Hi Everyone! What started as a solar eclipse viewing trip ended up being an epic journey. Steering wheel in one hand and four wheels on the road, my husband and I set out on a 5,200-mile drive on numerous small byways. After visiting seven states and feeling the forces of tremendous winds, storms, along with snow and desert sun, I am back home again.
This is going to be an abridged version of our road trip along with a few photos of the eclipse.
We were at John Day, Oregon for the 2017 eclipse. The sky was perfectly clear. With my husband’s help, I had managed to take a full set of photos of the eclipse that time. Except, by the time I looked up, the totality was over. Since then, I wanted to experience at least one more eclipse.
Driving the lengths of California, Arizona and New Mexico, we set out for Fredericksburg, Texas.
We had a thick cloud cover, so I didn’t get to take the full set of photos ( which would have mostly been for study purposes ) that I wanted. I could have fiddled with the camera to get more photos but, unlike 2017, my goal was to do mostly visual observation this time around.
Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos –
Luckily, the clouds cleared up enough for me to do visual observation and take at least a few photos through the telescope. The close-up photos are of solar prominences which are only visible during an eclipse.
I haven’t had the chance to go through the photos I took with my camera yet. For now, I am sharing the photos I took with my phone.
Before we got to Fredericksburg, we made one stop at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.
The wind was fierce that day, blowing at a steady 66mph. Dust and tiny stone chips blasted the skin. I could barely stand straight, let alone take photos.
After reaching Fredericksburg, we had to unpack most of the car to get to the telescope and everything else that I needed for the eclipse. With the eclipse behind us, we packed our car once again for the next part of our journey.
Walking on the sand dunes on the Great Basin National Park, Colorado
A whole day of hiking on snow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
From my sketchbook – A pika from the Rockies, a kindred soul.
Neither of us can stand warm weather for too long, and I learned that my allergies disappear at 7500ft onward.
Ending the day watching the sunset with a flask full of tea, and cake
Snow to sand – Landscape Arch at Arches National Park, Utah
Driving through the Utah “badlands”
Off to Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Stopping at Escalante Canyon, Utah
The least mapped region in the US
Sunset and sunrise at the Bryce Canyon National Park amphitheater, Utah
Drove on the loneliest road in the US, Hwy 50
Overnight at an old mining town in the middle of nowhere
Back home again, in California
We drove through quite a few lonely roads through a strange landscape that I did not know even existed. We walked into places that were as foreign to us as we were to them. We were made to feel welcome and at home everywhere we went. We got to know the land and the people who are very much part of it.
A feeling of extreme sadness always takes over me when I have to leave the road behind and return home. As we drove toward California, one look at my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains was all I needed to shake off that sadness, knowing that I will be out there again pretty soon.
I was missing my kitties a lot by this time. They are the pull I need to get back home again. At home, a lot of cuddle time made the homecoming that much more worthwhile.
Until next time,
-Soma
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