Glowing red ball Sebastopol,CA

On a summer evening back in 1988, my cousin and myself were going home.
 travling west on hwy. 12, just out of sebastopol but not yet to Santa rosa.
 Just as we past the gas station out in the pasture[on the north side of 12]  my cousin said "there it is again"! Not knowing what he was talking about, I  looked over. Hovering off the ground, about 20 ft., was a red transparent ball.
 it seemed like time stood still as we past the object. Both of us turned our heads  as we went past. I was'nt driving so I looked out the back window until I lost sight  of it. I was stunned! We said nothing for the next couple minutes. When we approached  Santa Rosa [about 5 miles down hwy 12] at the intersection of hwy 12 and Stony point  rd. there was the object in front of us. I'm still not sure if it was the same one  or a second one. The only thing said was by my cousin. He said "I saw one yesterday".
 This was during rush hour Iknow others saw the samething. I've tried to forget about  it over the years but I can't. Since then my cousin has become a religious man.
 Me I think it was something else.