Here where I live in western Oregon, we're directly over the shadow's path of totality, and the media are warning us about traffic jams and other nightmares associated with an influx of observers. I'm calling it, Apoc-eclypse because I enjoy a good play on words.
Click to enlarge
Some commenters on Facebook are all like, "what is the big deal?" They apparently haven't observed a total solar eclipse first hand. It is a big deal. Total darkness for almost two minutes at 10:18 AM is a huge deal and will be so freaking cool.I remember with vivid detail the solar eclipse of February 26, 1979. In fact I detailed the morning it happened when writing my book REACHING, without knowledge that another eclipse was in my near future.
It was a cloudy morning. We had the TV on, tuned in to the news. They had reporters stationed at Goldendale, Washington, apparently the only area in the Pacific Northwest with clear skies. They wanted to film the moon migrating in front of the sun for viewers at home.
I didn't really care all that much about observing the moon's journey, or the sun either for that matter. I was enjoying the scene right outside my door. Traffic lights came on and it was eerily quiet. It was midnight for a few minutes. And then it gradually got light again. And was over. And it's going to happen again soon!
Here is a cool video from 1979. ABC news is reporting on the eclipse. They mention the date of the next total solar eclipse, August 21, 2017, "thirty-eight years from now." Apparently I did know. I just forgot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAacZoIJUN0
Are you going to be in the path?
