Arctic Revue Day 9 "Midnight Rainbow"

A place of extremes, the Arctic Refuge has 24 hours of daylight in the summer.  Although the sun moved across the horizon, there was no real sunrise and sunset.  It was really strange to hear birds singing all the time. 

One night at "Caribou Pass" I heard a disturbance outside the tent.  Something was snorting or grunting nearby.  I wondered if it were a Caribou passing through the valley.  I got out and looked around and didn't see any Caribou.  But I did see a complete double rainbow in the sky across the river from our camp.

I've never seen such a clear and complete rainbow, unobstructed by any buildings or bridges or roads.  It was as if I were standing on the earth the day God put a rainbow in the sky and promised not to destroy the earth.  What an excellent image to promote permanent protection and conservation of the Arctic Refuge in the face of extraction pressures from the oil and gas industries (follow these links to the National Audubon Society for more conservation information or for urgent political action in support of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- thanks!).  

What made this rainbow even more amazing to me was that the time was 12:58 a.m.!  Due to the remote location and time of day, it is very possible that I was the only person observing this divine sign in God's amazing creation.   

By the way, based on later observations, my snorting "Caribou" was just a male ROCK PTARMIGAN!