these are the northern lights. i took the pictures a couple of nights ago, when i was staying at Denali park. the lights would come and go constantly, dancing in different colors, moving around and lighting up the whole sky. it's magnificent!! i was lucky to be out on a clear sky - no clouds to interfere with the show.

at times, the green or purple light would cover the whole sky, creating various shapes and formations. the shape usually lasted 3-5 minutes before fading away or transforming to a different shape and color. what actually happens is pretty similar to the way a fluorescent light works; high boosts of energy from the sun collide with chemicals in the atmosphere causing a release of energy, which is translated to color to the human eye. green, red, blue and purple are the most frequently sighted colors.

rewind. stop. play. a day earlier i was hitch hiking from anchorage up north. three rides took my a while up, but the forth one was when i struck gold. these excellent people (tim - where are you?) picked me up and took me in like family for the next 20 hours. we drove up together, had lunch, dinner, camped. they spoiled me like nobody's business. originated from all over the states, they grouped up for some time together in alaska. we camped in Denali, a national park which contains the highest mountain in north america - mount McKinley (20,320 ft).

the ride up to denali was gorgeous. (by the way, denali is mt. McKinley's native name, and the name of the national park.)

the night was very cold and the night was rough. therefore, i decided to hitch up to fairbanks instead of spending a day of hiking the park.

i'm currently in fairbanks (little red dot in the center). i think i'll spend a few days here. it's a nice little city. i looked into the university here - this is a bit unexpected at this time but i'm getting really excited about getting back to school. i'm considering taking a few classes at schools i find along the way.

ok. enough writing for one day. mom, dad - i'm warm don't worry. and i'm eating well (avoiding the junk food). i meet good people along the way that help me with every thing.

and as eskimo's say, Tautugniagmigikpiñ! (goodbye . no, i have no clue how to pronounce that)