[I discovered today I had prepared this post, but not published it. So it's late, but here it is.]
It might have been the 2017 solar eclipse - which I saw in Oregon - that turned me into an eclipse chaser.
PLANNING AHEAD
When I saw that one was coming in 2024, I checked the path of the totality. It passed over Austin, TX, where one of my Clarionmates lived. Could I, I asked him in June 2023, come stay with him for a couple of nights? Yes, he assured me, checking first that I wouldn't be allergic to his dog. In October 2023, I confirmed I was coming, and booked my flights. They were already very pricey - but, eclipse!
(Later, I discovered someone else I wanted to visit in Austin as well, so I extended my stay, and the ticket price was much lower.)
And then - on April 1st and it wasn't April Fools - he texted me, "How's this for a crappy coincidence?" with a link to the weather forecast for April 8th, the day of the eclipse. Thunderstorms.
"Oh no!" I texted. "Oh well, I'm coming anyway, and I guess we can have a hang out, chat (and maybe write) kind of weekend." I hadn't seen him in too long, and looked forward to meeting up.
I flew in to AUS with eclipse glasses (including 2X magnifiers) in my suitcase.
THE ECLIPSE
It wasn't promising, even on the 8th morning. When I stepped outside, the cloud cover hid the sun even as the eclipse started. Nevertheless, we set up a viewing station in his backyard - two chairs and a table with eclipse glasses and coffee.
And the sky started to clear. We could see the sun turn into a crescent.
It got better and better. At the totality, there was barely a thin cloud layer, and we saw the whole thing. The black sun. The fluttering corona. The red spot of the solar flare. It was amazing.
During the totality, we could see Venus!
NO BATS
Later that evening, we went out for dinner to downtown Austin, hoping to see the bats emerge. The weather had turned bad, and there were no bats but a very nice dinner. And coming home, we saw a firefly - the first I've seen in very many years.
The next day, my other hosts took me to Mount Bonnell for a hike. It was beautiful - the weather was perfect and the flowering bushes attracted So Many Butterflies!
Altogether a lovely visit!
No comments:
Post a Comment