Lights Out

On Friday night, there were lots of clouds to the north of Fernley, so even if the aurora was visible here above the local light pollution, we would not have been able to see it. There were pictures posted of people who saw it in the general area (such as near Washoe Lake between Reno and Carson City), and suggestions that it might still be visible on Saturday night. So I took a multi-hour nap and around 10 PM Lisa and I drove about 50 km (about 35 miles) up NV-447 (people who attend Burning Man will know it as the road to Gerlach) seeking a place away from light pollution and with a clear view of the northern sky. We did find a place (and saw plenty of other people along the way who had been staking out places that we assume were for the same reason) that worked as long as we shaded our eyes when vehicles passed, which seemed to be at least once every five minutes.

As our eyes adjusted and the crescent moon set, we saw lots of stars, but no aurora. It was a pity, but the stars were nice. Lisa and I both wished that we were in Churchill (Manitoba, not Fort Churchill, Nevada) again, where I assume that the views were spectacular.

Meanwhile, I've been having some medical issues (a leg infection) that I have put in a friends-locked entry because I did not want to squick people without warning. I'm working on it, including going for a medical test in Reno as soon as I can reach Renown Health to make an appointment for it.