Last night, I was on the road for exactly four and a half hours...which, if you ask me, is way too many. But the most amazing part of the horrible drive was the faint hues of the Aurora Borealis...the Northern Lights.
Now, I have never, up until this point, seen the Northern Lights, so it took me a while to figure out what I was even seeing. At first I thought it was the moon shining ridiculously brightly over a long horizon of clouds. But that seemed strange since it was more like the entire north eastern horizon was glowing. And as I precariously drove down Highway 81 toward Platteville, I noticed that the glow was changing, growing, moving. Then it hit me...and my foot hit the brakes.
After nearly causing a few accidents, I pulled off the road to a gravel road, parked and got out. There I stood, in the middle of nowhere just staring at the sky. What a sight it was. It wasn't that bright or clear, but still...amazing.
So, if you're in a clear area tonight, be sure to look up that the north eastern sky and maybe you too can experience the wonder.
2 comments:
For the record, I'M JEALOUS!!!!
It's been one of my life goals to see the northern lights. I'm actually part of a email listserv that reports the solar flare activity that produces these northern lights. I've been getting the emails recently about a large storm facing earth, northern lights visible from middle US..... And on top of it, the Gemenid Meteor Shower...
So I race outside and look to the north, and see about 10 stars total, along with a yellowish haze. I then think, "Right, you wanted to see the northern lights someday, the nighttime sky fascinates you, yet you moved SOUTH to a LARGE CITY with LIGHT POLLUTION. Smart, Joyce. S-M-R-T Smart."
So anyway, I'm very glad you got to witness the glorious spectacle. Did you manage to pull out your camera and snap any pictures of it??? ;-)
Love you babe.
Negative on the pictures. I was camera-less...and cell-cam just wouldn't have done it any justice. Sorry!
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