My experience with the Total Eclipse:
I felt like I had driven 1000 miles to watch a 2 minute horse race . . . and Secretariat Won! It was that awesome! ( I only drove about 500 mile from home to get there.)
On Sunday afternoon, LOML and I drove to the Springfield MO area to stay with our daughter. We got up at 5:30 this morning (Monday), took care of her 2 dogs and our small dog, left about 6:45 and drove to Sullivan, MO, a town about 80 miles southeast of St. Louis. Since we left so early, got close to our destination early, and not quite as much traffic as we thought it would be, so we took a detour, viewed a couple of places to watch and then happened to see a recreation park in Sullivan with scattered trees, a few pavilions and about 200 - 300 people. This was about 10:15, so we decided to join them. There were several hundred by the time the eclipse started.
We found a space under one of the large trees and put our three folding chairs, ice chest and our bag of chips, sandwiches, and fruit. (If you don’t have any folding chairs and decide to get one or two or three, don’t get the cheap ones. They make life miserable. I had one once and then learned how much better it is when the chairs do more than just hold you 18 inches the ground.) Anyway, we were there about 3 hours total, and sitting in the chairs 2 hours and 45 minutes of the 3 hours. The chairs were very comfortable and made the viewing enjoyable.
NICE SURPRISE:
Around 11 AM and again around 11:15/20, a Sullivan city police car drove through the areas on the grassy fields near where people were and handed out solar eclipse glasses to who ever needed them. That sure was nice of them. Several people took the free glasses.
IN our area the start was supposed to be 11:14 or 15. We had been sitting in the shade, but I got up, moved about 10 feet into the sun, and watched through my extra dark glasses until the first detectable sliver of the moon could be seen edging onto the sun. At this time, numerous people came out of their shade and started viewing the progression. After about 10 minutes, people started with their picnic lunches, and we did the same.
About 12:45, sun brightness reduction was noticeable. Cicadas chirping became noticeable also. About 1 pm, many people, including myself, daughter and LOML moved our chairs into the sun and leaned back, watching off and on and talking. About 1:10 or 1:12, everyone was out of the “shade” and into viewing position. 1:15.30 the eclipse went into the diamond glare. At this time most people took off their eclipse glasses and we did too. It was BEAUTIFULLY AWESOME! Then the Aura or corona was awesome for 2 minutes. Then the Diamond again! Awesome, just AWESOME! I was mesmerized looking at the corona. It was somewhat rectangular rather than radial as I was kinda expecting.
Glasses back on to see the progression for a few minutes, and then we left.
There was quite a large traffic jam AFTER the eclipse. We had several starts and stops on the expressway but mostly it kept moving.
I saw a total eclipse that came over Thibodaux, LA on May 30, 1984, so this was my second total eclipse and it was much more enjoyable doing with family and a crowd than it was in my back yard alone back then.
MISCONCEPTIONS: I have been constantly arguing with different family members and relatives that this is NOT the first TOTAL eclipse in the USA in 99 years as news media makes it "sound like". IT is the first one fully from coast to coast in 99 years but absolutely not the only total eclipse in 99 years in the USA. Even yesterday, LOML, who did not remember the May 30 1984 eclipse told her sister - “ Hank said that we had a total eclipse in 1984 but the news says otherwise. “ If the news says it, if it is in print, if its on the internet . . . Sheesh!
ANOTHER AWSOME MOMENT that sent goosebumps over me - years ago: I had one more nature encounter that was very moving similar to witnessing a total eclipse, but this happened about 15 years ago, when I lived in the Osaka, Japan area. I lived in Ikoma-shi, a small city of about 150,000 in a valley one mountain over from Osaka. The valley was about 15 kilometers long and about 3 kilometers wide. There was a 6 kilometer (4 miles) long tunnel through the mountain into Osaka. I got up early one morning, drove to the tunnel in the dark and with lights on, and as I turned to the entrance of the expressway through the tunnel, the sun rose just enough from the mountain on the east side and reflected in the mirror into my face. AS I exited the tunnel on the other side and about 200 meters lower, I exited into darkness with night lights around the portion of city next to the mountain. Then about 4 minutes and 4 miles later, suddenly the sun came up again. Two sunrises in the span of about 10 - 12 minutes. That was a weird experience.
I felt like I had driven 1000 miles to watch a 2 minute horse race . . . and Secretariat Won! It was that awesome! ( I only drove about 500 mile from home to get there.)
On Sunday afternoon, LOML and I drove to the Springfield MO area to stay with our daughter. We got up at 5:30 this morning (Monday), took care of her 2 dogs and our small dog, left about 6:45 and drove to Sullivan, MO, a town about 80 miles southeast of St. Louis. Since we left so early, got close to our destination early, and not quite as much traffic as we thought it would be, so we took a detour, viewed a couple of places to watch and then happened to see a recreation park in Sullivan with scattered trees, a few pavilions and about 200 - 300 people. This was about 10:15, so we decided to join them. There were several hundred by the time the eclipse started.
We found a space under one of the large trees and put our three folding chairs, ice chest and our bag of chips, sandwiches, and fruit. (If you don’t have any folding chairs and decide to get one or two or three, don’t get the cheap ones. They make life miserable. I had one once and then learned how much better it is when the chairs do more than just hold you 18 inches the ground.) Anyway, we were there about 3 hours total, and sitting in the chairs 2 hours and 45 minutes of the 3 hours. The chairs were very comfortable and made the viewing enjoyable.
NICE SURPRISE:
Around 11 AM and again around 11:15/20, a Sullivan city police car drove through the areas on the grassy fields near where people were and handed out solar eclipse glasses to who ever needed them. That sure was nice of them. Several people took the free glasses.
IN our area the start was supposed to be 11:14 or 15. We had been sitting in the shade, but I got up, moved about 10 feet into the sun, and watched through my extra dark glasses until the first detectable sliver of the moon could be seen edging onto the sun. At this time, numerous people came out of their shade and started viewing the progression. After about 10 minutes, people started with their picnic lunches, and we did the same.
About 12:45, sun brightness reduction was noticeable. Cicadas chirping became noticeable also. About 1 pm, many people, including myself, daughter and LOML moved our chairs into the sun and leaned back, watching off and on and talking. About 1:10 or 1:12, everyone was out of the “shade” and into viewing position. 1:15.30 the eclipse went into the diamond glare. At this time most people took off their eclipse glasses and we did too. It was BEAUTIFULLY AWESOME! Then the Aura or corona was awesome for 2 minutes. Then the Diamond again! Awesome, just AWESOME! I was mesmerized looking at the corona. It was somewhat rectangular rather than radial as I was kinda expecting.
Glasses back on to see the progression for a few minutes, and then we left.
There was quite a large traffic jam AFTER the eclipse. We had several starts and stops on the expressway but mostly it kept moving.
I saw a total eclipse that came over Thibodaux, LA on May 30, 1984, so this was my second total eclipse and it was much more enjoyable doing with family and a crowd than it was in my back yard alone back then.
MISCONCEPTIONS: I have been constantly arguing with different family members and relatives that this is NOT the first TOTAL eclipse in the USA in 99 years as news media makes it "sound like". IT is the first one fully from coast to coast in 99 years but absolutely not the only total eclipse in 99 years in the USA. Even yesterday, LOML, who did not remember the May 30 1984 eclipse told her sister - “ Hank said that we had a total eclipse in 1984 but the news says otherwise. “ If the news says it, if it is in print, if its on the internet . . . Sheesh!
ANOTHER AWSOME MOMENT that sent goosebumps over me - years ago: I had one more nature encounter that was very moving similar to witnessing a total eclipse, but this happened about 15 years ago, when I lived in the Osaka, Japan area. I lived in Ikoma-shi, a small city of about 150,000 in a valley one mountain over from Osaka. The valley was about 15 kilometers long and about 3 kilometers wide. There was a 6 kilometer (4 miles) long tunnel through the mountain into Osaka. I got up early one morning, drove to the tunnel in the dark and with lights on, and as I turned to the entrance of the expressway through the tunnel, the sun rose just enough from the mountain on the east side and reflected in the mirror into my face. AS I exited the tunnel on the other side and about 200 meters lower, I exited into darkness with night lights around the portion of city next to the mountain. Then about 4 minutes and 4 miles later, suddenly the sun came up again. Two sunrises in the span of about 10 - 12 minutes. That was a weird experience.
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