Bend Oregon was very close to the 'Path of Totality' for the Aug 21, 2017 total eclipse of the sun that was crossing the entire United States. By staying home we would have seen 99+% coverage, but hey, we were less than 20 miles from being in the direct path. I thought it was worth it to brave whatever traffic issues there might be to see a complete 100% total eclipse. Everything I had read also indicated there was a BIG difference between partial and full. Kelly wasn't so sure, and when I was rousing everyone at 6 am to get ready to drive, she definitely wasn't sure.
So off we went! Left the house at 7 am, and took some back roads over to Prineville. There were lots of people out and set up to watch but no traffic issues... I had staked out a local park with a grassy field that might be a good place to go. No camping so day use only, and we got there and it was all clear! Great spot - big grassy area for the kids to play on until it was time. We road-tripped over with the Lovejoy's. Sue (Kelly's mom) was also visiting as was a friend of Abbie's - Aislyn.
While we were waiting for the event to start we cooked breakfast on the camp stove. Coffee, eggs, bacon and strawberries.
After breakfast we started getting geared up for the eclipse. You can see my elaborate contraption to take a photo with my Iphone utilizing a pair of the eclipse glasses as a solar filter.
Here are a few shots from my Iphone as the Sun moved through partial phase. As we got closer to totality the temperature dropped - probably 10 degrees.
Here is a video that shows how it went from light to dark.
We were in the path of Totality for about 1:07 seconds based on our location. It was so worth it to see the full coverage. Watching the moon fully blot out the sun through the eclipse glasses, and then being able to take the glasses off was probably one of the most amazing natural events I have ever witness. Everyone agreed it was amazing. All the wildlife was off kilter. No bird sounds and then they started flying around after it started getting light again.
Here are some shots that do a pretty good job of showing what we saw during totality and just as it started coming out. This has not filter or adjustments on it. Hunter actually used the camera and got the cool shots as the sun started coming around again!
