Winter is almost here

All the signs are there.  The wind is picking up and coming more out of the north, we regularly have to scrap our car windows in the morning before work, thin sheets of ice are forming on the tundra ponds, ravens are quickly becoming the only birds left, and the sun is finally setting at a reasonable time.  

I often wonder how this winter will be for us.  Not only have I heard murmurs of a longer colder winter than last year, but last year everyday was a novelty.  Our first ALASKAN winter!  It was easy to laugh at -55 degrees when you had never before experienced anything that cold.  This year however... it's old news.  (Not to mention, this year I may not be able to zip my coat over my belly.)  

Regardless of all the things there are to dread about winter here (and their are many) I'm still excited.  How in the world could I possibly be excited about only 4 hours of sun light, temperatures so cold your eyelashes freeze and snow drifts that can swallow a car whole?  Easy.  Winter is the only time of year that I get the chance to view the most amazing light show on earth!  There is just something about the Aurora Borealis that fascinates me.  I don't know if it's my desire to get that perfect Northern Lights picture, or if it's just the simple fact that rainbows can streak across the night sky, but I can't get enough of them.  

Last night my longing for the darkness of winter was renewed.  Completely unexpected, as I drove home from work a little after 11:00pm I noticed a strange grey to part of the sky.  Once I parked my car and my eyes adjusted to the dark it hit me that I was looking at the Northern Lights.  At the time they weren't doing much and didn't have much color to them.  But as I walked out into the dark tundra, away from the house lights and street lights the colors became more visible.  The longer I waited the more active they became.  It was totally worth it to stand out in the cold wind with nothing but a pair of scrubs on and a thin jacket.  Last year we only saw the lights in Bethel once, and only green.  Last night however, the show included not just the typical greens, but reds as well!  It was beautiful!  Time again to freshen up my review of how to photograph the Northern Lights and work on getting that perfect picture!