Total Eclipse of the Sun

It happened and we got to see it!!!! This trip has been in the planning phases for more than 9 months. In the initial phases we decided where we wanted to go and when we needed to be back (the USC Football schedule dictating that point.) Since we definitely wanted to do the Washington and Oregon Coasts it was decided that we should save that for the end of the trip. All of our friends that have been through the area said that seeing it Southbound was much better and the weather promised to be better in August as opposed to June. That being decided we quickly realized that we would be smack dab in the path of totality for the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse. Lincoln City was touted as the first spot on land to be able to see the eclipse in totality so that was our choice of stop over’s. We made a couple of adjustments to the schedule and set out in December to reserve an RV spot for a few days. Needless to say I got down to my 5th choice before I found one with availability. Apparently lot of people were planning ahead for this momentous event.
We arrived in Lincoln City, Oregon on Saturday August 19th. With the eclipse on Monday August 21st we had one day to scope things out and to try and come up with a plan B should the weather not be cooperative. That was my biggest concern. All the hype had the best location for viewing in Madras, Oregon in the center part of the State. There was no way for us to get that far inland for the Eclipse starting at 9 AM. We did, however, take a drive inland about 18 miles to see if we could find a suitable spot to view and photograph the eclipse should the fog cause problems near the beach. The difficulty is that the area is lined with tall trees making it beautiful be seriously limiting the view to the East. We did find one spot but were concerned that it might be private property. Many of the locals around here are paranoid about the crowds and have put up signs and barricades blocking driveways and street parking in front of their homes. Either that or they were standing outside waving people in and charging $50 to $100 to park overnight. There were also a number of lit road signs warning of congested/slow traffic. Well the owner of our little spot did drive by and stop but Scott quickly made friends with him and secured his permission should the need arise. It wasn’t necessary.

That evening we met up with friends that we had met the first week of our trip at Agency Lake. We had made plans to try and get together for the eclipse. They weren't able to get an RV site at our location but lucked into a cancellation at one on the South side of town. We headed over there to visit and catch up over cocktails. Scott even won an eclipse T-Shirt at the trivia contest that they had. Too bad it was too small for him....It's mine now!!!
I set the alarm for 6 AM the morning of the Eclipse so that I could check the weather and wait outside for sunrise to see if clouds or fog were going to be a problem. As soon as the alarm went off I peeked out the window and my heart dropped. I couldn’t see across the parking lot because of the fog. When I went outside, however, there was fog all around us but what appeared to be open sky right over us. As the sun came up through the trees it was bright and clear from the 5 square feet of grass by our RV site. Game On!!!! I had a couple of hours to watch and worry but the fog continued to waft all around us up didn’t move any closer. I planned this for months and had read copious amounts on information on how best to photograph the event in a way that was safe for both me and my equipment.
I was most interested in photographing it during totality which required no special filters but this phase in Lincoln City was only going to be just under 2 minutes long. I decided the best plan was to shoot with 2 cameras, one with a solar filter on it for the partial phases and the other with my 600mm lens for a closer view during totality. Well, it all worked out perfectly. I was excited about the quality of the images that I was able to get but nothing comes close to the experience of just being there for this incredible event.

The initial part of the eclipse with the partial phases what still pretty bright. I really don’t realize how bright the sun is until it is more that half occluded by the moon and you notice no difference in the brightness. It wasn’t until it was about 75% covered that we suddenly noticed that it was getting cooler and dimmer. Everything had an eerie twilight-like feeling.

From that point it seemed like things started happening very fast. It got colder and darker rapidly dropping a total of 20 degrees. We even started seeing stars and planets visible at 10 in the morning, very surreal. Duskiness set in and the fog started moving in as well....just as it would at sunset. It is so hard to describe the eeriness of it all. As totality approached it was like a text book with the “Diamond Ring” and “Bailey’s Beads” appearing right before the huge bright “Corona.” Star-like glowing fingers coming out of the blackness that was blocking the sun. In less than 2 minutes the whole process reversed and once again the bright sun was showing from out behind the moon.

There was a lot of people hooting and hollering, a few firecrackers and a lot of very excited people. It was a truly once in lifetime experience and a fitting end to a very enjoyable trip. As a side note we were extremely lucky with the weather. Apparently most of Lincoln city was fogged in. Our friends on the South side of the city wound up coming to our place to share in the experience. We were so fortunate...I guess the prayers for good weather and flawless photography technique paid off.

We only have a few days left as we make our way back home.