A Perfect Eclipse

Photos on either end of totality.

There was cloud cover during totality, but no complaints here!

A friend's photo from Georgia.

A friend's photo from Wyoming.

I think my friend Connie in NC three hours away wins!  I don't know anyone else that got a deck full of little eclipses, even on her chows!

We knew there would be others trekking up the trail to Big Rock, but not this many!  Most license plates from other states.

We only saw one couple on the trail, so evidently people disbursed among several trails to different areas of DuPont Forest.  

We wanted to experience the eclipse with other nature lovers and make a day of it, not just step out our back door and take a photo.

It was a great group of people, incense in the air, a guy with a Tibetian gong, which he played throughout the event, lots of dogs!

Clouds rolled in making everyone nervous, but there were lots of blue sky gaps in between.

At the top we found our boulder next to a family from Australia and listened to their story of viewing the past eclipse on the Faroe Islands where the clouds rolled in just as today, but three minutes before cleared.

These boulders were warm, almost like going to a spa and having hot stones.  It felt very soothing to my back and legs while waiting for "the show".

Not a fan of my picture being taken.  A video of the crowd while we wait.

Special mylar to cover lens so as not to burn out the camera to get those awesome shots!

Bob always harasses the dogs who want nothing to do with standing still and being pet.

2:38 pm and so it begins!

The shadows coming over the mountains was like pulling down a shade.

We saw stars and Venus.

Bob and the Australians.

We also got an awesome sunset!

You can see the difference in light in this video.  The guy without the shirt in the video was playing the gong, but with all the excitement and chatter you cannot hear it, but it added that extra umph!  People clapped for him afterwards.

The park rangers were thanked by many for an awesome show, we all just wish it lasted a lot longer than two minutes!

Lots of bike traffic on the way back down the trail, which is known to be a favorite for mountain bikers.  Now for a lunar eclipse in 2019!  No glasses needed!