So here’s what happened.

Early in the evening I got an email alert that there was going to be an outbreak of northern lights and they would likely be visible all over Alberta. Excellent, I thought. I had planned to be on the road early enough that I could get to the open country out by Hanna sometime just after dawn so maybe, on the way, I might see a little bit of aurora action.

But then, about a half hour later, another email alert came in. This one elevated the possibility of aurora from “likely” to “certain,” so I thought, OK, maybe I’ll lay down, sleep for a few hours and then get rolling sometime after midnight. True, I’d be tired by the time I got to Hanna but driving through the dark hours with the northern lights shining down could be kinda cool.

Fully dressed, I flopped on the bed, set the phone alarm and tried to sleep.

Now I am nearly narcoleptic when it comes to unplanned naps but forcing myself to sleep, well, I just can’t make that work. So instead of taking off at around 1 a.m. like I had planned, I was out the door by a quarter past 10. I was well past Strathmore before the alarm on my phone went off.

The sky was fairly calm as I rolled along with just the occasional pop of green light on the northern horizon but it was absolutely gorgeous anyway. A nearly full moon lit the countryside in a dim facsimile of daylight and it was bright enough to drive the side roads using only the truck’s running lights to brighten the gravel in front of me.

In truth, I often do that at night, drive with minimal headlights. I do that to preserve a bit of my night vision so I can see what’s going on around me. I only do that when it’s safe, of course. I might be dumb but I ain’t no fool!

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And that’s what I was doing when the northern lights flickered on.

The flashes of red and green started hesitantly at first but then increased in intensity like some great hand was cranking up a rheostat. At my favourite little bisected slough east of Strathmore, they were a shimmering curtain of colour. By the time I stopped by an irrigation canal closer to Rockyford, they were rolling in arcs and swirls.

The entire sky was alight........

© Calgary Herald