Anderson and I mentioned to the woman that we were headed to southern California, and she gave us some directions on the map. We pulled out, still marveling over how we had been able to use the credit card without being detected.

Finally we pulled over to an elaborately built swimming pool with clear blue water. Rocks in the middle of the pool formed an artificial island. I told Anderson this was the pool at which I had wanted to stop, instead of one at which we had stopped earlier. I noticed a car in the pool on the other side. It looked as if a ramp was there so a car could be driven right into the water, but I was unsure why anyone would want to do it. No one was swimming in the pool right now, and I even wondered if swimming was allowed, although I felt sure it was. I also noticed the water level was much higher in the middle of the pool than at the edges. I had never seen that phenomenon before.

Suddenly I looked back in the direction of Fort Worth and was shocked to see a long slender mushroom cloud rising in the air, obviously from an atomic weapon. It was dark like a cloud of smoke, but was so large it obviously must be from an atomic weapon. I pointed it out to Anderson and he also looked in amazement. I realized that if we had we been in Fort Worth, we would be dead now. I looked around and saw four more mushroom clouds in a semi circle around us on the north and east. Only in the west were no mushroom clouds. The four new clouds were lower and smaller, but were also obviously from atomic weapons.

I was afraid we might be receiving dangerous dosages of radiation just by looking at the clouds. Obviously we must leave immediately and head for the opening in the west.