How I Froze My Fingers Off...A Dramatization...

The aurora borealis (also called the northern lights) came rolling into town tonight.

It's not the first time they've been here.  Nor is it the last.  

BUT I ACTUALLY SAW IT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!


It's kind of a big deal.

So this is how it happened.

I knew about the solar storm things that have been going on lately, and it has been well publicized that there would be some "major cosmic activity" going on.  (And my aurora forecast iPhone app said so...)

Anyway, last night I told my friend Lindsay (who was hanging out in her back yard, waiting for the lights to come on...) to text me if she saw anything and then I would run out and go see them.

In my mind it was a good plan.  I don't know why I thought I would wake up if she did text me.  I didn't even wake up after the earthquake.

Basically, I didn't want to go out in the freezing cold unless there was actually 'cosmic activity' going on.

And besides, I have a cold.  Not a bad one.  But still.  Snuffleuphagus.

But alas...the moon was too bright and beautiful, and it overshadowed the aurora...so I was told.

So, tonight I got home from a meeting for church around 8:30 p.m., ate dinner, and started talking with Luke on Skype just before 9 p.m.

Lindsay (the same one I mentioned earlier) was coming over to my house to drop off some lesson plans for her primary class that I am subbing for her on Sunday (the 4 year olds...pray for me...).  She came while I was talking with Luke, so I told him to hang on while I went to the door.  She gave me the stuff with a short explanation and then she left (after I reminded her again to text me if she saw any northern lights while she was out).

And I went back to talking with Luke.  Then there was another knock on the door.  It was Lindsay again...and she said "you better get out here!"

So I ran outside in my slippers, and left Luke all alone...stuck inside my computer... (poor guy).

And that's when I saw the northern lights for the very first time.

Right.  Above.  My.  House.

So very cool!  (Duh, I could have totally taken luke out with me to see them.  I was talking to him on a laptop for crying out loud....)

Anyway, I ran back inside told Luke what I saw and that I would be right back.  I took my cell phone out and tried to get a picture.  It didn't work.  Lame.

Oh well.  At least I got to see them.

After I finished talking with Luke (about an hour later), I decided to drive up Skyline where we were told the best viewing for the northern lights is in Eagle River.  (The moon was too bright now at my house, so I couldn't see them anymore in the sky...)

So I got the camera (the one not in my phone) and headed off.  (I also took a blanket and gloves and water and 2 coats and keys and purse and phone.)

Skyline is a very windy road.  I had been warned about that.  However, I had not been warned about how many people I would encounter.  Total traffic jam.  Luckily, I found a good place to park along the side of the road, sheltered from the light of the moon.  (I guess there's a parking lot at the end of the road...I didn't make it that far...due to the craziness of it all...and I'm sure it was packed with people/cars/dogs/grandparents/etc.)

At first I was just going to watch out the driver's side window of the car, but after all the cars going by and not any good photo opportunities due to headlights, I decided to get out and walk across the road where all the other people were standing.

I could see the aurora, but I didn't have a fancy zoom-lens-wide-angle-whatever-camera and tripod like most of the people that were there staked out in the snow banks.  But I knew our camera had night settings, so I thought what the heck.  It'll be fun.

That's when I left the car without my gloves on and proceeded to take a few pictures.  I was standing right by the car, so I did go back and put them on eventually...but it was too late.  They were cold!

I did the "starry night" setting on the camera-the one with the slow shutter speed, so I had to hold super still for 15-30 seconds (there were longer settings, but my hands were waaaay too cold for that!)

(Geez.  You would think I knew better.)

But here you go.  The fancy...ish... pictures.

That last one I took while I was driving back down Skyline.  I wasn't actually driving while I took it.  I pulled over in someones driveway.  But by the time I pulled over it wasn't as magical looking.  (If you can even believe it looked more magical...because it totally did!)