Desert Veins of Fire
Death Valley National Park
You hear stories about the aurora showing up in Death Valley, but you never really expect it. Most of the time, it's just a faint red smudge on the horizon. I've been fortunate to see it a couple of times before, but this night was different. A substorm just exploded out of nowhere. The whole sky turned this intense, unbelievable red. I looked down and the salt streams at my feet were glowing, reflecting the sky like they were filled with liquid light. It felt completely unreal, watching the desert floor bleed with the same color as the sky. It was one of those moments you know you'll never forget, a total fluke of nature that I just happened to be in the right place to see.