Commuting - This doesn't happen all the time...

The wind has been blowing a lot up here in minnesnowless, which makes us stronger riders for the summer months, and hill climbing. The other day I made my commute in my normal everyday fasion of carping about the wind, since it was in my face on the way to work and on the way home.

As I made the last turn for the home stretch, still 3 miles away, I climbed this little rise, and chanced a look over my shoulder, and saw an amazing site, one I've never seen in all my years in the Twin Cities. There was this big shaft of green light high over the city, but it wasn't over the city. My jaw dropped and I climbed a little further to make sure I wasn't seeing things, took off my glasses. Nope that was not light of the city captured in clouds, this green shaft of light did a little dance, and then disappeared.

I felt stupid, humbled, and awed. I have seen the Northern Lights before, just not over a brightly lit city, usually you have to get out in the country to see these things, but there it was. It came at a time when I was bemoaning furiously how the wind sucked, and there was not reason for it, what good did it do. And as if to say "Hey you on the bike, get your head out of your arse. Look around you, see anyone in a steel coffin seeing this?" And I remembered the ride to work, seeing a red fox, and the other rides this week with deer and bunny rabbits.

I don't know that I quite heard the pop, but I think I'm going to try to be a bit more aware of my surroundings as I force myself into these winds that kick up on the prairrie. Maybe I'll find some grattitude for the strong headwinds to and from work.

That was a nice story. I´ve never seen the Nordic Light myself but heard a lot about it. There sure was a meaning in you seeing that light right when you did.
There is a meaning to everything but we can´t always see it, that´s my belief.

Here in NZ we had a show of the Southern Lights a couple of weeks ago , due to the sun spot activety I believe , unfortunatly I never wittnessed it :(

Your so lucky! We have been under clouds the past few days and couldn't see the Aurora! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As for the wind, I feel your pain!

Some great pix of the aurora are at spaceweather.com - Nov 20 gallery (http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01nov03_page4.html) . They also have an area that forecasts future events in your area.

Something else us northerners should be thankful (?) for is the great variety of weather we get and the awsome skyscapes this time of year. Compare that to the immense boredom of sunny skies and warm weather that some of our less fortunate bikeforums friends have to contend with. :D

Two years ago, the Northern Lights were visible in Iowa. Fortunately, the wife's Mom called us from Illinois and told us to go outside. They only lasted about an hour, but the streaks of green and red were an awesome sight. I heard the recent event was seen as far south as Florida. (I find that hard to believe, but thats what the paper said.)

pinerider, Thanks for the link. Incredible pics!

I don't think I've ever seen the Aurora Borealis (is that what they're called?) But I saw a PBS special about the coming reversal of the earth's magnetic field, something that supposedly occurs every hundred thousand years. Some scientists claim that every time this magnetic flip-flop occurs, the earth's magnetic field weakens and becomes unstable for about 300 years. When this happens, they claim, the cosmic rays that cause the northern lights will create this same effect all over the world, not just in magnetic north.

See what wierd effect your posts have on me, Naisme?

:eek:

Yeah, in addition to directing solar radiation particles (as seen in the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis) to the north magnetic pole, the magnetic field shields us from many of the side effects from solar radiation, namely cancer. The reversal of the poles and the upheaval will allow more people to witness the "northern lights" but will also direct the solar radiation particles to more populated areas around the equater, rather than magnetic north. This will result in a noted increase in cancer deaths, although not catastropically.

I have seen the Northern lights in Alaska, while camped out in a glacier field, very very very cool!

This magnetic field reversal will screw up everybody's topo maps (at least those with the declination already lined up) unless it is an exact 180deg change then we'll simply use our topo maps upside down.. :)

Jay