Entering the Eclipse

Total Eclipse of the Sun

 

Carly Simon: “And you flew your Lear jet to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun”. Well, we’re not vain. We drove to Alliance, Nebraska, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to see the eclipse. Stayed at the Moose Crossing campsite in Montana, Peter D’s in Sheridan, Wyoming, and finally dropped down to the very cute town of Alliance, NE in northwestern Nebraska.

The smoke in Montana and northern Wyoming was unbelievable. Hard to breathe and see. Lord help us so we don’t get more of this, but I don’t have a good feeling about our fires in coming years!

We finally broke through the smoke and came through southern Wyoming and into western Nebraska from there. We passed some spectacular sandstone bluffs (the Sand Hills), and wound our way to Alliance, where we provisioned to watch the eclipse.

The town of 6,000 was in full-on, show the tourists a good time mode. Food vendors, tee-shirt sales, and music venues were expected for two days. I’ll bet their Chamber is going to be high-fiving after all of us shopped and spent $$ there. The clerk at the local Safeway said her neighbor was charging $100 to pitch a tent in her yard. Hmmm….I need to rethink retirement. But, oops, no more eclipses for another 7 years I hear.

Enclosing the photos from the totality!

Real deal telescope

Ten o’clock prep for eclipse

He’s ready

Camping after the day

Day 1: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Day one of our year’s sojourn: Sitting in the warm Coeur d’Alene sun on John and Maidy’s deck. The dogs finally wore themselves out and it’s not even noon!

Maidy with the “boys”

After months of packing and prepping our house for a renter, we pulled up stakes and bid farewell to Marine Drive for a year! We were given a wet farewell as Sunday marked the end of a 56-day drought. Of course crossing the Cascades into eastern Washington brought the sun out and warmed the temps up a bit.

Cisco seems to have settled in and told me last night he’s looking forward to another adventure, going someplace he’s never been before. The highways, rest stops and roadside attractions are still full of tourists, hoping to eek the last bit of summer out of August before school starts back up again.

Kayaking Lake Cavenaug

This trip is coinciding with my 70^th birthday celebration, so after a trip to David and Marleen’s Cavenaugh Lake “cabin”, a fabulous party thrown by a great friend, and many “toasts” to the road, I figure I can just keep milking the celebration for another year as we circumvent the country!