in a fit of procrastination, i typed “where can i go to see the northern lights” into bing.com (true story, brother G) and this was the result:
(1) Go to the extreme north of the globe, towards the North Pole, for ideal viewing. This is where the aurora borealis is magnetically drawn. The ideal locations for spotting the aurora are north Finland, Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Greenland.
(2) Visit these locales from October through March. Since the rest of the year is dominated by day-round sunlight, seeing the aurora is more difficult during that time.
(3) Keep up with ongoing solar activity to find out the best times for viewing.
(4) Watch for reports of unusually high solar activity if you live farther south. When solar activity is unusually high, the lights can often be seen at much lower latitudes than usual. Chances for viewing would be especially good throughout Canada and mid- to northern regions of the U.S. and Europe. It even may be possible to see the aurora farther south.
(6) Practice the art of patience when waiting to see the lights. You may have to wait several hours before finally catching a glimpse, so be ready to put your skills of endurance to use when aurora hunting.
(7) Be ready to go as soon as the conditions are right for possibly spotting the Northern Lights. These brilliant displays generally only last 2 to 10 minutes, so you don’t want to miss it.
a list! i love lists! it’s like it knows me. and a list of how to see something that’s always been on my life TO DO list? color me excited.
in other news, what’s something on your life TO DO list?
Abigail Mumford 
driving across the country…. in a zigzag of course. perhaps we can combine our to-do’s and drive across the country looking for the northern lights! whatcha doin next week? :-)
ooh, actually, i DO want to drive cross country too. *checks schedule* i’m totally clear next week!! :)
Seeing the northern lights in person is on my list, too! And now I know how to do it. Too bad it involves the p-word. *sigh* Patience is not my forte.
somehow the picture disappeared, so i added a new one. *pets the pretty* and yes, i too am a bit surprised at the patience needed, but i tend to be a very patient person. hooray!!!