The Aurora is Rising - The Northern Lights in Southeast Michigan, May 10-12, 2024

Northern Lights, Silver Lake, Pinckney
10:42pm, May 10, 2024: The Northern Lights over Silver Lake near Pinckney Recreation Area

I'll keep this one simple. I saw the Northern Lights! Aurora Borealis!

Barely a month after witnessing a total solar eclipse in Ohio, I got to witness something that is rarely seen in Southern Michigan.

Twice!

Night 1: May 10, 2024

For the eclipse, of course we all knew years in advance that it was coming. For this... it was on the local weather report Thursday night. We were panning to get Ezra in Ann Arbor for dinner. At 2:55pm I texted, "Northern Lights might be visible tonight. Want to try?" Just like that.

10:50pm, May 10, 2024: The Northern Lights over Silver Lake near Pinckney Recreation Area
10:50pm, May 10, 2024: The Northern Lights over Silver Lake near Pinckney Recreation Area

Finding a dark spot was going to be the challenge. We drove to Chelsea, but the place we tried was too bright. So onwards to Pinckney Recreation Area. At 10:23pm, I received a text from my friend Kim: "It's out. Just get out of car." I was on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, but 10 minutes later we were approaching Pinckney Recreation Area, and just before getting there I saw a quiet lake which, it turns out, is Silver Lake. 

We pulled over and parked. I had warned Lori that it might take hours for the lights to show up, that it required patience. I opened the car door, and... the sky was dancing. Pillars going up and down and every which way. I took out my cell phone, my now cherished Google Pixel 8 Pro, put it on "Night Sight," and started clicking. It was 10:37pm. There were several other people along the lakeside taking it in, too. Ezra and I started doing our happy jumping dance, and when we got back to Ann Arbor, we treated ourselves to Insomnia cookies and ice cream.

Night 2, May 11-12, 2024

Bald Mtn Recreation Area - May 12 just after midnight
12:30am, May 12, 2024: Northern Lights ascending. Bald Mountain Recreation Area. 

Everyone buzzing now. And friends who had missed it Friday night wanted in. I met with several friends after returning from a show in Detroit and we started out to find a place. Waterford Oaks was too bright. Bald Mountain Recreation Area was closed. But there, a quarter mile up Opdyke, was a turn-off to a dirt road, and a couple thousand feet in, a parking area for a trail. About a half dozen people were already there, hoping for an encore. But there was nothing.

Two women with a dog gave up and left. We stayed, figuring we'd give it an hour at the most. We didn't have to wait that long, though. Just a couple moments after the women left, my cell phone picked up green on the horizon. I texted it to Kim. "Maybe," came back the response. A couple minutes later, at 12:25am, the horitzon was noticeably lighter, and I could pick up pink hues. And then it became visible to the nake eye. The pillars, the atmospheric dances. And everyone was happy. Except, I guess the two women with the dog.

I basically don't understand much of any of this... yet. But I will.

The Aurora Borealis is a bucket list item for many people. Expedia has an ad campaign built around a quest for a mother and daughter to witness it... in someplace like Iceland or Norway. And someday I might do that. But this weekend, for the price of a short car ride, it was right here in Michigan. People I met yesterday were just... happy. Sharing photos and experiences, or at least soaking in the experiences of friends. And maybe, just a little bit, awestruck.

Bald Mtn Recreation Area - May 12 just after midnight
12:31am, May 12, 2024: Northern Lights ascending. Bald Mountain Recreation Area. 


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