On a Saturday afternoon, I cram my suit, my cameras, and my camping gear into a suitcase.
I spend less than twenty-four hours in Joshua Tree; watching my friend get married, silent disco-ing, stargazing, sleeping (barely), and hurrying back to the airport.
After a quick flight, I land in Bozeman, Montana, and meet up with my friend Brennan. From there we drive south into Idaho for a few hours, and soon enough, the whirlwind of travel comes to an end.
We set up camp on a farm in the path of totality, and check tomorrow's forecast:
Clear skies.
IDAHO
There's a group of about twenty-five people camping here on Carol & Dwight's farm. We're from different parts of the country, we don't know each other, but we're all here for the same reason.
Our hosts treat us well on the eve of the eclipse. Carol chats with every group of visitors and blasts classic rock all afternoon from a pair of speakers. As the sun sets, they set out a big dinner of elk steak and baked Idaho potatoes for the guests. Afterwards, most of us gather by the fire, excitedly talking about tomorrow. Dwight sits down for a bit and tells us about life as a farmer in Idaho.
"...and most people didn't believe I could raise peaches out in Dubois at an elevation of close to 6000 feet. And uh, two years ago the darn porcupines come in, stripped all my fruit trees. I mean, they look like white ghosts out in the landscape. And so I said the heck with it! Not plantin' 'em again..."
AUGUST 21, 2017
We wake up to perfectly clear skies and a steady forecast. I'm too excited to sleep in, so I walk a ways down the country road at sunrise. Silhouetted by the sun, the Teton Range is just barely visible, thirty miles away on the eastern horizon.
When I get back to the farm, Carol and Dwight serve a huge breakfast for the group: bacon, eggs, coffee, hash browns, toast, and Carol's homemade huckleberry jam. At the end of the meal, people start checking their watches. It's almost time. We head back to our campsite to get ready.
10:15:53 AM
From our perspective on a farm in Idaho, the moon starts to pass in front of the sun. Daylight dims imperceptibly as the transit begins.
11:03 AM. THIRTY MINUTES UNTIL TOTALITY.
It was a hot day less than an hour ago but the temperature drops quickly; Brennan puts on a sweater. This is bizarre.
11:20 AM. THIRTEEN MINUTES UNTIL TOTALITY.
The world around us is dim. Colors are muted. Shadows have strange, sharp borders. Excitement fills the campgrounds.
11:30 AM. THREE MINUTES UNTIL TOTALITY.
The changes in light have ramped up significantly. People are yelling. My heart rate noticeably quickens.
"This is weird! This is so weird!!!"
I know what I'm here to see, and I know what is happening, but still it's almost frightening. A primal, fight or flight feeling grips me as I stare at the monumental movement of the objects in space.
11:33:53 AM. TOTALITY BEGINS.
The final seconds before totality feel insane. The enormous shadow rushes forward, and the entire world changes in an instant. Finally, the black moon & silver corona rule the sky.
11:33:33 AM - 11:35:46 AM. TOTALITY.
"Oh my god!"
"Look at the horizon!"
"The stars!"
All the exclamations and superlatives in the world aren't adequate. We are watching something truly indescribable.
11:35:47 AM. ONE SECOND AFTER TOTALITY
Finally, a single point of the most brilliant white light appears on the upper edge of the moon. The point of light grows brighter and more beautiful until it is too intense to look at. It's over.
11:36 AM. ONE MINUTE AFTER TOTALITY
Cheers, laughter, and applause fill the campgrounds. Carol comes around to give everyone a hug. For every group of people, the weeks of planning and days of travel have been worth it.
We hang around for a few hours before packing up and driving east for Wyoming.
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
We arrive in Grand Teton a few hours after the eclipse. Most of the campsites are full, but we get lucky and find a group that's leaving. They offer up their campsite for the night.
After setting up camp, Brennan & I drive up to the summit of Signal Mountain to get the lay of the land. Huge plains stretch out from the base of the mountain to the east. Only hours ago, we were standing in the shadow of the moon, but it seems like ages ago. I do my best to remember exactly how it looked.
The sun is low in the sky when we return to our campsite for dinner. Brennan gets to work heating up some cans of chili, while I pack chips and beer. Our campsite is just a hundred feet or so from Jackson Lake, so we grab dinner and head to the water.
It's perfectly quiet on the shore of the lake. The panoramic view is breathtaking.
The day after the eclipse, we rise early to catch the sunrise. Gradually, the jagged peaks of the Teton Range glimmer in the faintest pink, then vibrant orange, then bold yellow. We'd love to stay longer and explore the park, but we need to get to Montana by nighttime. Onwards to Yellowstone.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
It's my second time in the surreal Northwest corner of Wyoming, Brennan's first. We stop at the West Thumb Geyser Basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.
Mud boils and stream rises from colorful pools, hinting at the power of the caldera below.
Waterfalls, bison, and a variety of strange geothermal features captivate us throughout the long drive north. It's a scorchingly hot day, and there are a few too many tourists around, but nothing can take away from the bizarre landscape of Yellowstone.
Finally we reach the northernmost part of the park; one final stop at Mammoth Hot Springs before continuing on to Montana. A group of elk hangs out at the base of some travertine terraces.
I watch the elk graze around the surreal landscape. Something about the weirdness of the scene makes my mind flash back to the moment of totality. The bizarre feelings, the faded light, the sounds of excitement all rush back to me. I close my eyes and try to picture the black moon & silver corona again, but I struggle to see it for more than an instant in the buzz of my eyelids.
We hop back into the car and set out for Montana. After staring out the window for awhile, I turn to Brennan.
"Okay, so the next Total Solar Eclipse passes through Chile & Argentina in 2019..."
Footnotes:
Thank you to Carol & Dwight for hosting us!