elusive Northern Lights...

Last night, Rob and I took off in the truck to see if we could spot some of the Northern Lights. They were supposed to be visible due to all the huge activity from the solar flares and be the best in at least 7 years.  We went out to Lake DeSmet, which is about 4 miles outside town because there are some high spots and there’s really no lights for miles and miles out there, except for the occasional car passing by on the interstate.

Now, first you have to understand, I have a vivid imagination. I am always eager to experience life to its fullest.  So, we get out there, near the monument and I could “swear” I see lights starting to jump off in the horizon! I’m telling Rob, okay..I’m yelling at Rob, to turn off the interior lights, the dash lights, all the lights in the truck, so I can get a pitch black view of the sky.  We get out the binoculars….we get out in the cold, windy lakeshore air.  We glass the whole sky.  What I was seeing was reflections, probably, from a little bit of clouds down low. SO, we wait….and wait…and wait….nothing in the way of pretty green lights for us.

But, during that time a magical thing happens.  It is the clearest night in ages.  I have my head hung out the truck window, staring straight up at the stars in the sky. What I see is breathtaking. Millions and millions of stars are out.  The Milky Way looks so close, I almost feel like it’s sitting right on top of my head.  It’s so dark and quiet out there, I almost felt like I was in one of those snowglobes, only it was filled with stars instead of snow.  I can see so many constellations that I hadn’t seen except in books.

We’ve decided that maybe we need to do this more often. I think we’ve been taking the Wyoming night sky for granted.  Sure, I go out with Thistle at night and see a few shooting stars in the backyard because we don’t have a lot of light pollution, even in Buffalo.  But, what I saw last night humbled me, the sheer magnitude of the universe came back to me in a way I haven’t experienced since we moved here.

It was also awesome because I had some uninterrupted time to talk with Rob. We talked about our next few photo trips and what we’re going to do.  He just got an email from a guy in MN who wants a guide to show him good spots for photography in the Bighorns. Came to the right guy in Rob, he did.  In exchange, this guy (who is a photographer) gave us a long list of places we should check out when we go to MN for a fall photo shoot.  Rob had already checked out on the internet the places he spoke of.  So, we sat out there in the dark, with the stars all around us, talking about that trip.  It was just magical.

After about an hour, we finally gave up. I really could have just sat there forever, suspended in the stars and the darkness.  But, we decided we should go visit my girlfriend, Michelle, who bartends at one of the local bars, the Outback, so off we head, back to town.

Michelle is one of my favorite girlfriends and one of my oldest friends in town. She also has a golden retriever and Thistle and I have been spending a lot of time with her lately (I’m trying to socialize Thistle with other dogs).  She only works a couple of nights a week at the bar and we rarely ever go there because we are creatures of habit and usually only go out on Friday nites and she doesn’t work on Fridays, so this was a treat.  Michelle is a lot like me.  Always cheery, upbeat, no matter what’s going on in her own life. Great energy!  We spent a little while with her and topped off a fabulous evening, laughing and sharing photos with Rob of the antics of our two dogs.  I don’t know who had more pics of Abby and Thistle, Michelle or me, on our cell phones.

Anyway, you may not think this was a special night but for me it was just awesome. Even though we didn’t see what we set out to accomplish, we ended up having one of those nights I will cherish forever. Sometimes, when you are trying to force one experience to happen, another comes and whaps you upside the head.

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.
William Shakespeare