The Solar Eclipse, 2017

As I was on my morning walk, I received a text from our neighbors wanting to know "was I going to watch the eclipse"today.  I hadn't really thought about it.  The news reports in Northern Colorado have been stating "don't get on I-25 unless you have to.  Traffic is terrible and cars are inching along the interstate."

In hearing the news, I began to have flashbacks to when Hurricane Rita was headed towards Houston. This was two weeks after Katrina had hit New Orleans back in 2005.  I remember trying to flee Houston in the middle of the night to try to escape the storm and the traffic.  With all of that said, I have stayed in my neighborhood and the immediate surroundings for the past few day.

I texted back to my neighbor and asked "do you have the solar glasses.?"    Her reply was yes.  She said meet us at the pool area around 11:15 am(MT) where we have the best spot of seeing the eclipse.

I got home and began to read up about all the craze for the solar eclipse. In Colorado, the eclipse would begin around 10:30 am and last until 1:15 pm.  The peak would be between 11:45 and 11:55 am. I found out that where I was located, the eclipse would reach about 95% instead of 100% total darkness.

 And that the last time that the United States had an eclipse was in 1979 and it only had reached five states. It was in 1918, that the eclipse did cross the U.S. from coast to coast. Today's eclipse was stretching across fourteen states: Oregon, Idaho, a sliver of Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, a tiny portion of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The next solar eclipse will be visible in Colorado on August 12, 2045 and that the path of totality will pass directly over the state.  Who knows, I could still be here?

As I got to the pool area, I could already begin to feel the weather getting cooler and the sun did seem a lot dimmer.  There was a stillness among the wind and a quietness among the birds.  It was as if, time was standing still.

It was interesting to watch as the moon passed in front of the sun.  It was surreal in observing this take place.  As the moon did cross in front of the sun, it wasn't total darkness.  I looked north towards the Wyoming border and you could see the darkness.  It reminded me of when the weather changes and a northern is blowing down from Canada.

It was a great experience and if I am still around in 2045, I will pull out my solar glasses and I will enjoy the moment.