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….

A Slight Detour and then Wyoming! (08-09-17)

So at the last minute we changed our route and our plans.  We were so close to Salt Lake City, we decided to take advantage of the excellent genealogy library there and made a reservation for 3 nights at the local KOA.


  Ordinarily we avoid KOA RV parks because they cater to families and have lots of perks that we don’t care about.  But this KOA has one perk that we DO care about- a shuttle bus to the LDS family research library.




We spent a day and a half doing family genealogy.  Paul and I have both hit a few roadblocks.  He loses the Porter name in 1862 and I decided to work on my Campbell ancestors in Scotland.  Neither of us made much headway but we ruled a bunch of stuff out, so that is progress.






Our last day in town was spent running around. We visited the graves of Paul’s grandparents, and bought new hiking boots at REI.  I love shopping at REI because they have a very generous return policy. I was in the market to replace my “go-to” hiking boots- mid profile, desert boots- not waterproof , so they are cooler and lighter. I literally wore mine out after 6 years.

From REI we drove right to the Millcreek Canyon trailhead and hiked almost 5 miles round trip to an overlook of the city.  It was a good test of my new boots and they were excellent.

Once we were off the trail we headed to Costco to bulk up before heading north. We were really overwhelmed by this store- it was huge!!!! It had a 5 aisle walk in refrigerator, with jackets near the door, so you could borrow one and not be cold while you shopped.

We didn’t realize until we left that this is actually the largest Costco in the world!






From Salt Lake City we drove up to Wyoming. We have a few friends spending the summer in this state, and it was on our agenda to visit them all.

Our first stop was to see Tom and Dianne (the couple on the left), where they are camp hosts, at a small BLM (federal) campground in Pinedale WY.  We took advantage of our friendship and had several things shipped to us at their campground.

  

As a bonus for us, we got to spend some time with Mike and Kathleen.  We had met them before, but this trip we got to know them better, and had an awesome time! They have been full timing for 6 years.







One of our adventures was to a small but very well done museum-The Museum of the Mountain Man.

The Pinedale area has a long history. It was the hub of something  called the Rendezvous, during the height of beaver trade of the 1800s.





While beaver pelts were in high demand for fashionable hats, mountain men  would spend months trapping beaver. Once a year they would meet up with buyers and providers.  They would sell the beaver pelts to the buyers and get the supplies they needed to survive a year, from the providers.




The first Rendezvous was just one day but within a couple of years, they lasted weeks, and became a sort of festival in addition to a way of re-provisioning and selling goods.

Hugh Glass was one of the frontiersman who had a very interesting encounter with a Grizzly bear.  His story was recounted in the movie The Revenant. I haven’t seen the movie yet but after reading about his real life drama, I think I will try to see it.

After many years of beaver hats, suddenly, fashion dictated that hats be made of silk, and the beaver pelt industry died a quick death.










One afternoon, Paul and I explored the other side of the highway from the campground. This gorgeous area is a place where you can fish and/or camp, depending on what you feel like doing.










As we were driving down the gravel road we were on the lookout for wildlife. And then we saw this. We thought they were sign posts of some type.












Upon closer inspection we realized that they were, in fact, a pair of Bald Eagles.  Later in the afternoon we watched them search for fish in the river.














On our last full day in Pinedale, we drove up to Jackson to visit with our good friends, Dave and Nancy. During the summers, they work on the Elk Refuge in Jackson.








The Elk Refuge was created when the townspeople and the Elk came into conflict, in the early 1900s. Every winter the elk migrated through the area, eating the ranchers’ hay and grasses. To keep everyone happy, the refuge was established to feed the elk in the wintertime, when food was scarce.



What that meant for us, is that we saw….. no elk. Although we did see this good looking coyote. The elk only come here in the winter. so yep, no elk for us.












Although Nancy has varied talents and interests, Dave is all about anything mechanical and technical. He spends his days fixing and tweaking anything that has an engine.  Paul was jealous.










We got the V.I.P tour of all the parts of the refuge, including the huge Quonset hut where the alfalfa pellets are stored, waiting for the arrival of the elusive elk.

Nancy and Dave have been here for quite a few summers, and this year Nancy decided to grow her own garden.  We were lucky enough to be the recipients of some extremely fresh lettuce!

Back at the campground we had one more sunset and campfire before moving on…














…next stop-   Yellowstone National Park!!