2017 Eclipse Day 7

Cambridge, Wisconsin to Home:  474.3 Miles

I was up before anybody else and found a way to make coffee.  It is funny how little things like where the coffee filters are stored can sometimes seem so personal.  I'd never heard of Vanilla Life Cereal before, but it was pretty good too.

We were on the road around the same time as my sister left for work, heading south.  Traffic was heavy but tolerable, especially near the interchanges that led to Chicago.  But with a mix of Wisconsin and Illinois drivers, it wasn't too bad.  The Illinois drivers weren't even trying too hard to kill each other.

SO paid our toll at the most hateful toll booth on I-39 just across the border into Illinois.  Traffic lightened up considerably around this point.  The weather was cool but comfortable, mostly sunny with periods of clouds.
Making our way to I-74 felt like we were getting close to home.  As usual, traffic on I-74 was very light, even through some construction zones.  We passed a few more wind turbines and a couple trundling military convoys throughout the day.

We were making good time, so we decided not to stop for a real lunch, grabbing some food at a gas stop.  The bacon cheddar dogs sounded good to me, but the first slippery one I grabbed bounced off of the counter and onto the floor.  There is absolutely NO 5 SECOND RULE AT A TRUCK STOP - that hot dog went into the trash and I grabbed one of the dogs from the "Still Cooking" line on the automated meat roller.

Soon enough we were on two-lane roads familiarly close to home.

We got home in time to get the dogs and they seemed happy enough even if the older dog did seem to be in wandering mode.  Things will settle down to normal soon enough.

All my motorcycle adventures have been amazing.  Some of them are about the journey, some of them are about the destination.  This adventure was about an event.  The event.  Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of darkness.
At one point on the way home I starting thinking about how fortunate I was to be able to do these things:  motorcycling across the country, seeing fantastic scenery, meeting interesting people, staying with family,  seeing a bit more American history and kitsch, and having everything work out to witness a rare celestial event - the 2017 Eclipse.

Oh dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,

Irrecoverably dark, total Eclipse

Without all hope of day!

— John Milton

2017 Eclipse Day 6 - Alvin Straight Day

Pocahontas, Iowa to Cambridge, Wisconsin:  381.6 Miles

In July, 1994 Alvin Straight set off from his home in Laurens, Iowa to see his brother, Henry, after Henry had a stroke.  Unable to drive due to poor vision and mobility, and far too independent to get a ride, Alvin set off on his lawn mower for the 250 mile trip to Blue River, Wisconsin.  The lawn mower broke down, so Alvin returned to Laurens and set out on a John Deer mower that was in slightly better shape and made the trip successfully.
In 1999 David Lynch immortalized Alvin Straight and the motorcycle journey in the movie The Straight Story.  I really liked the movie and thought it had several good lines:
"What is the worst part about getting old?"
"Remembering what it was like to be young."

David Lynch took some liberties with the actual events which is fine for a "based on real life" film.  The movie itself seems very non-Lynch-like in that it bears little resemblance to things like Twin Peaks or Mulholland Drive.
I thought it would be fun to recreate, as best I could, Alvin Straight's journey on my motorcycle and I was headed in a direction on this trip which would make it a good opportunity.

We left under a cool 50F on another early morning.  Backtracking a few miles, we went to Laurens, Iowa where Alvin Straight lived.  The sunrise on the way there was nothing short of stunning over the Iowa agricultural fields.

Laurens seemed like a nice enough town.  I had thought about staying there, but the options were limited and the Pocahontas Inn and Suites was an absolute A+ so I'm really glad that was the hotel of choice.

From Laurens, we followed Alvin Straight's route as best I could - I tried gleaning information, and took what I could find online.  I'm sure there are misses and maybe a lot of them.  But I did what I could and it did get us on to some new roads.
One of the few stops we made on the route was at the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa.  This is shown briefly in the movie, but it deserved a closer look.  It is absolutely stunning.  More info on it can be found here, but seeing this in the middle of rural Iowa was shocking.

The view from above is even more amazing.

The detail is exquisite; I really liked the serpent.

We didn't get a chance to go into the museum or gift shop (unlikely to buy anything anyway with such limited room) as we arrived and left before they were open.  So we continued on Alvin Straight's route.

Iowa is mostly agricultural in the Eastern part of the state, but there are some very pretty parts with good riding, especially near the Mississippi River.

We crossed the river at Marquette.  I don't think I've ever crossed it this far north before.  It was much broader than I anticipated, possibly because it is right near where the Wisconsin River empties into the Mississippi.

Once across the river, we followed the Wisconsin River for quite some time.  Following the twists and turns of the river.  It was a beautiful early afternoon.

Soon enough, we came to Blue River, Wisconsin, where Henry Straight lived - ending our Alvin Straight journey.

Along the journey I had time to think about Alvin's trip.  Laurens to Blue River is about 240 miles.  At five miles per hour, that means the travel time was 48 hours (we did it in about 4 on the Gold Wing).  If Alvin only drove 6 hours a day, that means the actual travel time was only 8 days.  I know he did stop for repairs and to visit family en route, but those stops were the bulk of the "six weeks" it took on the lawn mower.
Perhaps it is best not to overthink these things - it is still a good story.

Continuing on, we stopped for lunch at a deli in Muscoda.  It was the perfect road food joint - the kind of restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch.  The burgers were fantastic.

Back on the road we made our way towards Madison.  For a capital city, Madison really sneaks up.  It isn't too bad a city to get around and we made our way to Cambridge to see my sister.

Once at my sister's, we talked for a while before heading out to Azatlan Park.  The park was neat, but it always feels a little disingenuous that the Indian Mounds were excavated and then rebuilt.  Still, they were neat to see - much bigger than the mounds at home.

After a great dinner at a restaurant on the Crawfish River, we headed back to the house for a few episodes of the TV show Fargo before calling it a night.

2017 Eclipse Day 5

Alliance, Nebraska to Pocahontas, Iowa:  521.9 Miles

Morning was cold.  It was one of those oddly cool August mornings that tells us summer will eventually come to an end.  It didn't help that we left before sunrise, but the mid-40's was cold.

We worked our way out of Alliance and headed north past Carhenge.  There were still a few campers left there, but only a few.  The mayhem of the eclipse-day had almost completely subsided.

We continued north through the gorgeous Nebraska countryside.  Not too far out of the city, the sunrise peaked up over agricultural land.  It was nothing short of stunning.

A short time later, we crossed a low spot in the terrain.  A mule deer doe jumped out from some brushy trees and across the road directly in front of the Gold Wing at speed.  It was a situation of grab-all-the-brake-the-bike-had and hope that the deer doesn't do anything stupid.  Thankfully, the situation turned out well.  I do suppose that both Mrs. Mule Deer and myself were a bit on edge after the close encounter.

Once we hit US-20, we headed east.  I really see US-20 in Nebraska, especially the western part, as one of the hidden gems in the United States.  It sees little traffic, the road is largely in good shape and the scenery is beautiful.  It is agricultural in places, and in others it looks like either the Sand Hills or the Badlands, or a combination of the two.  Anybody who says Nebraska is boring to drive through should get punched in the mouth - then they should get off of I-80 and really see a bit of the country.
But golly that sun is bright.

Continuing east, I was enjoying the ride, but felt like we were not getting anywhere.  And with the bright sun early in the day, I really think another eclipse was needed.  All those warnings about not looking at the sun during and eclipse don't work so good when driving right into it.

A little after noon, we started looking for a place for lunch.  The towns we went through didn't have much, and Subway didn't sound too appealing.  Now in Eastern Nebraska, the roads roughened up a bit which was making me mad.  What I realized was that I was getting crabby due to a lack of food.  I decided the next town would have to be a food stop, even if it was peanuts at a gas station.
The gas station in Jackson had a small food service inside.  I have to say that the food was much better than it had a right to be; the lady helping us was extremely friendly as well; I love the Midwest...

Filled up with food, we continued east, crossing the Missouri River into Iowa.  We have previously stayed in Pocahontas, Arkansas in 2009; Pocahontas, Illinois in 2014.  We decided to stay in Pocahontas, Iowa.
I was a bit leery after the Norfolk Hotel, but the Pocahontas Inn and Suites was a 5-star lodging establishment in comparison.  Friendly staff, really nice rooms, motorcycle-friendly concrete parking area, etc.

Dinner was at a small restaurant attached to a bar just a short walk away.  It was a little weird that everyone looked at us when we walked in until I noticed I was doing the same thing after sitting down - I think it was just the difference in light between the very bright outside and dark inside.
Dinner was decidedly between good and mediocre.  SO's tenderloin sandwich was good.  My steak was supposed to be a rib eye, but it had all the hallmarks of a strip steak.  It doesn't even compare to the steaks from the previous night.

The night ended with some new Caramel M&M's, readying me for another day of adventure.

2017 Eclipse Day 4 - ECLIPSE DAY!!!!

I was able to sleep reasonably well which is surprising since I was so obsessed with the weather and the eclipse.  Awake at 3AM local time, I forced myself back to sleep before looking at the weather on my phone.  By 4AM, I couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed it.

The forecast for Alliance had improved slightly, but only slightly.  Looking at the model data on spotwx.com, I thought the forecasts were slightly pessimistic.  Still, I didn't want to risk it.
I got up and showered and obsessed a bit more about the weather on my computer instead of my phone - because that could make a difference.  I decided I should make the effort to go another hour to the west as the forecasts there looked much better and the current satellite data supported that.

I went back to my very first idea for a spot to look at the eclipse, but ultimately decided to go a bit farther to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.  Given that it didn't look like Alliance was overrun, I was hoping Agate wouldn't be too crowded.

But the drive to get there would either be really long and take me out of totality, or require a fairly significant gravel road.  Holding my breath, I asked SO to ask her sister if we could take my niece's car to view the eclipse.
My sister-in-law - being the generous soul that she is - said that wasn't a problem.  So we packed up the car and headed out along with a supply of cameras, eclipse glasses, food and drinks.

The drive there was not too bad, traffic was surprisingly light and most drivers were being well-behaved.  Most...
As we went along, I was surprised by two things - many of the impromptu campgrounds and parking areas were basically empty.  And many of the farm pull-outs had a car or three on them - some even had tents set up.  I felt a little bad for the businesses.  But it is hard to cash in on day trippers I guess.

We got to the gravel road which was also where I originally thought would be a good location to view the eclipse.  It was a large parking and staging area that looked like it is used by the local road crews.  A mini eclipse village had sprung up there with many cars, motorcycles and RV's.  People were milling around everywhere.
Given that this was how nuts it was there, I assumed Agate Fossil Beds would be even worse.  We decided to join the suburbs of the eclipse village.  We drove down the road to where there were very few people and parked behind a Prius.

I spent a few minutes getting my camera set up.  The wind had really picked up, so I weighted down my tripod with rocks in a bag.

It took a few minutes to get my camera set up.  As the sunlight changed, it was a bit of a challenge to keep it in focus and metered well.  Even with the tripod and rocks, the wind was also affecting some of the picture.

With well over an hour to kill before first contact, I wanted some pictures of the event.  I headed down to the eclipse village, but stopped to talk to many people who were also parked on the gravel road.  The woman in the Prius next to us was an older woman that decided that this was something she had to do.  Janice was very nice.  She dutifully brought her meat thermometer to record the temperature as the sun was eclipsed.
The vast majority of people were from Colorado - I wasn't sure that half of Colorado wasn't on that gravel road, but apparently Casper, with better weather forecast, had even more.

A few more people came down the road.  Some were probably headed to Agate Fossil Beds, other stopped there as well.

With a quiet spot with no lights of any kind, it was an absolutely ideal place to view the total eclipse.  We were within a few hundred yards of the centerline of totality.  Bright, clear skies were perfect.

We could see first contact somewhere around 10:25

I spent some time watching the partial eclipse and taking pictures through partiality.  We had lots of time for excitement to build watching the sun slip away.

As it got close to totality, the weather started to noticeably cool.  The wind died down a little bit.  It got dark, not like at night, but more like right before a thunderstorm.  Near the end of the partial phase, it was downright cold with the stiff Nebraska wind.

And just like that, totality hit.  It was amazing.  The sun slunk behind the moon and I took off my eclipse glasses.  I initially forgot to take the solar filter off of the camera, but as soon as I did I alternated between getting a few pictures and just experiencing the eclipse.

All too soon, it was over.  I know totality was over two minutes and thirty seconds, but it felt like it lasted a fraction of that.

Still in awe, we spent some time watching partiality again.  People began to filter down the gravel road almost immediately.  We weren't the last to leave, but most were gone by the time we packed up and left.  I guess we closed the bar for the first time in a long time.

Back on the road we drove back towards Alliance.  There were more cars on the road than usual, but it really wasn't that bad.  We stayed near the speed limit most of the way.  En route, we filled the car with fuel - it was the least we could do.  While eclipse-ageddon may have occurred elsewhere, we avoided it.

As we got to Alliance, traffic was backing up, but a quick jaunt down a side street and we were back at the house.
I spent some time going through the pictures.  I was glad I had some, wished I had more.  But more than anything, I was glad to have lived the total eclipse.

As it turned out, Alliance had fair weather, with some clouds but enough breaks to allow good viewing of the eclipse.  The staging areas in the city had people, but they were far from packed.  Still, part of the reason I wanted to see the eclipse in the west was for the big sky.  And I definitely had big sky for the eclipse in the wide open Nebraska Sand Hills.

Dinner was some of the biggest thickest rib eye steaks I've ever seen.  They were fantastic - followed by a Flurry from Dairy Queen.

The eclipse was awe inspiring and awesome.  What an amazing day!

2017 Eclipse Day 3

Norfolk, Nebraska to Alliance, Nebraska:  341.7 Miles

I decided overnight that I really didn't like the Norfolk hotel very much.  I'm not sure why - it wasn't the worst place I've ever stayed at (by far), so maybe it was a combination of the hotel and the overall situation.  Or something.  Besides, the waffle batter was almost too thick to use, but I guess I can't complain too much about gratis hotel waffles.

I usually pay too much attention to the weather.  On motorcycle and hunting adventures I obsess about the weather.  On this trip, my obsession with the weather has been turned up to 11 - possible even higher.
Weather was converging on Alliance having significant clouds, with much clearer conditions forecast as little as 80 miles to the west.  I've pretty much decided that trying to drive to Casper, Wyoming would be really dumb.  Four hundred miles on the bike in a day is pretty easy west of the Mississippi.  But if eclipse traffic is even close to as bad as predicted, it might be torture.  I don't think traffic before would be too bad.  I do expect that after totality ends, there would be a rising tide of people leaving.  Things to ponder and ponder some more on the road.

We headed out at first light again.  It was another gorgeous morning with cool temperatures and empty roads.  As I was leaving I noted that a headlight was out on the Gold Wing - being a chronic worrier, this gave me something to think about in addition to the weather.

We took the most direct route to Alliance, I didn't figure traffic would be too bad the day before the eclipse, but there can always be surprises.  Traffic was basically nonexistent for the entire ride.  What I did notice as I got near Alliance was the out of state plates.  Between what was seen on the road and in the city of Alliance, I think half of Colorado was in Western Nebraska.  I also saw more police on the roads in this area of the country than I have ever seen before.

I love the scenery in Western Nebraska.  The sand hills region must be driven to be experienced.

Skies were nearly cloudless for the entire day.  There was only one small batch of clouds an hour or so from Alliance.  At least 137 times through the day I asked, "Why can't it be like this tomorrow?"  I'd even take the small batch of thin clouds we did see.

In short order we made it to Alliance and to SO's sister's house.  We unpacked and talked for a little while, before my niece gave me a ride to Napa Auto Parts.  Two H7 bulbs were purchased and quickly installed.  The still-working bulb was nearly ready to pop before replacement.  One less thing to worry about.

SO and I took a walk around Alliance, scoping out areas to view the eclipse.  I was ruminating on whether it made sense to stay in Alliance and risk the clouds - expected to be near 50% at totality - or risk traffic and head west.  Even if Casper was not a realistic possibility, some place closer may be.  Still, I would not want to be stuck in traffic for hours on a blazing hot afternoon in full motorcycle gear.  And yet, I just rode 1200 miles, shouldn't I make the effort to go just a few hundred more?  How many other people will have that same idea?  How many more bodies and vehicles will day trip to totality.  Or leave areas that look cloudy for clearer areas nearby?  Hmmmmm.......

I found a few good potential locations.  If the forecast improves significantly, I found some spots that likely wouldn't have too many people.  If the clouds are worse than expected, I want the catharsis of the crowds.  Or will I got to Jay Em, Wyoming?????

SO's sister took us on a drive around Alliance.  I was expecting more mayhem, but it really wasn't that bad.  I didn't see evidence of a painful amount of people ... yet.
There was considerable traffic around Carhenge.  But even there, it was moving pretty well.

What was somewhere between funny and interesting was all the impromptu campgrounds being put up.  Some were nearly empty.  Others were full to capacity.  One way or another, this was going to be an event.  It already was.

Back at SO's sister's house, we had a great dinner of smoked ribs and chicken.  They do a mean smokin' in Alliance.  That alone might be worth the 1200 miles.
The day ended with a few rousing games of euchre before turning in for the night, still unsure what to do in the morning.

2017 Eclipse Day 2

Keokuk, Iowa to Norfolk, Nebraska:  434.6 Miles

I was awake way to early, but managed a little more sleep before getting up and having some hotel waffles.  The Keokuk motel waffle maker made four little ones which I had never seen before.  Most of the rest of the hotel was still sleeping, so I happily had the breakfast area to myself for 8 mini waffles saturated in syrup.

Once filled up, we hit the road again right at sunrise.  Early mornings on vacation are the best.  There is nothing like getting pushed down the road on a motorcycle by a sunrise.

The air was dense and cool in the mid-60's with roads that were all but empty.  It was wonderful.

There was one fairly unfriendly construction area, but thankfully there was no one else there except the flag dude.  That wet asphalt kicks up a lot of noise bits into the fenders.

Since I live in Southwest Ohio, I have known about a city called Cincinnati there.  There is one in Iowa too that is much more important.  Being so close, it only made sense to stop at the Iowa version.

After that diversion, the adventure continued north and west.  Traffic was extremely light for nearly the entire morning.  The area we were going through consists of the foothills of the Ozarks and the beginnings of the Loess Hills.  Anybody who thinks Iowa is boring has never taken the time to look.  It was absolutely stunning scenery to roll through.

I headed north on the interstate for a few miles going into Council Bluffs, Iowa.  In 2015, we went to the Rotary Jail in Crawfordsville, Indiana.  There is a similar jail in Council Bluffs that is a larger three-story unit.  However, it no longer rotates (the Crawfordsville jail still does rotate).
Council Bluffs is much larger than I anticipated, and it was a bit hairy to get around.  But the GPS did a good job of routing us to the historic jail.  Since it was Saturday, there was gobs of parking, but much of it was marked for official use only, even though nobody was working the weekend.  Eventually I just parked on a street and sent SO in for some change for the meter - who carries change anymore?  We were told that meters aren't enforced on Saturday so we could just park anywhere.  It would have been nice to know that earlier.  And to the guy in the Audi wagon - you are kind of an asshole.

The Council Bluffs Squirrel Cage Jail sits in a very neat historic Victorian building.

The staff at the jail was extremely friendly.  Entrance was a nominal $7 and well worth the cost.  The jail itself was neat to tour through.  Since the jail no longer rotates, the cells in the "outside" of the upper levels are no longer usable.  Seems some scaffolding would have been put up to make use of all the cells.

There are also many interesting exhibits in the jail.  Yes, that is an actual noose used in an execution, although it wasn't done at that jail.  Unlike the Rotary Jail in Crawfordsville, no one was ever executed in Council Bluffs.

The top floor holds the "apartment" for the jailer and his wife.  There is something about these old Victorian buildings, even if they aren't in the best of shape.

The top of the center of the actual jail can be seen.  Below these grates is where the, ahem, waste goes.  This is adjacent to the apartment, so it could be unpleasant for the occupants.  At some point the venting of this was changed to a cupola to alleviate some of the stank.

Happy that I've never been in jail outside of a tour, we walked a few blocks down to Ellie's Deli for sandwiches.  They were good, but it was also quite odd since there was a "Zombie Walk" at the same time.  This seems fine for kids or college students - I found the number of adults walking around painted like the undead a bit weird.  Maybe that is just me.

With the zombies out in force, it was time to head out again.  We worked our way north and west again.  Traffic definitely picked up in the afternoon and I couldn't help but wonder if any of it was due to the eclipse?
I had purchased a sun shade for my Garmin Zumo 660 from a German company.  In auto-translated English, the ad for it said it was impossible for it to come off.  But between the wind in Northern Nebraska and me lightly hitting it, the shade came off for the second time somewhere on US-275 (the first was in Council Bluffs).  Thankfully I turned around and was able to find it again.  At the next gas stop, a very nice cashier gave me a couple rubber bands which will make it flying away more difficult in the future ... hopefully.

Once into Norfolk, we found our hotel.  It is definitely an older place, and I would have much preferred to have been able to have an outside room, but such is life.

Dinner that night was a steak just down the road.  I really wanted the rib eye, but couldn't stomach the price.  The "branding iron steak" was pretty good though.
The evening finished off with a f'real shake - good, but it was no cookie dough ice cream.
Above all else, it was a fantastic day on the bike with some great sights to take in at the same time.

The eclipse is getting closer; weather forecasts are still all over the place.  I hope they converge in a good direction.

2017 Eclipse Day 1

I dropped off the dogs after work on Thursday and started to get ready to head out.  I was trying a new place to board them, and I know they'll be fine.  But I hate leaving them.  Thursday evening came with some torrential rain - I don't want to have to mow right away when I get home!

I hate being home without the dogs...

Home to Keokuk, Iowa:  414.8 Miles

I woke up and bumped around the house for a while; finishing getting ready for the trip, reading a magazine, doing other stuff that probably didn't need to be done.  I was not terribly excited for the adventure which is very unusual and not too pleasant.  I knew that whatever funk was going on would be gone soon after hitting the road.

We left right at first light, heading west on two-lane roads.  Temperatures were cool and humidity was high.  There was some light fog, but it was really nice being on the road first thing in the morning.

There was big construction on my usual route to I-74, so I took a slightly different way.  Thankfully, getting around Indianapolis was pretty easy this time.  Rush hour was nearly over by the time I got there.

Once through Indianapolis, I stayed on I-74 for a while.  I prefer two-lane roads, but I-74 had the usual low amount of other vehicles, so it was actually a nice drive.  The amount of wind turbines seen was staggering.  Somewhere, massive wind generation capacity must be being built up.

I also saw some of the automated traffic signs warned of the upcoming eclipse:  

Total Eclipse August 21  

Be Prepared for Heavy Traffic Through August 22

I'm not sure that the traffic mayhem will extend as far north as central Indiana, but who knows - this whole thing is a big unknown right now.

Even though the interstate was fine, I was glad to be off of the interstate, getting on US-136 for the bulk of the remainder of the day.

US-136 through Illinois isn't terribly interesting, but it is an easy drive and nearly devoid of traffic.  The only "excitement" was when three wind turbine blades turned onto US-136 in front of us.  We had to pull over while they made their way through the intersection.  No problem - it was a beautiful day with warming temperatures and humidity dropping through the morning.

We stopped for lunch at a Dixie Diner at a truck stop.  Nothing better than a greasy burger for lunch on the road...

We crossed the Illinois River at Havana.  I enjoyed the brief trip to Cuba.

After meandering out of Cuba and back into Illinois, we crossed the Mississippi River.  While approaching the river, I tried to remember how many times I've crossed it on two wheels, and I just can't remember anymore.  It is a lot though.

We stopped for a few minutes to watch the River laze by.  Even after all these crossings, I still enjoy it.

We had hotel reservations in Keokuk.  Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but again, with the eclipse, who knows.  This made for a shorter day of riding than I would have liked; there are pluses and minuses to making reservations ahead of time.  It was starting to sprinkle as we found the hotel with threats of heavy weather later in the day.  Regardless, it was time to stop.

Stopping early may not have been a bad idea as rain was billowing in from the west as evening progressed.  After resting for a bit and eating a great dinner at a nearby brew pub, the night was capped off with some ice cream.  

2017 Eclipse T-6 Days

In February of 1998, I went to United States Virgin Islands for two weeks.  The excuse for going was a total solar eclipse in the Caribbean on the 26th of that month.  St. Johns was just outside of totality, at around 92%, but it was still a good reason to go camp on the beach for a while.  The wild donkeys were amusing and I definitely met some crazy characters on the small island.  It was a great trip, but the eclipse itself was somewhat anticlimactic.  Even at 92%, the tropical sky really didn't get that dark.  And while looking at the crescent remnant of the sun was interesting, it was far from unique.  Since we were camping, photography equipment was minimal for the trip, and this was before the days of cheap whiz-bang digital cameras.  There were many pictures taken during the trip, yet there were only a few showing the effect of the eclipse, illustrating the crescent shaped shadows of the eclipse through the trees.

Pan Am went belly up during this same two week time span, creating a lot of uncertainty for the trip home.  But once back a home, a coworker and I were looking at when future eclipses would be and where.  While solar eclipses are only somewhat rare, happening less than one per year on average, having them hit major parts of the contiguous 48 states is even rarer.  When we saw that a total solar eclipse would cross the entire continent on August 21, 2017, we sent our department Admin a vacation request for that date.  She was confused and assumed we meant later that same year, but we told her that, no, we meant we were putting in for vacation in 19 years.  So yes, in a very real way, I've been preparing for this upcoming eclipse for nearly 20 years.  Surprisingly, we both still work for the same company, although the calendar systems have changed many times since then, and we've both moved jobs a few times.  Still, we both will be on vacation to view the eclipse.

I've seen a few other partial eclipses that I can recall.  The first was on February 26, 1979.  I was in grade school and all the classes paraded down to the Junior High section of the school to view the partial eclipse.  The seventh grade science teacher was using a binocular to project the shape of the partially obscured sun onto a white piece of paper on the floor.  At that age, I didn't get it and wondered why we couldn't just look through the binoculars at whatever was happening.  The big kid part of the school was always a little scary.
The next one that I remember was May 10, 1994.  I was working as a mechanic at the time and an annular eclipse was traversing just south of where I was.  We all went outside and saw the near annularity.  The shop was in a really bad part of town and some of the local denizens were wondering why we were all outside staring up at the sun looking through welders glasses and helmets.  My boss tried to show a few of them, but their reaction was similar to my young reaction from 1979.  The most dramatic thing I witnessed during that eclipse was how eerie the sky looked - it is hard to describe, sort of how the sky looks with an imminent thunderstorm, before it actually happens.  During the period of low light, one of my coworkers yelled out, "Now everybody do as I say or I won't bring it back!"  This made us all laugh.
On June 10, 2002, I drove up the road to a farm pull-out with a good view to the west and viewed the partial eclipse of the setting sun.  I had made a pinhole camera to view it.  I wasn't the only person there and the older couple next to me were viewing directly through a pinhole they made in a 3"x5" card.  That is a good way to damage one's vision.  However, given the late hour of the day, the risk was probably relatively low.  Hopefully for them anyway.

This brings me to August 2017.  Looking at the long sloping path of totality, I wanted to be in an area where the sky is big.  I also knew weather would be important, so I wanted to be in an area with high potential for clear conditions.  I chose Western Nebraska since it fulfilled both of these requirements; I also really love the Sand Hills area.
My more concrete preparation for this trip began over a year ago.  I made hotel reservations just outside of totality under the logic that if my immediate area ends up with significant clouds, being just outside would allow easier transport to a clearer area.  I didn't think much about it until several months ago when I started seeing news stories on the upcoming eclipse.  Since then, I've been shocked at the level of interest this astronomical even has generated.  People from around the globe are positioning themselves to see the eclipse.  Nebraska, with high potential for good weather is one of the better locations to potentially view it.  Regardless of weather, 100s of thousands of people are making plans to be in the path of totality.

As I heard more and more about the level of planning and people this eclipse will draw, I realized that traveling a few hundred miles on the morning of the eclipse was probably not realistic.  Far better to choose a location in totality and then be fluid if it is safe and feasible to do so.  The worst case scenario would be stuck in traffic somewhere outside of totality.  Thankfully, there is family in Alliance, Nebraska, so plans were made to stay there.  This was going to be an event.  Even if things happen to not allow viewing of the eclipse, I might be able to see something almost as rare - major traffic problems in rural Nebraska.  On cancelling my original hotel reservations, I suspect I made someone desperate for a room very happy - and maybe the hotel as well since I'm sure the rate charged for the only room within a few miles of totality was probably much higher than my rate.

Starting at about the three week mark, I started paying attention to the long range weather forecasts from Accuweather and the Climate Prediction Center of NOAA.  I tried not to get too excited or frightened, as forecasts at that range are notoriously fickle.  I tried ... not always successfully.  The best weather would be bright clear skies - I can see the eclipse.  The second best would be complete cloud cover over a wide area - I won't be able to see it, but at least I'd be part of the sad event.  The absolute worst weather would be 75% cloud cover as I would anticipate some people doing anything and everything to get in an area to see the sun at the last minute - if this happens, I predict it will get very ugly.

Forecasts ten days out are subject to a lot of refinement, but it is at a point where the models can start to converge on likely weather patterns.  The ten-day forecast forecast looks OK.  Not great, but at least hopeful.

Partly cloudy is hopeful, but I wish it looked like this.

Actually, it should really look like this!

In addition to obsessing over the weather and location, other preparations have been in progress over the last few weeks.  The Gold Wing got a good going over ready for the adventure.  Things were prepped for a few thousand miles on the motorcycle.  All the usual motorcycle specifics have been packed in preparation along with a few other things.  I've got a tripod for my camera along with a solar filter for it and some eclipse glasses to safely view partiality.
These preparations helped not only because anticipation is such a big part of any trip, but it also helped put the eclipse in a bit of perspective.  I'm getting excited for the trip itself; this is yet another chance to motor through the country for whatever reason.  Any reason.  And if I get to be a witness to totality, all the better.  If not, I'll still be part of a coast to coast cultural phenomenon - but it is just one part of what I'm sure will be a great adventure.