Rumour had it that there was going to be a good aurora display this past Monday night. Something about a coronal mass ejection (CME) hitting the earth, “the numbers” were looking good, so off I went.
Well. That was a lot of nothing. No aurora was seen by me!
However, the skies put on a different show.
A big cloud full of lightning was drifting east, putting on a vast but silent show. Every five or six seconds, the cloud would light up, and sometimes forks of lightning would emerge from the side or top.
I was miles away, so I was in no danger, but it was a wonderful thing to see.
Since I was out, and waiting for the aurora, I went to Dacotah and caught a train there.
On to Elie, a favourite location for night train photography.
I was surprised to see a truck in the grain elevator, unloading late at night. I guess it’s harvest time and the grain has to be put away! It’s great to see this early 1980s vintage elevator still in use.
A relatively long exposure turned a CN train into a blinding streak of light.
Trains and grain elevators, always a good combination.
While I was outside Elie, the whole western sky was lighting up every now and then. There was no visible lightning… more like someone flicking a giant light bulb off and on again behind clouds. It was dramatic in its own way.
Checking my watch, and the VIA Rail web site, I saw that the westbound Canadian was late leaving Winnipeg. I set up back at Diamond outside Winnipeg to wait for it… and wait… and wait…
Good things come to those who wait, I hear.