We tried again to see the aurora, and again we failed. Again due to cloud-cover.
iDJ is diligently perusing the net and twitter trying to find out the latest details and if anyone else has seen it. He gave up a while ago on our taking a third trip up the mountain and opened a bottle of wine.
When you see the pics I took of the road up the mountain, you’ll see why sobriety is a must if you want to drive up…
I was less nervous tonight, in my passenger seat. Perhaps because I’d been on that road twice the night before and survived, or maybe because I was looking through a camera instead of my own eyes. Without a doubt I have been a passenger when the road was worse than it is this year. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to drive it myself. Well, I would, but only if guaranteed no one was coming down while I was going up, or vice-versa.
Now, before I start with the pics, please remember we were driving and it was bumpy. Therefore, they are blurry. And dark.
This is the only ‘good’ picture, because we were stopped. It was also at the bottom of the hill on the way back home. This is the good part of the road: it is flat, it isn’t rutted, it isn’t washed away by rain or full of holes from logging trucks or tractors. Good road. Really.
I edited this shot to brighten it up and make everything more visible. Going uphill, and curving. Only spinning the tires a little bit here…
Getting worse, and steeper…
This picture is both cropped and brightened. Notice the ditch on the left, and the wall of vegetation on the right? Did you forget another car could be coming down toward us around the blind corner at any moment? Just where are we meant to pull aside to make room?
Still going…
Hooray! At the top. That’s my little town, all lit up and looking so small from here.
We might have missed the aurora, but I enjoyed seeing my home like this at night.
heretherebespiders 
Spiders, are you subscribed to the alerts at http://spaceweather.com/? It’s great fun!
Lovely compelling photo of your little town from above.
That’s one of the places iDJ was getting updates from! One guy in Donnegal got pics, but I believe he was on top of the highest elevation in the whole country. Would have taken us 3.5 hours to go there. 😦 Thanks, I used the ‘night photo’ setting for the first time, go me! Obviously on our ‘real’ camera.
I figured that you knew about spaceweather, but just in case….
Hi, Where are you located? I live in NJ. I had hoped to see the Aurora but my husband said we are too far south. It also was overcast here. I like your blog. Followed a comment to this blog on the kitty-cat blog I follow. Happy Sunday.
I’m in the west of Ireland. Apparently Edinburg, Scotland was able to view it! Higher up than we are. Rats! I was born in Atlantic City, by the way! Welcome 🙂
The hill appears a little steep once you get to the top and overlook your town below. The motion of the pictures gives you that “almost like being there” feeling. A bit spooky too!
Thank you! Yes, it doesn’t take very long to get up that high. I suppose technically it’s a big hill and not a mountain. But it is tall enough for wind turbines. In Irish, the name translates to ‘grave mountain’ and apparently king(s) of old were buried up there. I never get spooked, even though I wandered off in the dark on my own…
I kind of like the blurry pictures. They make me feel at home, that’s for sure.
Action shots! Hee 🙂
It looks like a little cute town. 🙂
It is! About 1,500 people only.