Total Eclipse of the Sun (08-21-17)

Originally  we  had no idea where we would be for the eclipse, and we weren’t that keen on it anyway. Once we realized we might be able to see the total eclipse, however, our plan was to head to Idaho, which is in the “Path of Totality”. We hadn’t booked an RV park because we weren’t even sure what state we would be in, a week ago.

We had heard rumors that things were going crazy.  Gas stations were predicted to run out of gas, food stores were not going to have any food left. It sounded nuts.  We thought we’d “wing” having a place to stay and we were comfortable just parking on the side of the road, if need be.

People were charging $100 a night, with a 3 night minimum, to park in a field, with no amenities. Others were blocking off their road frontage or charging to park there.

We were getting a little squeamish about “winging it”.

The friends we had just visited in Wyoming, Dianne and Tom, host a small campground in the path of totality.  I casually sent her a text, asking if they were totally booked for the eclipse. I assumed the answer would be yes and I would hear about all the craziness.


When the answer came back as “no”, Paul and I made a split second decision to head BACK to Warren Bridge.

Lucky us, instead of paying $100 a night- we paid $10- and got to hang out with friends!

So, it was crazy at the campground, its just that we were the ones creating the craziness!

The campground was actually on the edge of Totality, which meant there would be about 11 seconds of the total eclipse. 

Paul and I decided to drive down the dirt road a bit, on federal property, so we would have over a minute of totality.

It wasn’t too crowded and we had plenty of room to set up our own spot.

Once the eclipse started we donned our special glasses so we could look at it.

Actually, there are numerous ways to watch the eclipse.  Using the binoculars to project onto a plate was one of them, as was the “poke a pin hole in the plate and watch it” method.

I had read about picture taking and how it could ruin camera lenses, so I didn’t even bring my good camera.  This was taken using one pair of glasses for me, and another for my iPhone.
Not exactly impressive.

I did a tad bit better using the glasses to protect my small camera, while still protecting my eyes.

The lighting got a little strange and we started goofing around, waiting for it to get even darker.

Finally it started getting much darker…and much colder! The temperature dropped about 20 degrees in just a few minutes.

and just a few seconds later…

looking across the way, it looked like sunset- at 11:37 AM!

And then, all of a sudden, we had Totality!

As I mentioned, I had not brought my good camera, because I didn’t want to be tempted to use it.  I also didn’t bring my tripod, so my pictures are all handheld.

I did bring, and use, my small point and shoot Panasonic. I was willing to risk the camera because it has developed a spot on the lens anyway and I see a new one in my future. 

As soon as Paul said totality was over, I stopped taking pictures with the camera, just in case.  I have no idea what may or may not have happened to the lens but I didn’t want to find out.

So, where will we be in 2024?  Hmmmmmm….

Miscellaneous things in Colorado(05/20/12)

Well, I hope you all enjoyed Paul’s post.  He may be sorry he volunteered to write it, since I may try to get him to do it more often!

We were lucky enough to witness a solar eclipse while we were at Mesa Verde. I really like Lunar eclipses better, because I can just watch them occur, without worrying about having special glasses etc.  Although we knew about the eclipse, we almost missed it.  After hiking the trail to the highest point in the area, we decided we had enough time to do laundry before dinner.  While we were loading clothes into the dryer, someone asked us if the rumor about there being an eclipse was real.  Well, rats, of course it was, and here we were, just loading clothes.

  Luckily we had about an hour and a half before the “ring of fire” would take place.  We dried the clothes, ran back to the trailer, threw some cheese and crackers etc in the truck, and drove the 40 minute ride to reach the overlook where the rangers would be to hand out glasses and answer questions. They handed out little pieces of paper with pinholes in them so we could all “view” the eclipse. Doesn’t that look exciting?  There was a real camaraderie among everyone there, and those who actually had special glasses, were very nice about sharing them with those of us who didn’t get there early enough to get a pair.

 

While wandering around chatting with people, I found a much better way of viewing the sun.  Several people had cameras, binoculars and telescopes set up.  This guy had the best set up that I could find, and he was awesome about letting everyone get a good look.

The shadows that were created while the sun was eclipsed were really cool.  I remember seeing those strange crescent shapes during an eclipse when I was a kid.

By the time we got home, it was 9 pm, so it turned out to be a very long day.

Dozer has decided that Mesa Verde is one of his favorite places.  There were an abundant number of grasshoppers for him to eat, and the wildlife kept him quite entertained!

Taking a break from hiking and learning about ancient civilizations, we spent one day on a road trip.  We were within 40 miles of Four Corners and I didn’t want to leave the area without checking it out.  The spot where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet is on Navajo land, and there is a small charge for the privilege of seeing where they all come together.  There were also quite a few booths set up where we could buy anything from jewelry to T-shirts.  We managed to walk out without anything, although the jewelry was some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time.

After leaving there, we meandered through Durango, CO and ate at an excellent Mexican restaurant on the way home.