Ryan McGovern- Natural Setting entry #1 4-21-09

Yesterday my girlfriend and I went for a brief walk on the Noland Trail. We were both a little concerned because it looked like it was going to rain, but we went anyway. First, we stopped to watch the turtles at the first bridge, which was cool. It might be nice to be a turtle, just swimming around and eating stuff all day. At the second bridge, we decided to stop and turn around to go back, because things were looking very stormy. But, as we looked up, I saw very intense heat lightning. It was bright and purple, and let out a low rumble after the flashes. We sat there in awe for a good 15 minutes just taking it all in. It was a very powerful experience, the combination of the dark clouds rolling in and the lightning combined. I can definitely see how weather used to be regarded as a divine experience for many peoples. I suppose it could be thought of that way today as well. When the weather got too close, it was time to leave.