Replacing the gas nozzle Josie felt a pit in her stomach. Over $70 to fill up the tank! It amounted to extortion. Still one should never drive through the mountains without a full tank of gas.

Next her son and his friend begged for some gas station treats. She relented. Rolos, chips, soda. It was going to be a long road trip and the 'healthy snacks' she had packed weren't going to be enough. Plus they were a drop in the bucket compared to the exorbitant price she had paid for two, yes two, hotel rooms at the mountain lodge. One for her family and the other for her in-laws. Still, this was once in a lifetime experience and it made the cost worthwhile. 

But the universe asked for more.

It had been a long week at work and Josie had worked an overnight shift on Wednesday that she hadn't quite caught up from. This weekend adventure was going to add to her growing sleep deficit for sure. But it seemed a small price to pay.

The in-laws arrived by 5pm and charged expensive hamburgers to the room. Josie arrived with her son and his friend after dark. She felt giddy.

"I might be overly optimistic, but does anyone feel like the sky looks greenish over there?" Josie asked.

"Nope," her son assured her, "not yet." 

They arrived at the grand old lodge and even though it was dark, the view from the back patio was breathtaking. Away from city lights, the stars shone brilliantly. Guests sat in reclined adirondack chairs in the dark and around fire pits. A steep hill plunged into a river valley and a dark ridge of mountains marched across the 180 degree panoramic view. 

In short, there was no better place to watch the aurora borealis. And tonight they would be viewable, the news had assured Josie, because of an unprecedented solar storm.

Josie and her son had actually seen the northern lights the night before in their own backyard despite the pollution of the city lights. But another night had been promised and Josie had gotten it in her head that she wanted a pure unadulterated view of nature's laser light show. The price of admission: two hotel rooms, gas, a long drive, and more sleep deprivation. A small price to pay for a front row seat, she thought. She deserved this. She had planned everything perfectly. And so they waited.

And waited.

Josie and her husband and in-laws went to bed and her teenage son and his friend agreed to stay up and wake them when it started. Josie tossed and turned all night, getting up every hour to look out the window. She even dreamt she saw them and woke up to a hotel bed and no text from her son. Finally at 3am, her son and his friend staggered into bed.

Dang it all, she thought when she woke up to the bright morning son, feeling hungover from the effort of it all. She felt annoyed by her own hubris.

As the universe laughed.