Howling at the Moon (and the Northern Lights)

I awoke yesterday morning with plans to go spring skiing (Shanty Creek reopened this weekend for a last hurrah), but instead I was greeted with a surprise cold. Thinking that congestion might not meet well downhill adventures, we opted for a day of gallivanting. I happen to like that old adage: do what you do well, and all that But, for now I’m skipping over yesterday’s productivity in favor of more exciting things. Don’t worry though, I’ll come back to it.

My nerdy weather-checking self noticed that moonrise was slated for 11:13PM last night, and given the day’s absolute stillness, I thought it’d be a great time to pop down to the lake for a moonrise.

Ski Season, Check – Spring…?

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. The sun stained the lingering morning clouds pink before rising brightly, and the air was clear. Tony and I took off at 8:30 for our last rides down the slopes at Shanty Creek for the season. The snow was slow, but the resort was uncrowded, so we didn’t mind. We played in all our favorite places, and then tested the (frozen) waters of some steeper runs that we had avoided on account of they were either too bumpy or icy. The fresh powder gave me the confidence to suggest we tackle Kingdom Come – a quick 450-foot drop down the face of Shanty’s biggest and steepest hill.

Another Night of Northern Lights

Those clear skies I half-heartedly complained about brought us excellent viewing conditions for the aurora tonight (last night?). I started the night by photographing out one of our north-facing windows. When the aurora kicked up again a bit later, we drove to a spot on Torch Lake, and I took a series of photos there. At this point I know two things: 1) I love living here, and 2) I seriously need a tripod – the books, coolers, silicone pot holders, etc. are not awesome. Enjoy   (Also, for those who usually ask, feel free to share if you know anyone who would also enjoy)

I’m including both a gallery with larger pictures and a slideshow. The slideshow gives you a better feel of what it’s like to see the aurora in person, but the gallery makes the pictures look better. Your choice

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Northern Lights Under a Harvest Moon

We drove all over Antrim and Charlevoix counties yesterday, taking in the fall color. But as I was catching up on work last night, the aurora kicked up. Now, a light show is preempting the vibrant autumn scenery I had planned on sharing.

July 15/16 Aurora

We had aurora text alerts coming in all day yesterday, and sometime after 12:30 am, we drove to the lake for some pictures. They seemed to come out worse than those taken from the bedroom window, so we came back. We felt pretty thwarted by the unwelcome clouds, but I’ve given up on trying to control the weather.

Full disclosure: This is not how I normally process photos (which is usually crop and make minor adjustments to better reflect the reality I remember seeing). I opened these photos in Lightroom and auto-toned them. So the exposure has been cranked all the way up, and some other adjustments that Lightroom sees fit have been made. No colors have been altered, though, so these just show that if there had NOT been a stupid, terrible, %&$! cloud mass hanging around, we would have been treated to a great show. As it stands, here’s a few unrealistic pictures. Enjoy at your own risk

Update: If you want to see some good photos of the recent solar activity, click here for amazing pictures

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