Totality!

Yesterday, I the 2024 total solar eclipse in the path of totality. 

  And it was amazing!  

I hate using that word, as it is so often overused and for the most mundane of things..  "That piece of halibut was amazing!" 

  But how else do you describe the indescribable?   All of the adjectives at the same time?  Perhaps.    So where should I begin?

  First,  I would like to say it was not what I expected. Even with all of the pictures I have seen or re-posted online in the lead up. It was so much more.       

I remember back in 2017 when the last total eclipse happened,  Bill Whittle tried to explain what he had seen.   He is a big "space guy" and loves all things "Other Worldly."    His descriptions were confusing and difficult to visualize; but they did one thing right:  Put the Total Solar Eclipse on my bucket list.   Lucky for me,   there was another one in 2024 and I was going to be close.  


   And after managing to get inside the path of totality several hours early,  I saw the total eclipse with my own eyes...  And was rendered speechless!  What else was there to say other than, "Wow!"

Wow! Wow! WOW!

   And now I am attempting to use the same words Bill used to describe the event. "A Hole in the sky!"  "A giant eye looking at you."  "A mystic painting in the sky"   Now I understand.  The pictures could never capture the absolute AWE of seeing it live. Something I should have known after living in Alaska.  The first time I ever saw a glacier or white capped mountains,  I was so amazed that I took dozens of pictures of  the country side.   But in every case,  the pictures failed to capture the magnitude and the majesty of it all.

   Despite knowing this,  I still tried to capture the moment on film.   ( Digital film...that is.)  But my camera could not even capture a picture through the glasses I was using. So I did my best to capture images from the TV in the lounge.
 

 
When the event happened,  I was expecting total darkness, but you could still see.   Like a dawn or a dusk kind of light. The Sun turned black.   "Black Hole Sun" comes to mind.  The area around the sun lightened, but the middle was total blackness. The edges clear and crisp.  It looked like an illusion.  Something out of a painting... Except the Sky was the canvas.

Terrible Picture!

  It looked so surreal, that all I could think was "Wow!"   So foreign to anything I have ever seen up to this point in my life.  Even now, thinking back on it,  it just looked like we were in a CGI generated video game where the artist took "liberties" with the sky background.  

   I thought you would be able to see stars, but there was just too much light.   Even the lights from the parking-lot clicked on.   (Dark enough for them to activate, but too light to see the Milky Way.)

In the end,  was it worth it?   I would say "1000% YES!"  Even with the 6.5 hour drive back home.  ( Was supposed to be only 3 hours, but the traffic was terrible!)  Even with the time off work and the tab for gas and food.  Add another check to my bucket list!  The only thing I would have changed would be to have shared it with somebody.

   But there were lots of other people there sharing the experience with me.   Several people were from Wisconsin!  ( Racine area!)  The guy siting next to my table was a former Marine and drove down to see the show.

   The traffic was slow enough in some areas that allowed me to take pics of the landscape.   I even managed to take a pic of the setting sun... pretending as if nothing extraordinary happened today.

  Driving back home was actually rather relaxing.   The temps were in the 70's and breeze was nice enough to enjoy with the moon roof open.
  I listened to music and I inched my way back to Chicago via I65. The traffic did not seem as bad after watching the eclipse and listening to my music.

  And there it is.   Another attempt to explain something that is unexplainable.   Moments like this make me doubt my competence in the English language.   For surely, it can not be the language's fault for my inability to describe a simple scene.  But that is one of the reason why people who read books can not fully understand the smells and visuals of actual travel.  How Thai food from an open market in Thailand  tastes better than the stuff you buy in a 4 star restaurant.  You just have to be there in person.

   And you would have had been there for the 2024 Solar Eclipse... Within the Path of Totality.   To look up into the sky and see a great black hole where the sun is meant to be...   How can you share that feeling with someone who has not witnessed it themselves?  With pictures and words the best we can, I suppose.   Isn't that was writers and artist try to do everyday?  


 And it has taken me nearly all day just to write this!   So it's time to call this post "done!"   I doubt I would be able to move the ball any further with more words.   But if you happen to be around for the next one...  Where ever or whenever it might be...  You owe it to yourself to try to experience Totality!  It  could be described as a "Spiritual" experience.  Life is short here on Earth.   And Every second counts!