In 2017, I talked my husband into driving down to Kentucky to see a total eclipse of the sun. He was reluctant at first, but then started doing some research, and decided it was worth the effort. We ended up in Auburn, KY, in a big park. Our youngest daughter was still at home with us, so she came along, and so did Benny, our dog. The eclipse was breathtakingly beautiful, and full of "extra" surprises, like the strange activity of the birds, and an extended viewing time of the eclipse, and a rousing reaction from the crowd gathered in the park. My response was to yell out, "Our God is an Awesome God!" You just can't begin to imagine what it's like, seeing it in person, if you've never experienced it.
However, the traffic was definitely the downside. On our way to Auburn, we got stuck in a big backup on the highway. We were very worried that we would not reach our planned destination in time, but somehow, after creeping along slowly for quite a while, we finally made it to the park that hubby had scoped out, and we got there in time to find a good spot and settle in for the show. Then, on the drive home, we were stuck on little country roads for at least an hour, inching along, until my explorer husband found a place to bail out and search transition to an out an out of the way route. I think it took us about five hours to get home. But, still, the memory of that awesome sight stayed with us, and my once reluctant husband became an eclipse disciple, spreading the word to one and all to experience an eclipse viewing whenever possible.
For this recent eclipse, just yesterday, we were exceedingly fortunate to discover that our Indiana property was within the "totality zone!" How amazing is that?! We had family and friends join us out there, and strongly encouraged other family members to find a place to go to witness a total eclipse. Hubby kept sending out messages, suggesting places to go, and even convincing our Headmaster son-in-law to close school that day and gather his students to watch it together. We also prayed daily for the skies to be clear, because the forecast kept going back and forth from cloudy to clear, but when it came to crunch time, the skies were clear! Praise God.
And yes, we did have some heavy traffic on the way home this time, but we took back roads again, got stuck for a little while on a back road, but once we got past that snag, it was smooth sailing, and we were already much closer to home, so it was a breeze compared to 2017. My husband and I both decided that our first eclipse was the best of the two. 2017 was a longer viewing time for us, and also, just such a surprise in the beauty and majesty of the event. There was a lot more "crazy" bird activity, too, with that first one.
Yesterday it was different, so we saw and noticed some new things, like the rapid falling off of the temperature. I got so cold that I had to grab an old blanket that I had brought along, and wrap myself up in it. For the first one, it was such a hot day that I hadn't noticed a temperature change. Also, in 2017, we had a very good view of the 360° sunset effect. That effect was noticeable yesterday, too, but not quite as dramatic as the first one.
One thing I was able to notice with my viewing glasses on was the bright red of the solar corona. I mentioned that so everyone could see it. Hubby got distracted looking for his binoculars, and missed a few precious seconds of the eclipse. He was annoyed that he didn't think to get his binoculars out earlier.
It's not like we're going to have another chance for eclipse viewing, because the next total eclipse in our state will be in 2099. And as I mentioned, we don't have a private jet, and we're not fond of big traffic jams, so yeah, we're quite content to have two viewings under our belt to recall and reflect upon. Our two and a half year old grandson even got to see the eclipse. The first thing he did when he got to "the farm was extend his hands and ask "Where's the "equips?" He probably won't even remember it when he's older, but we have photos to prove he was there, sporting his "equips" glasses.
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