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_{"If you truly enjoy where you are, completely lost in the moment,
there is no place else in the world you should be. " -D.D.Schteinn in The Eclipse Chronicles}

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The Eclipse Chronicles Continues

To catch up with the story, here are the first 5 installments:
Eclipse Chronicles Part I: Prelude To A Trip
The Eclipse Chronicles Part II: Day 1.25
The Eclipse Chronicles Part III: Day 1.50
The Eclipse Chronicles Part IV: Day 1.75
The Eclipse Chronicles Part V: Day 1.99 Almost There

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Meanwhile

For now, we all just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the sun going down on the river beyond, and prepared to turn in early. After all, tomorrow was promised to be THE big day. And we wanted to be fully rested and ready for the adventure of a lifetime, watching the sun dip completely behind the moon. And we had a most stellar seat, right on the coveted Line of Totality. * ~ From: The Eclipse Chronicles -Day 1.99

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Much Later...

As Dan Fogelerg wrote many years back, There is really no way to say no to the morning. And UNLIKE when the alarm clock jangles off at 4:55 A.M. on a Monday to shove us off toward a day of work, we of the river-trip WANTED to get out of bed this day. Everyone was all agiddy, possibly bordering on agog about the upcoming event of the year. The Solar Eclipse. We've been waiting a long time for this.

The day finally arrived, and the bright yellow sun eek'd it's way over and through the trees on river right, turning our little maroon and putty-colored tent into a warm, glowing igloo of sleepy delight. No one was moving fast, though being crammed together like three small fishes in nylon cocoons might have helped in this regard. We lazed about for awhile, discussing what phenomenal things might occur when the sun dipped behind the moon at precisely 10:18 A.M., and started making our individual plans of personal action.

We were all a quite beyond ourselves with excitement, at the prospect of seeing something none of us had witnessed in our entire lives. Kind of amazing, when you really take a moment to think about it. An event for the ages. And we were there.

Big event or not, our stomachs soon started mumbling and grumbling, suggesting it was time to finally get up, get dressed, then sit out on our riverside 'lanai', and carb-load for the big day. Bagels, fruit, almond butter and cherry jam sandwiches, just what the good breakfast-doctor ordered. Actually, I wasn't really all that hungry...with all the excitement promised in the next few hours. But trying to watch an eclipse while 'peak-ed', as my Mother was heard to say on a regular basis, just seemed like a bad idea. I loaded up those energy carbs like there was no tomorrow.

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Robinia and HH Greeting The Day With Sleepy Aplomb

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Let's Get This Thing Started

The All-Important Breakfast Joe And The Odd Camping Filter Thingy

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What's camping without a pick-me up? HH brought her special electric stove to make morning coffee. Wilson² and I are not all that fond of the stuff, but the other two, we'll just say it was a good idea. This stove is really cool. Particularly in fire season, when starting a major conflagration is a definite possibility.

This small, boxy cooker runs on a 9-volt battery. You feed it tiny sticks from the bottom, and a miniature air fan keeps the fuel burning. How cool is that? I was a bit wigged having it on the cobble beach near a mondo pile of slash (dead wood), but my crew just suggested I act like the coffee, simmer down, and go finish breakfast at the tent. I think we part-time worriers can be a pain in the south end now and then. So I went back to snacking and watching the river go by.

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Things Are Starting To Stir In Camp

I wonder why everything takes twice as long to do before noon? It's exponential. The earlier it is, the longer a chore will take to complete.

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Un-B-lievable

After breakfast we started our eclipse prep, digging out cameras, binocs, chairs, snacks, and all the other necessary accoutremon that would help in watching the event. Which leads us to a part of the story I'd really rather not discuss, but think is necessary. Because it ended up being a pretty big deal in our state. The whole Eclipse Glasses Debacle.

As discussed in previous posts here, we got our glasses from the 'convenience' store. And what a mess all that ended up being. Evidently, there was a whole plethora of fake glasses put out for the event. Which AMAZES me. It's hard to imagine that anyone would make and sell something that might possibly blind a person for life, all in the name of chasing the almighty buck. But I guess it's true. About a week before the event, the news started discussing knock-off glasses, that would not do a THING for stopping the harmful rays of the eclipsing sun. Which would damage your eyes. Some people never cease to amaze.

Looking online before the trip, we found the info we (supposedly) needed, to make sure our glasses were the real McCoy. And would work correctly. Which brings up another dilemma. Being a Naysayer Ned, I wondered, "how do we know THIS information is real?" Followed by "what if the glasses bandits just added all this important scientific info to THEIR glasses." It really is quite maddening. As you can see below, there were some telltale signs for what we needed to look for on our cardboard glasses. I guess you just had to believe SOMETHING is real, and go with it.

The All-Important Glasses Information

I Don't WANT An Espresso, I Want Something To Cover My Eyes!

According to the specs on the Internet, we had the correct glasses. But many folks did not. The very first day, driving out to the river in the wee hours of the morning, we saw LINES of folks at coffee shops at four in the morning, lined up to demand money back for their counterfeit spectacles. I felt sorry for them. And I'm sure they were hopping mad. Though not as mad as if they had burned out their retinas. I guess we can be glad for that. Not to piddle on the eclipse parade here, but this was the only downer about the whole trip.

OK, rant over and done with, now let's get back to the FUN business at hand. Watching for the changing of the sun.

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O' 9:30 A.M. ~ Still Normal Light For A Little Longer

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Let The Pre-Eclipse Wackiness Begin

Visitors From Above

Planes, No Trains, No Automobiles. Oh, Did I Mention PLANES?!!!

As the literature had suggested, part of the fun is watching the people and what they do. And this day was far from an exception. It got downright WACKY out there. Not on the ground, but up in the air. It was a real aerial circus.

Several hours before the eclipse, things really started hopping from above. It reminded us of all the wacky floaters going by on the river the day before. Only in the sky. Planes zoomed up and down the river, some barely above the water surface, and many more landed on the island down the way. Some were experimental float planes and other oddly-cool designs, and one even landed on the river. Talk about a propeller-driven hullabaloo. They were everywhere! Amazingly, no beach floaters were drifting by on the river at this time, like the day before. They all must have been in their airplanes...

The Gallery Of Airborne Wackery

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We three found all of this quite comical, and really enjoyed the air show. And wondered if all these planes would be flying around during the total eclipse, and what it would look like up there, from an aerial point of view. AND how much of a total annoyance they would be, if still flying around while the event was happening. Only a short time later, we would get the full scoop on this major concern.

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Meanwhile-Back On The Ground

The WhatToDo's

Plan Your Day Out Carefully

My compatriots had done a whole lot of research about what to expect during the eclipse, including some suggestions to help one fully enjoy the spectacle. Evidently, people often run about like the proverbial headless chicken, trying to take pictures and do a million other things during the 2+ minute event, thus missing much of the special moment. The literature suggested many things to combat this, and ways to have the most meaningful experience during watching.

Limit Your Photography

Taking a good picture of the event is difficult. You need special filters, and a tripod is ideal for good clarity. The folks in the know suggested only taking a photo or two, if at all, and going online to get GOOD photos from NASA, or other groups, after it is all over. The whole idea put forth: Enjoy the event, don't spend all your time viewing the world through a tiny viewfinder.

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Pay Attention To The Wildlife

The full eclipse messes with the biological clock of the wildlife. Take note of what is going on around you: in the trees, water, sky, and anywhere else you can observe. It promises to be interesting. Pay particular attention to the birds and their behavior. And don't forget to note the sounds going on all around you while it's happening.

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The All Important Play Of Shadow and Light

For some reason, the shadow from the sun is an all-important 'thing' when it comes to the eclipse. Which makes sense I suppose, as the sun MAKES the shadow for us. The light and shadow of the eclipse promised to be very different than the average night or day. The quality and aspect of both would be unique. Suggestions were made to look around at all aspects of the surroundings, and note how they changed during the event. The shape of the sun will show up in many different areas and surfaces in these shadows.

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Odd Behavior Of Your Fellow Watchers

The PEOPLE watching the eclipse are all part of the fun. Make sure you notice what is going on in your group, and in other groups around you watching the event. This is possibly a once in a lifetime show for many, so take note and enjoy the highly varied reactions the people have to this special time.

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Not Necessarily Odd, But Over There

Our river neighbors across the way were all set up for the eclipse. Not sure how they SLEPT over in the boulder field, but they had a most excellent space for viewing the changing day. As I mentioned in the previous post or so, we only had two groups of neighbors, for miles and miles around. So far they were quiet and remained un-noticed as things got started. (Evidently eclipse parties were common throughout the state. But we on the river were all pretty boring. Beyond Plum Dum Happy Hour, the day before. I guess that made US the wild partiers of the river.)

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Let The Eclipse Begin

"Who Knows What Lurks..."

It's All In The Shadow

We started to notice the difference right away in the changing light and shadow 'color' and shapes of the shadows on the tent and such. All telling us that the sun was starting to go behind the moon. It soon became quite obvious. The shadows started to get more crisp, and had an odd grayish tinge to them. At least to me. As time went on, they got crisper and crisper at the edges. And changed shape with objects they shined past and through. Finally, they disappeared altogether, as the sun began to skirt behind the moon.

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Ooh...Eerie Light In The Beginning

As the moment of eclipse approached, the light began to change. The day started to look like the moments before the sun sets. It became quite cosmic looking, as you can see from below camp. It was rapidly becoming an odd, exhilarating experience.

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"Look, Up In The Sky..."

More Visitors From Space?

An odd, round speck appeared on the horizon, way off to the downriver side of things. A space ship? Another planet getting in on the action? Evidently everyone was trying to be a part of the eclipse happenings. Even the airliner in the photo looked to be up to something, as the sun started it's dip behind the moon for the beginning of the eclipse.

We donned our funky cardboard glasses, and waited like silly, giggly kids, as the light continued to change, and the shadows turned from their odd blue to gray, then started to disappear altogether. It was getting DARKER. Such an odd feeling, to have the sun going down only a few hours after it came up. It was promising to be a grand event, and we were in just the right place to experience it all. The excitement was downright palpable. How dark would it get, and what would we see and hear? What WOULD the coming hour bring....?

Stay tuned for the next installment of The Eclipse Chronicles

~ NOT Finto ~

~ To Be Continued ~

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Thanks for stopping in and viewing Day 2.0 of The Eclipse Chronicles. If you have any thoughts about these events, planes flying all over the place like a 1960's movie, fake glasses and their consequences, or anything else this post reminds you of, please feel free to comment away in the spaces below. I'd love to hear from you.

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Please UPVOTE, COMMENT and FOLLOW if you enjoy my works.

And go to @ddschteinn -- There's a whole lot more...

_{Posted: 10/14/2018 @ 15:12}

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Excerpts From Late-Night Conversations With A Mechanical Cat

Fact Number 95