MILKY WAY AT POTATO ROCK

As the desert heat begins its seasonal takeover, we seized what may well be the last camping adventure of the year — a hundred-kilometer drive from Yanbu into the raw, ancient landscapes of Badr, where the legendary Potato Rock stands watch over the silence of the desert. But the real spectacle wasn't on the ground — it was above us. We gathered there, a few families bound by a shared sense of wonder, to witness one of nature's most humbling performances: the Milky Way, just beginning to stir from its seasonal slumber. This is only the start of its appearance in our skies, and as the weeks unfold, the magnificent galactic core will slowly climb higher and burn brighter — a cosmic show that rewards those patient enough to look up. We set up camp beneath an ocean of stars, the desert wrapping around us in that rare, undisturbed quiet that only a place like Badr can offer. The night air was cool enough to still be kind, the kind of night you tuck away in memory and pull out on sweltering summer evenings when the outdoors feels like a distant dream. It was more than a camping trip — it was a farewell to the season, shared with good company, open skies, and the gentle reminder that the universe is always putting on a show. You just have to drive far enough from the lights to see it.