With the summer running at us at high speeds, take advantage of the beautiful nights to go watch the sunset and stars. Throughout the summer there will be multiple nights filled with extraordinary events in the nighttime sky that you won’t want to miss. Yet, if you plan on making this excursion, don’t be stupid like I was. 

About a year ago my friend and I made the plan of going to watch the sunset in some field. Even though we made a ¨plan¨ there was actually no real logic or reasonable planning done. We packed my car full of blankets and snacks and headed for sunset road (I’m not going to share this exact location due to its sketchy manners). Once we got to this gravel road we wanted to get the best view we could. So we drove up to a farmer’s field in my small non-four-wheel-drive car. 

We laid the blankets out and enjoyed our feast as the sun swooped down over the horizon. In order to live out the official vibe we were going for, we left my car running the whole night to dance to my ¨chill¨ Spotify playlist. However, this playlist was chill, the rest of the night was not. 

After we got tired of doing cartwheels under the pink sky we decided it was time to go home. As I turned the key to my car, every clock in that piece of junk rolled backward with time and it almost felt as if we were in a time warp. We quickly came to the conclusion that my car battery died, which would’ve been fine if we weren’t trespassing and if our phones weren’t on the verge of dying as well.

Once we took a peek at our four percent charged phones, we dialed for my parents as fast as we could. I was able to give them an estimated location, but because we were in the middle of nowhere, it was a bit hard to tell. So my irritated parents drove out to wherever we were, as me and my friend set course on foot up the gravel road. 

Even though we looked like hitchhikers, my parents were eventually able to find us and help get my car going. Yet to this day they’re still mad I didn’t think to charge my phone before leaving.

Official Sunset/Star Watching to-dos:

• BRING A CHARGER
• Bring a speaker
• Bring bug spray
• Bring snacks
• Bring a blanket
• DON’T TRESPASS