Oliver and I parted ways and here my evening must have began. It was about 6pm and I had a few hours to kill before my intramural soccer game at 9:30p. I figured now as good time as ever to try to track down a 36mm allen wrench I need to complete the winterization of my car (to remove the radiator plug and insert the engine block heater so my coolant doesn't freeze). I swung by Alaska Interior Hardware, but considering it was a Sunday evening, they were closed. Alright, no small business this time, I just need a wrench - onward to Home Depot. Well, Lowe's didn't have it either, surprise surprise. I'll just have to catch the little guy when he's open.
At this point I decided to grab some food. I had seen 3 Subways since I started driving around, so I picked the closest one and headed in. I was patiently waiting for my turn to order a sandwich when I realized something strange on the belt of the man in front of me. A sidearm. Plain and simple. Couldn't tell you if it was a glock, 9mm, or even a BB gun, but there was a gun on this guy's side nonetheless, in a Subway sandwich shop. Not sure what threatened him, but hey, if he feels he needs it. He ordered a sandwich for him and his wife, got in his beat up red pickup truck with a dog, and a birch tree cut into pieces in the back, and drove off. Nobody seemed to take a second look, except me...
Not four minutes after I sat to eat my dinner a homeless man came in and sat straight across from me in the empty chair and asked for some money. This put a bad taste in my mouth (not to mention the smell) and appeared to make the elderly people enjoying their dinners around me uncomfortable as well. The manager quickly ushered him out. I was thinking of buying the guy a damn sandwich, but when I left there was no sign of him.
Onward to Fred Meyer! If you've never heard of Fred Meyer, don't worry, I hadn't. It is pretty much an Alaska equivalent of a super walmart. In the parking lot it is possible to observe anything from ladies with mullets smoking cigarettes to young asian women parking cars at very odd angles. On this evening in particular I observed both the aforementioned. I talked to Lauren on the phone a bit and then went in to do my shopping. Nothing special inside really... this time.
After making room for my groceries next to my water jugs freshly filled courtesy of the Fox Watering Station, I headed to the Student Rec Center to play some indoor soccer. We won, 1-0, which completely made my night considering we don't win very often. Sweaty and smiling I headed just a quarter-mile up the road to IARC to take a shower. Showering at home in the dry cabin would consist of a bag on a tree, so the free hot showers for IARC employees are very much appreciated. I sang a little song and hopped back in the car to drive to my cabin.
I decided to take the scenic route, which I often do, which leads me out of town on a large loop to the Goldstream Valley. About a mile or two down the dark road I came to a car pulled over, no signals, lights on, hardly off the side of the road. "What is this? A moose? what are you doing?" I looked, I can't see anything, so I drove around him real slow and kept onward. I did notice a bit of illuminated smoke, but nothing special.
I took me a minute to realize that this was not the moonlit clouds and smoke I have become accustomed to seeing in the valley. "Spellbound" by The Doves was playing. The sky was glowing. In a high, long streak, it ebbed and flowed like a slow moving whispy cirrus cloud. It was barely green, mostly a dull white. I had finally seen it - aurora!
Sure enough, I happened to have my camera in the car so I pulled up next to the mailboxes on Willow Run, right before I'd turn on to my street. Here I had a stellar view of the glowing northwestern sky. I got out, shut the door, put the camera on the hood (I didn't have my tripod). Before I had a chance to push the shutter, something pulled my attention from the glimmering night sky.
"Munch munch munch munch."
Brush brush swish swish.
"Munch munch munch."
"Oh shit." Sure enough, directly across the road were two moose. They didn't seem to mind me, my car, my noise, or the passing of other cars. They were about as indifferent to me and headlights as they were to the aurora. I figured it was moose at first, but I didn't get to see their sheer size until a car passed. The calf (who was no baby) looked almost as if he'd been caught in a prison spotlight, looking guilty with half a shrub hanging out of his mouth.
Nice. So there I was: on the side of the road in only a fleece at 32F, hair still wet, snapping shots of the aurora, listening to the crunching of bush in the dark. I snapped this shot off.
The green in the shots comes from the length of exposure time I needed to capture the faint light of the aurora. To my eye, it was a white glow with a hint of green. As impressive as this little display was to me, I've been told that this is nothin. Hopefully only a taste of whats to come! My camera battery died and I figured it was a good time as ever to get to the comforts of my cabin. I felt as though I had finally arrived in Alaska. And I also feel now a bit more comfortable with the idea of encountering a moose on the trail to the outhouse! Thanks for reading,
-Patrick
