Rainbows

Yesterday, I drove out to the airport in the early evening to pick up a friend who is visiting for the next few days. 

We had bad storms yesterday afternoon; I had thought to myself that this year’s thunderstorms were much less violent than in the past, and immediately a loud crack broke above the house. Rain poured down, rushing in streams two feet wide and several inches deep on either side of the street.

Then the storms moved east, and as I left for the drive, a vividly dark blue cloud colored the sky to my right and contrasted with the beige prairie grasses. In my rearview mirror, the lowering sun skimmed the jagged silhouette of the Rockies, its rays visible in the mist the storm had left behind.

In a moment of elation and soul satisfaction, I suddenly realized that although I was driving to the airport, usually my portal back to Washington, this time I would be returning immediately to sleep against the base of my beloved mountains.

Shortly thereafter, I noticed a small slice of rainbow off to the left of the car. As I continued to drive, it slowly grew bigger. Then, to my right, a mirror rainbow piece appeared. The closer I got to the airport, the brighter and more complete the rainbow became. As I reached the airport grounds, the rainbow was in full effect just to the right of the airport itself, centered above the car. The sun shone brightly against the wet pavement. Where the rainbow met the ground, its colors became blindingly bright. Then the faint stripe of a second, outer rainbow appeared. Pictures taken from inside the car don't begin to do it justice.

In all my life, I have never seen anything like the brilliance of that rainbow. While I have no idea what it meant, if anything, I know for sure that I will never forget it.

• Other pics from yesterday's rainy hike--See Beaver Creek photos