by Hoorf » Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:52 pm
...I seen it. The eclipse. 100% north of Boise, up in Smiths Ferry on the 55 to Cascade and McCall. I know it's late and not sure about how 'bumping' is looked upon.
Backstory: in February of 1979, Yakima got 100% but further north and a scootch to the west, in the little hamlet of Granite Falls, WA, we got about 96%. I was in 5th grade then, read up on it, read what to do and not to do for an eclipse, made my projector because glasses and other various filters were not easily found back then. Ah, the '70s...
The day arrived and it was beautiful weather that February...excepting that day. I woke up early. Rain. Nonplussed for the moment, I got up, got dressed, grabbed my gear and headed to school to get some open space. And perchance a gap in the sky. But 45 minutes later at school: no dice. Solid grey sky, it got brighter for a bit, lights all turned off...and then it started getting dark again and on came the lights once more. A couple friends came to school early, equally disappointed. It got pretty dark, too, but then the sun came back. And off to school.
It was said even then that the next total solar eclipse would not occur until 2017. 2017! Sheesh, I'll be 50 then! But then and there, I swore on all things holy that I would see a total solar eclipse. Oh, yes...I would see a total eclipse.
Serendipitously, in June of the previous year, I found myself an Idaho resident. It was then and there I looked up the eclipse probability: 99.1% in Boise! Not bad...but I made a vow, mind you, a vow which literally eclipsed those of my marriage. Lookitup...and the web said Smiths Ferry was smack in the middle of the road for the eclipse. So, after amassing copious amounts of eclipse glasses, iced tea, tripod, Samsung S4, off I went. My daughter had to go to work and son-in-law changed his mind and decided to keep the grandkids home, so...it was just me. Up before the chickens and off in "The Corporate Jet" 50 miles north, past Horseshoe Bend and up to Smiths Ferry.
What stunned me is how little traffic there was, it was a clear shot. No effort at all. But once there, it was packed. Idaho BLM roads were packed or blocked by police, but persistence paid off, and 1/4 mile south of the back-to-back city-limits signs at the gas station/cafe there, I found a spot and set up. And waited the 2 hours before the first noticeable notch in the sun, looking around at the misty river meadows, trees and other Idaho beauty marks. And talked with the others who were also here to watch history unfold.
The eclipse started, but the only noticeable thing was the notch in the sun...for awhile. As we passed 75%, everything around us took a dim appearance: it was dim but shadows were short and remarkably crisp. And there was a blue tinge to the atmosphere around us which made me feel uneasy. Nobody there had ever seen this kind of thing before, it was very surreal. Eerie. Finally, it was very noticeable to us all that the ambient temperature was dropping considerably. During it all, we were casting glances at the phase condition of the sun, until 95...96...97, 98, 99...
...and there it was. Total solar eclipse. There were a lot of people there, granted, but there were far more people in surrounding areas because the entire area erupted in cheers in a density which can only be described as a rock hall times ten: there were thousands upon thousands of people up here, and you could hear them all as the totality began. 2 minutes, 20 seconds of it. Semi trucks and cars drove through, honking, as we slapped each other on the back, clinked various bottles of various libations and the random drunk guy could be heard in the distance belting out a chesty "YEEEEAAAAHH!!!"
In the skies, there were several aircraft: small planes, a helicopter, even commercial jets flying through or circling in the 60-mile diameter shadow. Yes, even jetliners were circling. We all marveled over it all, amazed. We made it. And 38-1/2 years later, so did I.
The Samsung S4 was doing okay filming and taking pics it all with its own eclipse glasses on. The zoom wasn't good so quality was marginal at best, but I got pix, pre-eclipse and mid-eclipse. And my glasses were off to view the corona with my naked eyes, something I did not know was safe to do in Days of Old. But glasses were at the ready...
...and the Diamond Ring Effect hit suddenly. I got the glasses up on the S4, didn't get to mine on time and got 1/2-second of DRE straight in both eyes. Intense but immensely beautiful. Once again, the cheers of thousands filled the air. Even with its own glasses, the DRE was too much for the S4 and the lens stopped taking image for 30 seconds, but it did return. Without damage. And then the waxing phases of the sun, just like the waning phases. Suddenly, everyone decided to leave at the same time, the roads were clogged in seconds. And what took me less than an hour to get to now took almost 4 to get home from. But once past Horseshoe Bend, it got better and the commute was a breeze.
I plan on seeing the October, 2023 annular eclipse near Winnemucca, Nevada and will be somewhere in the midwest for the next total eclipse in April, 2024...TBD. Love the pics, B0ikat, they're fantastic! Glad you all had a great time, too!
