Eclipse 2017, D Day! Quite an adventure

Feel free to scroll down to the pictures without reading story. Especially if like a good story. This will most be rambling thoughts.

 

Well as I mention in my last post. I had planned NOT driving down south to see the full eclipse. I just though it might not be worth it since I was not happy with my test shots. Well part of that decision caused by my discomfort with going places I have been to before. Have been trying find an excuse not to go all week.

But thanks to my daughters cat things changed Monday morning. Nova decided to wake me up at 7:30 in the morning. Normally I get up and feed her and Topaz, the other cat around 5:00. If I don't get up when she wants me to she will jump up on to my gaming table and or desk and start knocking things off on to the floor! The little brat knows my buttons! Since she waited until 7:30, she was showing a large amount of restraint!

So I am laying back in bed after feeding the cats thinking. I am going to be really mad at myself if I do not go. But as I do the math in my head, I need to leave at 8:00 to be there by the beginning of the eclipse. I planned on going to Carbondale, IL to see the full eclipse. But since I was laying in bed doing math in my head I knew I was not going to goback to sleep! So what the heck I will go see the full eclipse!

So I filled a small cooler with some ice from the refrigerator, a large container of water, made some tea to go and made some ice tea to drink when I get there, and made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Skipped breakfast and ended up not eating the sandwich or anything else until somewhere between 5 and 6 pm on the way back home. It is somewhat surprising I survived the trip with all the things I did wrong.

I drive to the gas station to fill up the gas tank and remember I have only a vague idea how to get to Carbondale. My GPS needs a street address to calculate a path. So I drive back home look to google the address of one of the viewing locations and set off again. It is now some time between 9:00 and 9:30. The route I mostly followed was 231 to I70 to I59 to I don't know where. I did not make it that far!

Traffic was bad from the beginning. I was stuck behind a slow moving wide load and then a large construction truck and several other cars for most of 231. I won't talk about the navigation disagreement I had with my GPS that lost me about a half hour to 45 minutes. I will say it was mostly not the GPS's fault.

Some where on I70 traffic started picking up. As aside note, the AC in my truck does not work. Towards the end of the trip and on the way back it was in the mid to upper 90's in my truck. I did not bring as much water I should have. Sure I could have stopped some where on the way home but I had a legitimate concern I would have a hard time getting back on the highway. Traffic was that bad on the way back.

I stoped at two rest areas on the way there. At the last one I was almost sure I would not make it to Carbondale

As it turned out I did not make it to Carbondale. The last rest area said the next rest area was 38 miles away. I though that might make a good stoping point. But I did not know if that would take me south enough to reach the full Eclipes zone. It didn't matter. That rest area was closed.

So I kept watching the time and exits. Finally I decided it needed to be the next one. I pulled on to the exit ramp and saw a good sized shopping mall with a large open parking lot. A lots other people were already there watching the partial eclipse.

I pulled into the parking lot, threw my equipment in the bed of the truck and jumped in back myself. I got setup as quick as I could and started photographing. My best guess is I stopped in Marion, IL off of I59.

I took my first photo at 2:41 so it it took me around 5 hours and 10 minutes to get where I ended up stoping, assuming I left home at 9:30. Not as long as it felt and my original destination was an other 30 - 60 miles. My last photo was taken at 3:49 and I arrived at home about 8:30. So another 5 hours travel time.

Note: after writing the first draft I decided to check the time on my camera. It is 32 minutes slow. So just add 32 mintutes here and there as needed. I am leaving the article this way because I think it adds some amusement value to the whole story.

When I got home the first thing my wife asked was "Was it worth it?". Ten hours of very stressful driving for 2 minutes of an amazing total Eclipes.

Was it it worth it? Let's take a look.

All of these photos have been cropped and enlarged. Click or tap on the images to see a larger image.

 

As you can see I began shooting very close to the beginning of the full eclipse. The partial is nearly over.

 

 

Almost gone. Filter still on. The crowed in the parking lot started a 10 second count down to the full eclipse. When they reach 0 nothing happen. They were off by about 5 seconds! I was amused.

Then this happen. I have take off the filer. At this point you can watch with your "necked" eyes. We have a full eclipse!!!!! Or so it seems?

The ring is fading?

What is up?

The the solar Corona is now visible. Up to this point what I have seen so far is interesting but.... Now it is beyond my ability to explain. It was truly amazing. I was in a crowded parking lot of a shopping mall, when this happen, silence and a huge intake of breath by everyone your would would think that air pressure would have dropped noticeably. Then the cheering began!

Maximum corona

Begins to fade a little.

This is what I believe is called "the diamond ring".

More diamond ring effect and a little bit of lens flare. I probably should have put the filter back on at this point, I am glad I waited. Am fairly sure I was not looking through the view finder. Mostly sure.

 

And the eclipse begins to reverse its self.

 

 

If you look closely, you can see some sun spots along the equator. Click or tap on the photo to see a larger photo.

 

 

Well was it worth it? Was 10 hours of driving worth 2 minutes of Eclipes viewing? Yes. It's was an experience I will not soon forget. The fact that I successfully photographed the event added a great value to the whole adventure. I did this. I created these photos. Not to mention I also overcame a great deal of reluctance to even go. Doing this, alone, was way way outside my comfort zone.

 

 

 

 

PS: Oh, my, God! While putting the finishing touchs on this blog post, I decided to go to google maps and see if I could figure out where I stoped to take these Eclipes photos. I did not figure it out for sure. But when I go back to my blogging I find the article is all gone!!! Just the title of the blog post is still there.

I spent several hours writing and editing the text and then selecting and editing the photos. And yet I did save the article several times.

Luckily I found a funtion I have not used before. Clicking on it showed me a list of each version that has been saved. So was able to restore the article back one version and found my full article!! There is no way I would have written this over again. I would have just posted the photos and be done with it.

I did lose some text but that's ok compared to losing the whole thing.