Solar Eclipse 2017

For the first time since 1918, a total solar eclipse graced the skies of the continental US - starting in Salem, OR and arcing over the country to end it's journey over American soil in Columbus, SC.

The hype here at home was amazing, especially since the path of totality ran not real far north and west of us. The Idaho state veterinarian sent an email warning us that the influx of animals may bring disease, increased risk of heat stroke, etc. Stores and gas stations, especially in rural areas, were advised to massively stock up on snacks and gas to provide supplies to the thousands of travelers that were expected to flood the area. Hotels and campgrounds were booked solid. The Oregon police have a webpage dedicated to the eclipse, how to stay safe and such. Madness.

Chadwick ordered solar viewing glasses from Amazon, which didn't arrive in time. We improvised and created cereal box viewers. Morgan was out of school for the day so we loaded up into the car and drove to Intermountain Pet Hospital to view the phenomenon with Chadwick and his co-workers. The staff had several pair of glasses that we traded in addition to our cereal boxes and the binoculars that I brought from home. The cereal box viewers totally worked! The small, half circle light on the bottom is the actual one to watch. Turns out, a 22-gauge needle was required to make the right sized hole.

 

Chadwick was able to get a pinpoint light onto a piece of paper with the binoculars. Spencer was quite interested in this process. "Doing, Daddy?"

 

I have to be honest - I wasn't real enthused about the whole eclipse until Monday morning. I didn't care if Chadwick purchased glasses (next time we'll have to go to Lowe's...might save us $70), hadn't made plans to head to Fruitland to move into the path of totality (mostly because I was scheduled to work in the afternoon and wasn't sure if I could make it back in time with the traffic predictions), and decided last minute to stay at the clinic with the crew.

 

I'm so glad I did. The girls loved it and we were able to borrow glasses from Chadwick's co-workers and view the sight. It was amazing to watch the world slowly darken to dusk at 11:27 am local time. While it never got completely dark, it darkened enough that the lights in the parking lot turned on. The temperature dropped at least 5 degrees. The earth was bathed in a glow unlike anything I've ever experienced. And we got to be together as a family.

Now I want to rent a motorhome and travel to the area of totality for the next solar eclipse in 2024. Taking a roadtrip in a motorhome is one of my new additions to the bucket list. Combine it with a complete solar eclipse....and it's perfect. My hubs wasn't sure about the whole idea. I have a few years to get him to warm up to it. Ha!