Total Solar Eclipse - Afterwards

After the eclipse there’s the letdown, for me at least. Post-eclipse disappointment – can’t we do it

again? Packing up the scopes and slowly taking off layers as it warmed up. Josh and Jen headed out almost immediately, which turned out to put them in 2 hours of traffic delay. The rest of us ate sandwiches and chatted, heading back down to the cabin just before the sun came completely out from behind the moon. The clouds had thickened and covered the sun. It was only 1:00.

Back at the cabin we napped, read, showered, and chatted. Dave and I rearranged the suitcases. We went down to Casper and had pizza for dinner. Back at the cabin, Bill made a fire ad we sat and chatted and eventually it was bedtime. The next morning we got up and re-rearranged the suitcases when I remembered the weight limit. We had breakfast and chatted some more, then headed out at about 9:20.

That turned out to be about an hour later than we should have, since there was still plenty of eclipse traffic. We stopped at one exit in Cheyenne and spent a long time waiting to turn left, only to discover long lines at the one gas station. We stopped at another and got McDonald’s for lunch, but that gas station had even longer lines. Finally we found a good gas station on the third try. Meanwhile traffic was crawling through Ft. Collins, and I was trying not to panic about my flight. In the meantime I was on my phone looking for a hotel for Dave in Denver, and not having any luck finding one in the Hilton family – and also being appalled at the prices – nearly double what they’d be the next week  in most cases. As we got closer to Denver we were mentally going through checklists of what was in my suitcase, because if bag drop was a mess I was going to have to leave it in the truck in order to make my plane. While all this was happening Jen and Josh arrived at home, and then Josh called to tell us that his National Guard unit was being called up to go do fire duty. (They eventually left for Brookings on Friday morning) Jen and I made a plan for her to come over Saturday and we’ll do laundry and camping cleanup so she doesn’t have to do it all by herself.

Finally we got through Ft Collins and to the airport, and thankfully United’s bag drop was well organized, easy to understand, and not a zoo. Thanks to TSA precheck I zipped through security, and even had time to get a pretzel before boarding the plane. Meanwhile Dave had found a hotel and made a reservation, so all was well. I had an easy flight to Portland, had dinner there to wait out the traffic, and had no traffic on the drive home.

And that would be then end, until Dave texted from Grand Junction, CO, telling me the Expedition had died. Which leads to my last photo…

I like this person's writing about the eclipse, so if you're up for one more blog, here it is.

Total Solar Eclipse

Eclipse morning dawned cold and clear! There’s a fair amount of smoke in the air from the fires in Montana, but at 7,600 feet it’s not much of a problem for us. We ate breakfast and all the Sandages packed up their tents. Dave set up his eclipse telescope while Bill and Jen set up their cameras, and talked about eclipse photography things while the rest of us hung out. We had plenty of signal for our phones, so we saw people in Oregon post about first contact – when the moon first starts to cover the sun. Oddly, the eclipse traveled west-to-east, which Dave tried to explain to me but I was unable to get my head around without making the moon go backwards which is doesn’t.

Finally it was time for first contact on the mountain. Dave could see it first through the telescope, while the rest of us kept checking and checking through our eclipse glasses. Finally we could see it too. Hooray! Now we had nothing to do but wait. We played a game - first Josh and Jen (Jen won) and t
hen Josh and I (I won! Amazing!) We also worried, because clouds were starting to form – the high, wispy kind that turn into real, sky filling clouds. To take our minds off worrying, Sally and Bill and I walked over to her favorite rocks, which are jasper and quartz and sandstone and other things, all different colors. I found a shell fossil! She has a pile of special rocks on the picnic table and it is now displayed there. When we got back Josh joined us for a game of 99, which I was doing very well at until I suddenly lost. By then it was getting close to eclipse time, and I was wishing I had my straw hat – there aren’t leafy trees to make crescents on the top of Casper Mountain.

We had been taking breaks to check on the progress of the moon (satisfactory) and the clouds (worrisome), but as the eclipse got closer the clouds started to look less threatening. We also paused several times to get warm clothes and be awed by the quality of the light, which is somehow different from twilight and yet the same. One thing I noticed more than I had on the ships (this is my third total eclipse, but my first on land) was the sharpness of the shadows and the crispness of objects in the distance.  Dave had his camera attached to the back of the telescope, but had gotten a special doohickey that let us also look through the telescope, where we could watch the moon gobbling up the sunspots.  With under 3 minutes left to totality Josh suddenly sprinted towards the trucks – he’d forgotten to pour himself a shot of Wyoming Whiskey’s special Eclipse Whiskey.

The last minute ticked down and we all watched the sliver of sun get smaller and smaller. I remembered to look away in time to see the moon’s shadow race across the mountains behind us, and even had the presence of mind to yell “look, look at the shadow!” It was way more intense and obvious than at sea, almost frightening to see this great darkness racing towards you. And then it was total.

What to say? There was a hole in the sky with a bright jagged corona. As the eclipse progressed, we all took turns looking through binoculars at the bright red prominences – solar flares. One could even be seen with the naked eye. We saw Regulus (at the time, we thought it was Mercury) and Venus (misidentified as Jupiter). We saw the sunset all around the horizon.

The wind died, the crickets were quiet. All these things are easy to describe. What’s harder to describe is the excitement of it, the thrill, and the mysteriousness. Scientifically it’s easy to explain. Emotionally, spiritually, not so easy to explain the impact. Then suddenly Dave was yelling “20 seconds! Binoculars down!” And then it was over.

Then there’s the letdown, for me at least. Post-eclipse disappointment – can’t we do it again? Packing up the scopes and slowly taking off layers as it warmed up. Josh and Jen headed out almost immediately, which turned out to put them in 2 hours of traffic delay. The rest of us ate sandwiches and chatted, heading back down to the cabin just before the sun came completely out from behind the moon. The clouds had thickened and covered the sun. It was only 1:00.

Solar Eclipse - The Day Before

We woke up the next morning with the sun shining in the window – what a great way to wake up. Josh and Jen did some circuit training (interesting at altitude!) and Bill, Sally and I headed down to the Nerd YMCA for Nia. I got to meet Kelly their teacher and some of their tribe, and then I taught Cell-ebrate. They were a great group to teach to and I did fine with breathing and teaching at altitude. Afterwards Kelly invited the class to her house for pre-eclipse mimosas and pastries.

Meanwhile Dave and the kids went down to Casper for miniature golf (Josh won) and lunch. We ended up all getting back to the cabin at the same time. We spent the afternoon napping and getting ready to head up to the viewing site. We loaded up our trucks and left the cabin around 4. The road to the site, Bill and Sally’s land on Casper Mt, is quite interesting! Our expedition had the lowest clearance, but we all made it just fine. There was so much rocking and rolling that Telly, the collapsible 10” telescope, almost broke free of his seatbelt, so I spent the last 100 yards or so hanging on to him. It’s possible that at some point on the drive in, the expedition suffered an injury that would prove fatal.

Once we arrived we got to meet the famous potty shed and wow, is it worth meeting! It even has windows with curtains. Later on, however, Sally discovered that women should not use the potty shed with phones in their pockets.

No lasting ill-effects for the phone, fortunately, and Sally didn’t seem to traumatized either. We spent a while setting up our tent, then went for a walk to the “front porch”, an overlook. It has lots of “measles rocks”, aka rocks with concretions, and tilted rock beds, and a great view. Altogether satisfactory.

Meanwhile, thunderclouds were building up all around. Bill & Sally had brought a sun shelter, so we set it up over the picnic table (that Bill built) and started to have dinner. It was getting wetter and windier, so we tied the shelter down to four cinderblocks. And then a giant wind came! It blew over the wine glass and the wine bottle and the container with the salad in it! We’d all leapt up to hold onto the poles, so the shelter didn’t blow away, but I did have a momentary vision of myself clinging to the pole as I sailed up and over the landscape. All the tents survived, although I watched ours get pretty flat. Then the gust subsided and everything was back to normal, and the rain moved off and we opened another bottle of wine. We ate cookies and gummy things and drank wine and chatted as it got darker and slowly began to clear up.

Once it was dark we noticed an amazing sight – the line ofcars heading for Muddy Gap and Casper. They were still coming in when we went to bed after 10, and Sally said they were still coming in when she got up at 6. Eventually some big enough holes opened up the clouds, and Dave introduced Bill and Sally to observing.  It was a great night for it, with no moon (of course!) and both Saturn and Jupiter visible. Josh and Dave enjoyed tour guiding through their favorite objects. Then it was bedtime, and after discovering the that slope was sloppier than we thought and there was a bad lump on Dave’s side, we swapped all of the setup to the other sides (the lump wasn’t in a place that bothered me) and unzipped our sleeping bags to sleep directly on the pads (less slidy that having the sleeping bags on the pads). We both slept surprisingly well, except for the part where I woke up thinking it was raining and something was trying to eat the tent.

Total Solar Eclipse - Arrival

Up and out even earlier – 7:00. Already lines at McDonalds and the entrance to Yellowstone. Yellowstone was very impressive – the plumes of mist from the geysers and hot springs even more visible in the cold (40 degree!) air.  Traffic was light and pleasant and the scenery beautiful all the way through Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Monument, which are barely separated. I’ve never been out this way and the Tetons just blew me away, especially placed next to the lake the way they are. I made Dave stop at several overlooks so I could take pictures.



When we got out of the park there kept being different rock formations, first painted desert sort of rock, then all red, then twisted tan sandstone.

We had bad philly steaks in Shoshoni so I had ice cream for dessert to make up for it. Then after Shoshoni it turns into total flat prairie forever and ever. We got to Bill and Sally’s about 4, and Josh and Jen got here about 5:30. We had a yummy dinner with lots of corn. The cabin is wonderful, full of mementos and perfect for guests. We did much sitting and chatting.

This photo is from the next day and is a spoiler alert: there's Nia in Casper!

Total Solar Eclipse - National Parks

First thing. I forgot to mention a highlight of yesterday, driving by beautiful Lake Bob in Idaho. It’s tiny and ugly, but the sign says otherwise.

Up and out this morning by 8, heading out US 20 to Yellowstone. Many, many, many electronic signs telling us there is a solar eclipse on Monday and that we should expect heavy traffic. The traffic wasn’t bad, but Craters of the Moon was a zoo – 2 huge busses in the parking lot (one more pulled up as we were leaving) and a long wait for the bathroom. They have a loop road through the park and it is a showcase of lava features. We love lava and I am so jealous that Dave gets to come back after the eclipse. We’ll be back though.

 

About driving through Idaho on US 20. They have the signs that tell you how far to the next city every 3-5 miles, I kid you not. Also historical markers about the same distance apart. Maybe because much of it is FLAT and BORING. Then other parts of it are mountainy and beautiful. We stopped at a rest area at the intersection of Hwys 20 and 75, which is a place that if I were not a total city slicker I would like to live. Not actually at the rest area, but near there.

We stopped for lunch in Idaho Falls, which is a very big city. Here’s what I learned:  4.5 yelp stars notwithstanding, do not eat at a gastropub in a Mormon city. 3 stars at most. After Idaho Falls there’s more flat part, and then you got through some mountains, and then you’re in Montana and the totally tourist town of West Yellowstone, where we are staying at the Tao’s Inn, a hotel catering to the very large Chinese tourist trade.  Since we couldn’t check in until 4, we went to Yellowstone. I’d never been there. It’s worth going to. So much hot water! Boiling out of the ground! Shooting into the air!

The first geyser place we drove by was so crowded that people were waiting to get in to the parking lot. Our goal was Old Faithful, and I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in that parking lot either. And then we got into the parking lot which was surrounded by and full of signs for the Inn, the Lodge, the Snow Lodge, the visitors center, the restaurant, the grill… but no signs at all for the actual geyser. Also the parking lot was huge. And we’d been driving all day. Suffice it to say I had a Moment of Crabby. Then we found out that Old Faithful wasn’t due to erupt for an hour, and I was ready to leave right then. Fortunately Dave kept his head, so we went for a walk on the boardwalk around the geysers and hot springs, including a .6 mile round trip up the path to Solitary Geyser, which was completely deserted and even spouted off for us. Dave got a video of it. We completed the walk and got to Old Faithful in plenty of time to see it put on a show. Worth the wait.

Back to our hotel, and then off to Café Madriz for tapas. In West Yellowstone. It was about a 15 minute walk, all the way at the other end of town. So yummy. Standouts were the calamares and the wines, especially my Camino Roca. Quite an unexpected find and a wonderful reminder of our trip to Spain.

We walked back more slowly through town, stopping at only half of the souvenir stores. They were pretty much all still open and the town still hopping at almost 9:00. 355 miles to go tomorrow. We’ll be glad to stay put for a few days.

Total Solar Eclipse - First Day on the Road

We left FG at 8, knowing we’d hit PDX traffic, but actually it wasn’t that bad. It was a cool, cloudy morning, but as we got into the gorge it cleared up into a bright, sunny day.

We’re driving to Casper, Wyoming, to see the total solar eclipse. Tonight we’re staying in The Hotel at the End of the Universe.

We stopped for lunch in Pendleton at Prodigal Son brewing, which was very good. I ordered the krautburger, which I thought would be kielbasa with cheese, sauerkraut, and apples. It was, but they were on top of a burger. At dinner tonight we noticed that the restaurant had a chicken burger and pulled pork burger, both of which came with both the aforementioned meats on top of a hamburger. What’s with that? However, sliced apples on a burger are fabulous, Dave’s reuben was one of the best he’s ever had, they had many interesting beers and I had a lavender-blueberry rickey (no alcohol) which was absolutely amazing. I’m still kicking myself for not getting my travel mug out of the car and having them make me one to go. 

On the way to Pendleton we passed a weigh station. It was closed, but had an electronic sign displaying a helpful message: Solar Eclipse Monday 8/21. When we got to Idaho we stopped at the rest area just across the border, where they had a whole display about the eclipse and were selling or giving away eclipse glasses. 

We got to Boise at rush hour, and all their highway signs, instead of having helpful information explaining why the traffic was so bad (the middle lanes were closed because  of a breakdown) just cycled between “Solar Eclipse Monday” and “Read Idaho 511 Website at home”

 

We also passed by what we think was our first Eclipse trailer park – basically a field by the side of the road full of trailers.

Dave says Highway 26 outside Prineville is backed up for 15 miles. I’m glad we’re here instead. I did enjoy these signs at the rest area, telling me not to do things it wouldn't have occurred to me to do. I hope you enjoy them too.