and read that there had been many sightings west of the Bellingham area in the past. He went onto the internet, found the BFRO and wanted to report his experience.

I also talked to the witness’s mother, a pleasant, friendly older lady. She mentioned that a lot of people in British Columbia believe in the Sasquatch.