Friday, August 18, 2017

Total Eclipse of the Sun 2017

 Hello and Happy Friday! It's been a crazy time leading up to the Total Solar Eclipse (or partial depending on where you are) and the pre weekend is finally here! The eclipse takes place on Monday.  Organizers in my town have been working hard for 2 years to pull off a big event. Solartown and SolarFest.
 A farmer, using GPS and NASA coordinates says this is the center of the line in Madras. I'm not sure who painted it, but I went looking for it yesterday and found it! I told my niece we were taking a little field trip from work and surprised her.




 I've been snapping a few photos around town this week.
 Certain roads will be closed to most traffic for emergency personel to respond quickly. Passes were available for locals and people who live in the "closed" areas.  If you look behind there is an empty lot that will be turned into a food court.
 Lots of porta potties all over town!
 Several farms have turned into tent cities,
 And some have tried to "sell" spaces in dirt and stickers! Ugh!
 Our fairgrounds is the main headquarters of SolarFest. There will be lots of food trucks, music, and shuttle buses.



I believe this grassy area will be full f tents this weekend. Our town of 6200 is supposed to have up to 100,000 visitors! NASA and Lowell Observatory are putting on some great free events too!
I couldn't resist!

On this map my town, madras is about right in the middle and on the line of totality!
This is what I was reading about the difference of being on the path of the eclipse or not.

For those outside the path, there is no dramatic moment of totality, no dance of Baily’s Beads around the edge of the moon’s disk, no intense darkening of the skies, no stars and planets suddenly revealing themselves against an impossible twilight, no corona flashing into view (the otherworldly beauty of which makes even veteran total eclipse observers gasp in amazement), and no primordial fear which sinks ever so slightly even the modern heart. There is no pitch-blackened disk of the sun, no discernable temperature drop, no impossible nighttime during the day, no scintillating chromosphere or glorious prominences, no 360-degree sunset effect around the horizon, no uncontrollable shouts of emotional overload from the assembled crowd, and no lingering post-eclipse sensation of certainty that you have just done one of the coolest things you’ll ever do in your life.
A partial eclipse is interesting but forgettable, while a total eclipse is a memorable, life-changing event which burns itself into memory – and never fades. And so we, who have seen this sight, ask you to join us on this momentous day, and do everything you possibly can to see it with us. But you must remember that “close” is not close enough; in order to see the eclipse in all its glory, you simply must…
Get thee to the path!

Kind of silly, but I'm excited now that the event is almost here!

We had a traffic nightmare on Wednesday. 30,000 people were heading to Big Summit for a Symbiosis Gathering in the Mountains.  Here was an aerial view from today.


You all have a great weekend! I'll be working and hopefully meeting some visitors to my little town.

Love to you all!

15 comments:

  1. I'm so so excited for you! I can't wait to hear what you experience!! Love that someone has painted the street.
    this deserves a commemorate quilt for sure!!

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  2. Have a wonderful time! I'm looking forward to reading about your experience! Should be exciting!

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  3. Wow! It really is a big deal, directly in the path. Enjoy!! We will have a partial, here, and I am excited too!

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  4. Love your photos on the marked road!
    Wow, this has taken a lot of planning to accommodate the masses. Look forward to hearing how crazy it gets in your town.
    I wish I was closer so that our journey to the eclipse would take us there. Looks very exciting. We are chasing the total eclipse, but staying within 3 or 4 hours of home.
    I love the description of the moments of totality. I hope I experience that, and am not stuck in traffic somewhere outside the path!!

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  5. I'm with Barb! I hope you are planning a commemorative quilt. This is an unbelievable event. I remember when it happened here in Maine in the 1960's, but I was too young to appreciate the awesomeness of it all. Enjoy your weekend and have a wonderful eclipse!

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  6. What a kick.
    I live here in Madras and by brother and his wife arrived yesterday from Whiby Island in the Seattle area and a good friend is driving in today from West Va. with her mother.
    I have everything I need (i hope) and do not plan on leaving the house until Wensday

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  7. We are excited as well here in Clarksville, TN! Love your pix and enthusiasm! We are staying home; however our retired teacher neighbor is laying a white sheet in her front yard as a projector so looking forward to that! I do have a commemorative quilt in mind to make in 2017! Everyone in the path.....ENJOY!

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  8. Thank you for all the great pictures! Wish we had that beer here - pretty cool!

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  9. Sorry I do not know how to edit my previous post. I meant to say I will start an eclipse quilt in 2018! Heaven knows I have too much to finish in 2017!

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  10. HA.. Madras made our local news.. How exciting. I do agree, you need to make something commemorative. I made "moon glow" many years ago.
    Waiting for the conclusion... I am on PINS and NEEDLES.

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  11. Wow! It looks like your town has really planned for this event. I enjoyed seeing these preparations. They help build up the excitement. Hope everything goes well.

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  12. I hope the event brings good revenue to your town. I have a quilt guild meeting that morning. It will be interesting for even those who get a partial view. My Eclipse glasses are ready.

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  13. Good grief! I'm waiting until 4/8/2024 where our area will get our shining moment in totality!! LOL Have fun up there!

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  14. Reading you description got me a little more excited about being in the path of totality. Mostly I'm just ready for all of the doom and gloom to be over, though.

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  15. Wow, so good that your area did experience a total eclipse. We got a partial, and I did not look at the sun but held the camera [only] out the door and guessed at getting some photos. Eclipse glasses sold out very quickly here.

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