It\u2019s 6:36 p.m. on a chilly January night, and the Lincoln County Sheriff\u2019s Office is prepping for calls.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrone activity reported just now, Highway 71 and County Road 4D,\u201d Deputy Justin Allen says in a text message to a Denver Post reporter, who\u2019s on the hunt for drones hovering over the Eastern Plains.<\/p>\n
On a desolate dirt road just north of Limon, the sky is lit by stars and a waxing crescent moon. Then, a small set of red-and-white lights blink rapidly, punctuating the rural Colorado landscape. The aerial object travels briskly across the sky at several hundred feet above the fields and wind turbines. Minutes later, another one creeps onto the horizon. And then another one.<\/p>\n
The drones hover above a vast expanse of land outside a small, mostly empty Colorado town: Last Chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just coexist with them now,\u201d said Lincoln County Capt. Michael Yowell. \u201cYou see \u2019em and just tip your cap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s Eastern Plains are ground zero for one of the strangest phenomenon in the United States. Since mid-December, a legion of unexplained drones<\/a> with 6-foot wingspans have flown the night skies over at least nine counties in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, inspiring wild conspiracy theories<\/a>, perplexing agencies and confounding citizens from around the world.<\/p>\n