Around 1979 I saw a meteor hit the ground a couple blocks from my house in San Carlos (San Diego, CA). I was about 10 years old and saw the big explosion when it hit the playground of my school around 9pm. I always described it as a big bright rainbow filled in with color and flames! It was in the local newspaper. I also gathered some dirt and fragments a couple days later. About 12 years ago I was in the desert near Borrego Springs when I saw this meteor. I do not remember the exact date. It was night time and very clear outside.. I was with friends. They were in the desert playing airsoft (like paintball) and shooting at each other. I took a break and was lying in the back of a truck looking east. I saw a bright white light at my 11 o'clock and less than 45 degree vertical angle. It traveled down and to my right for about 5 seconds. It seemed like it was abount 1/2 mile away give or take. It burned just a bit with yellow/orange flame that lit up the black smoke coming off of the object. I thought it was strange that it was close enough to see the smoke lit up from the fireball at night. It reminded me of an old 1930's Flash Gordon special effect. LOL It looked like it was roughly the size of a basketball traveling around 200 - 300mph at a couple hundred feet off the ground. The flames died before it hit the ground and I could not see any smoke or flash or dust when it hit the ground. I was the only one who saw it because I was the only person not playing at the time. I could not go look for it because I was riding with someone else. I know the area where it landed. I was hoping to go back out someday with a drone and a heat lens just after sunset to see if the metal in the meteorite would show up on the ground. No idea if anyone ever saw it or found it later.
