Star gazing is one of my most favorite things to do. Hands down. You know when you have those moments of feeling so small, and so amazed at what you are experiencing? I have that moment almost every time I look up at the night sky.
So you can only imagine my excitement when I heard about the annual Perseid Meteor Shower that was going to reach its peak in early August. The only thing better than a sky filled with stars, is a sky filled with shooting stars! They were expecting spectators to see up to 100 stars per hour! So plans were made and my husband and I decided to drive out into the country, pitch a tent at a campground and stargaze away from city lights so we could have the best experience.
Doesn’t all of that sound lovely? Let’s just begin by saying as the events of the evening unfolded, it just kept getting worse.
It had been a cloudy day, like no-peaks-of-sunshine-cloudy, just a blanket of gray fluff. We questioned whether or not to go through with our plan, but the forecast said “clearing after midnight”. So, onward, ho!
:: starting our trip! ::
We arrived at the campground late because we were celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday. It was dark. The campground was crowded. So we drove around trying to find a spot and hoping that we wouldn’t get kicked out! (we never made a reservation and the office was closed!) So around 1030PM the tent was pitched and we were ready for bed.
But it was HOT… which made it slightly uncomfortable. Also, my husband was having tooth pain. And our allergies got CRAZY. But we went to sleep and I set my alarm for 1AM, which was the earliest time to catch the greatest number of stars. But alas, at 1 o’clock that nasty blanket of clouds did not go away. And it was still there at 2, 3 and 4AM. Major disappointment. So I gave up, and didn’t set my alarm again.
:: morning view from our tent ::
At 7 we were woken by some crows singing (if that’s what you can call the sound crows make) loudly outside. Since we were up and frustrated from the night before, we packed up our things, paid for the campsite, and were on our way back home by 8. Not one star spotted.
FAIL.
:: deliciousness in a cup ::
The only redeeming part of this whole adventure was stopping at Starbucks on the way home for some coffee and breakfast.
Lesson learned: Spontaneous adventures don’t always end up being fun. But I was still glad that we went, because if we didn’t, I’d still be wondering if we missed something beautiful. Just because I plan something, doesn’t mean it will turn out accordingly. I need to accept things however they play out. Or maybe I could learn to never trust the forecast!!
:: This post is part of a 31 day series. To see a list of all the posts, click here. ::