August 21 Solar Eclipse

[Jason Musgrave]

We pulled the kids from school and went "home" for the weekend. We decided to hike ~7 miles to view totality from the top of Black Balsam at 6200 feet. About 4 minutes to go clouds rolled in and we missed it...at least in the traditional sense. What we did get was a full 360 degree view of RED sunset all around us!! We were also just inside the full coverage zone and could see the shadow moving across the hills about 7 miles away. It definitely cooled off about 10 degrees and all the bees and flies around us stopped buzzing around for a couple of minutes.

[Matthew Strongin]

We pulled the kids from school and went "home" for the weekend. We decided to hike ~7 miles to view totality from the top of Black Balsam at 6200 feet. About 4 minutes to go clouds rolled in and we missed it...at least in the traditional sense. What we did get was a full 360 degree view of RED sunset all around us!! We were also just inside the full coverage zone and could see the shadow moving across the hills about 7 miles away. It definitely cooled off about 10 degrees and all the bees and flies around us stopped buzzing around for a couple of minutes.

Black Balsam is one of my favorite spots in the world. So even though you "missed it," I'm supremely jealous since I only got a partial eclipse from an office park in Ft. Lauderdale.

[dogrange]

Spent the weekend hunkered down in a cabin near Carbondale, IL, longest totality in the US! What really surprised me was how the sun exposure didn't change all that noticeably on the ground even at like 80% coverage, even at 90%, it was sort of dim, but it REALLY started to get into midday-dusk from 90%-100%. So, the trip to the zone of the totality was worth it - if you were in a region with less than 90% coverage, I could see this being sort of an underwhelming experience. For us, it was AWESOME!

[Jason Musgrave]

Black Balsam is one of my favorite spots in the world. So even though you "missed it," I'm supremely jealous since I only got a partial eclipse from an office park in Ft. Lauderdale.

Mine too!

[Buzz Killington]

I traveled all the way to a mini golf course on Cape Cod to view this cosmic event. At it's peak the family and I were on the 12th or 13th hole. I borrowed a pair of shades from the lady in front of us. I was more impressed by my daughter's hole in one. Eclipse sounds cool and all but just not my thang.

[deano]

if you were in a region with less than 90% coverage, I could see this being sort of an underwhelming experience. For us, it was AWESOME!

Sounds like a great trip. I was in 93% range. It cooled down by 6-7 degrees and the light was like an old movie where they used a filter to simulate night; not that dark, but daylight through a scrim of moon shadow.

A friend in the path of totality said they could see stars.

[rabo]

1.55 minutes darkness over the front yard party.
Stray mama cat dragged her kittens out to the porch for their (normal) night time meal at 230 PM.
So many high points!

[rowdyhillrambler]

I traveled all the way to a mini golf course on Cape Cod to view this cosmic event. At it's peak the family and I were on the 12th or 13th hole. I borrowed a pair of shades from the lady in front of us. I was more impressed by my daughter's hole in one. Eclipse sounds cool and all but just not my thang.

Well, at least you are living up to your name!