The Edge of the Universe

In September, the Northern Lights were low enough that it was reported we might be able to see them  in Utah.  Seeing the Northern Lights is on my life bucket list, so I was excited to maybe get the chance to see them!  Beth and Reece invited to me to go out to the Spiral Jetty with them to try and see if we could catch a glimpse of the lights, since we would be far away from any city lights.

Seeing the Sprial Jetty has been a long standing item on my life bucket list so I was excited to finally place a big check mark next to it.  I can't believe I have lived in Utah my whole life and had never seen the Spiral Jetty until this year!

We got to the Jetty right as the sun was setting, so we only had just a few minutes of seeing it in daylight.  After snapping a few pictures we gathered up our gear and started heading closer to the waters edge of the Great Salt Lake.  Walking on the salt flats is such a unique experience, it really is something everyone should do in their lifetime, especially if you live in utah.

We set up camp and then started experimenting with long exposures.  We played around with different times, locations, camera angles, everything!  It was so much fun to capture such a breathtaking sight.

We were enveloped in complete darkness and silence with the most perfect view of the Milky Way It was like nothing I have ever experienced.  I truly felt like I was on another planet.  These pictures come no where close to giving our view justice.

We stayed until the moon began to rise.  Since the moon casts so much light, our star pictures wouldn't turn out nearly as well as they had been so we decided to pack up and head home.  We never did see the Northern Lights, but we obviously didn't mind.  This is one of my most favorite life experiences.  It was one of the most magical things I have ever done.  Many thanks to the ever creative and adventurous Madisons for making it happen!