A goal, not quite met but still a cool night

Tonight I'm thinking back to my trip to Ireland and what specific night. Before I left for my trip I'd heard the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) would be dipping down a bit lower than normal and I might get a chance to see them while on my trip.  As this is an item on my bucket list, along with a trip to Ireland, imagine my excitement at the thought of knocking two off my list at once. What an amazing experience to imagine myself standing on a hill in Ireland, emerald green grass at my feet and glowing lights over my head. 

After we arrived in Ireland, I spotted a newspaper with a headlight focused on the Aurora Borealis and my excitement returned anew. By this point in our trip, mom and I had been traveling around the country for two weeks. We had been to many spectacular sites and experienced things I never expected but here it was a full color picture above black and white lettering on the front page. We were near Malin Head, Ireland, the most northern point of all of Ireland. It was the best chance we had to see the magic.

That night after dinner in Moville, mom and I headed up the Malin Head. There were no street lamps, few houses outside of the small town of Malin. The grass almost seemed to glow lending a runway strip feel opposite the dark asphalt. We made our way to Malin Head, anticipation filled the car, excitement, hope.  We laughed as we made our way and passed a food truck. The only place around with lights glaring, the smell of fish and chips filled the air as we drove past. We've talked about that lone food truck many times, not able to figure out exactly who he was hoping to sell to. Perhaps there was a bar nearby or an event we weren't aware of but it just seemed so odd to see a brightly lit food truck in the middle of nothing.

After what seemed an eternity of driving, we found the turnoff to Malin Head, a steep narrow road that led to the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. I slowly pulled the car up to the parking spaces and briefly wondered if we should even be there after dark. Would we get into trouble? My eagerness to see the lights quickly outweighed any concerns and they whisked away in the brisk wind that blew.

I climbed out of the car and was amazed at the brilliance of the number of stars above. The tower of Malin Head loomed above, dark shadow blocking the night sky. Off in the distance a lighthouse blinked, it's stream of light swirling in and out of view as I stared up at the sky. Something wasn't quite right though. It wasn't totally clear. I noticed first the lighthouse light became a stream of light that I could see clearly. One by one, stars began to blink out of the sky. Fog. Fog was rolling in. Three weeks of waiting and the fog was going to block it out. I stood at the top of this cliff, amazing views all around and fog rolling in. I was stuck in the middle of disappointment and awe at the experience I was having. I knew at that moment that I wouldn't see the Aurora Borealis that night or while in Ireland but the experience was almost magical still. I'll never forget the sight of the lighthouse light streaming through the fog. The brilliance of the green of the grass. The sight and smell of that lone food truck in the middle of nothing. It is a night for the books for me. Not seeing the Northern Lights was a disappointment to be sure, but there is some level of excitement deep within me, knowing that someday, somewhere I will get to see those lights. I can't wait to find out how.