Chasing Aurora

My friend called me on a cold afternoon in January, 2012, and said there may be northern lights that night if we go chase them. So we rented a car in Toronto and just started driving North. We drove for hours, with nowhere really in mind, stopping only for double doubles, and had to stop... because as luck would have it, we were running out of gas. We had to go ask at a local sheriff's office for them to come and bail us out. We were so excited about the sky, we'd forgotten about the fuel! Far too focused on getting as north as possible. When we were back in the game, we headed north again. Found a little road leading to... presumably no where, over the iciest little bridge I'd ever seen. We didn't see Aurora, but we caught this amazing shot of the beautiful sky. It was breath taking (and not just because it was -20!). We started our drive back. Got to Huntsville around sunrise, roughly 6 AM. Watched the sun come up on Lions Hill over a snow covered lake. Got home somewhere near 9:30-10:00 AM, and couldn't sleep. I'd had so much fun the last 14 hours. I dreamt of Aurora that night, but no Aurora could compare to the love and the laughter in that car, and the beauty that we witnessed that night in the dark. I think of that icy little bridge and those stars that eat the sky often from over here across the pond. I miss my beautiful home, and all the vast places to explore on a whim. Next time, we'll have to make sure we stop for gas!

- Maigan