About a month ago, my friend Karen and I talked about the August 21st Solar Eclipse and just how cool it would be to see it in its totality, or 100% coverage.
Thus a road trip to Boise, Idaho was born.
As the time to leave approached, I was aware of how this experience was a meeting of Woodstock and the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Like the movie, not everyone was going to have the ability, interest, or commitment to make the trip especially if they had to travel a great distance. The eclipse turned our gaze to the heavens—the planets, stars, and galaxies, giving us the opportunity to expand our worldview, literally and inwardly, to realize we are part of something so much larger than we might have known.
As for Woodstock, thousands of people planned to come together whether they were at work, in the middle of a forest or a city to watch the eclipse, becoming a unified community for a once in a lifetime experience.
If you weren’t able to see the eclipse I’d like to share it with you through my pictures and journey to Boise.
Late afternoon on Thursday, August 17 we pitched our tent at a national park in Flagstaff, Arizona. I understood for the first time how the Milky Way got its name as I marveled at the number of stars lighting up the night sky. It was incredible for this city girl to behold and be a part of.
In preparation for the trip I got a year’s pass to the national parks so we would save money as we visited parks along the way, camping at some of them. As we headed northwest on Friday we went to our second national park, a huge hole in the ground called the Grand Canyon. This was a brief stop since both of us had been there before and we had many miles ahead of us to drive.
Thus a road trip to Boise, Idaho was born.
As the time to leave approached, I was aware of how this experience was a meeting of Woodstock and the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Like the movie, not everyone was going to have the ability, interest, or commitment to make the trip especially if they had to travel a great distance. The eclipse turned our gaze to the heavens—the planets, stars, and galaxies, giving us the opportunity to expand our worldview, literally and inwardly, to realize we are part of something so much larger than we might have known.
As for Woodstock, thousands of people planned to come together whether they were at work, in the middle of a forest or a city to watch the eclipse, becoming a unified community for a once in a lifetime experience.
If you weren’t able to see the eclipse I’d like to share it with you through my pictures and journey to Boise.
Late afternoon on Thursday, August 17 we pitched our tent at a national park in Flagstaff, Arizona. I understood for the first time how the Milky Way got its name as I marveled at the number of stars lighting up the night sky. It was incredible for this city girl to behold and be a part of.
In preparation for the trip I got a year’s pass to the national parks so we would save money as we visited parks along the way, camping at some of them. As we headed northwest on Friday we went to our second national park, a huge hole in the ground called the Grand Canyon. This was a brief stop since both of us had been there before and we had many miles ahead of us to drive.
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We found a camp ground just outside Zion National Park in Utah and got to experience another amazing (and cold!) night under the stars. Saturday morning we went to Zion, our third national park. Growing up in the northeast the landscape wasn’t anything I’d seen before and the energy was powerful. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay long, traffic and time being the issue, but I will be returning and spending more time exploring it.
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Our drive through Utah involved long stretches of open vistas and mountains. Cell phone service was non-existent and I learned the importance of using airplane mode on my smart phone as I went over my data allowance! Once we hit Salt Lake City, highway signs cautioned drivers that there could be heavy traffic Monday due to the eclipse. In Idaho drivers were greeted with highway signs telling them they weren’t allowed to park along the shoulder to view the eclipse.
Late Saturday night we made it to Boise and stayed with Karen’s cousins giving us Sunday to relax. I admit, sleeping on a bed and not the ground was nice.
Monday at 10 a.m. we walked to a hill from which to see the eclipse, making sure we brought our special sunglasses with us. We also took along folding chairs as the eclipse was over an hour and a half. You could hear the “oohs” and “aahs” as the moon moved over the sun looking like someone taking bites of the filling of an Oreo cookie! It was an incredible thing to behold and be a part of. I thought of how people thousands of years ago reacted to total solar eclipses; no wonder they were afraid the sun wouldn’t return.
We weren’t in the zone of totality but 99.5% coverage. The temperature dropped and the though it never was dark, the sunlight was an eerie yellow color almost like dusk but not quite. If we’d been at 100% coverage we were told it wouldn’t have been pitch dark but you would be able to see the stars.
Late Saturday night we made it to Boise and stayed with Karen’s cousins giving us Sunday to relax. I admit, sleeping on a bed and not the ground was nice.
Monday at 10 a.m. we walked to a hill from which to see the eclipse, making sure we brought our special sunglasses with us. We also took along folding chairs as the eclipse was over an hour and a half. You could hear the “oohs” and “aahs” as the moon moved over the sun looking like someone taking bites of the filling of an Oreo cookie! It was an incredible thing to behold and be a part of. I thought of how people thousands of years ago reacted to total solar eclipses; no wonder they were afraid the sun wouldn’t return.
We weren’t in the zone of totality but 99.5% coverage. The temperature dropped and the though it never was dark, the sunlight was an eerie yellow color almost like dusk but not quite. If we’d been at 100% coverage we were told it wouldn’t have been pitch dark but you would be able to see the stars.
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When the eclipse was almost done we left as I had a plane to catch. I was headed to Phoenix only to drive again, but to Sedona, AZ for a three day training. Did I mention I was in the Boston, MA area for a hypnosis convention August 10-14? This month has included a lot of traveling!
When I was at the Boise airport the talk was about the eclipse and a woman shared her pictures with me.
When I was at the Boise airport the talk was about the eclipse and a woman shared her pictures with me.
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So what are my take a ways from all this?
Go for it! Explore ways to say “yes” to what you want to experience! Keep a sense of humor as things will not turn out exactly the way you thought they would. Have fun! You can have a bad time, but why?
Keep yourself open to forks in the road and the adventure you never knew was up ahead. Having the TSA pre-check for the airport is wonderful! It eliminates (most of the time) long lines, you avoid being x-rayed while keeping your belt and shoes on, and you don’t need to take out the liquids from your luggage.
Beth
Go for it! Explore ways to say “yes” to what you want to experience! Keep a sense of humor as things will not turn out exactly the way you thought they would. Have fun! You can have a bad time, but why?
Keep yourself open to forks in the road and the adventure you never knew was up ahead. Having the TSA pre-check for the airport is wonderful! It eliminates (most of the time) long lines, you avoid being x-rayed while keeping your belt and shoes on, and you don’t need to take out the liquids from your luggage.
Beth
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