The Eclipse and Coming Home

Eclipse Girls look cool in their glasses

During the six days before the eclipse, our campground, The Falls, filled up its few vacant spots.  Even being full, there were not more than 150 people in the two loops of the large campground so it didn’t feel crowded at all.  Everyone was excited and friendly – it was more like a family reunion at a Christening only we were all there to see the sun and moon’s show.  And what a show it turned out to be…

Brooks Lake Creek Falls at Falls Campground

the evening before the eclipse

There were worries even the day before that clouds would ruin the viewing. The weather totally kept us in suspense.  First, we had rain which did clear out the smoke but left lots of clouds.  Then we had a few days that started out cloudy but cleared in the afternoon, then the opposite situation occurred.  Then the smoke moved back in.  But on all six days before the eclipse, it was mostly cloudy from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm, about the time the eclipse would be happening. 

Is anything happening yet?

Some people were prepared to get up early and drive to a better viewing place if need be, but David and I had decided to take our chances where we were.  We did not want to be on the road trying to find a place to pull over at eclipse time.  Over the past week, we had made friends with many campers and it was decided that we all would set up our lawn chairs in a nearby meadow and view it together.  There was even an amateur astronomer in the campground and he had brought a telescope and computer to capture eclipse images.  We were ready for the show – if there was to be one.

Oh, no!  Maya forgot her eclipse glasses.

The morning of the eclipse dawned with a moderate cloud cover but we could see some blue sky.  At 7 am, it could have gone either way.  But by eight o’clock, the sky was getting bluer and we were all encouraged.  By ten o’clock, the sky was completely clear, I mean not a cloud.  We couldn’t believe it.  The whole 2 ½ weeks we were in Wyoming; the sky had not been this clear.  There was a slight haze with smoke from fires, but nothing that would interfere with our eclipse day.  How lucky were we!

The Chihuahuas forgot their glasses too.

No one in our little group had ever seen a total eclipse before and we were all just like kids in our excitement.  In fact, most of the kids in the campground were calmer than the adults, many of the younger ones riding their bikes until the actual darkness started. 

The show begins!

We even had music!

The whole viewing from start to finish was fantastic to see but once the moon covered the sun about half way, the lighting started to change more noticeably on the landscape around us.  I really enjoyed observing the differences in the lighting and thought about what a different world it would be if our sun was less bright or farther away.  Being in the mountains, the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees between no eclipse and total eclipse, so that was really ‘cool’ too – in every respect. 

Checking out the sun's corona through the telescope.

Totality on the computer screen.

Nothing prepares you for the experience of totality.  It really isn’t the same as watching it on TV.   A total eclipse is an emotional and humbling experience.  Cheers and even some tears happened at totality.  The two minutes and 19 seconds were over so quickly and the sun became more visible again.  Most of us hung out and watched until the sun once again filled the sky with no moon shadow remaining.

Anticipation...

We had a long drive to get back to Texas and not much time, so we left our campground shortly after the eclipse.  It was hard to say goodbye after sharing such a special experience but we got on the road around 2 pm expecting a 4-hour drive to Rawlins, Wyoming.  Wrong!  Neither one of us dreamed how many cars would be on the road after the eclipse.  It seems that many people came from Colorado and Utah just for the day and were hurrying home to get back to work.  Most of the highways in our area were two-lane rural Wyoming roads and not able to handle several thousand cars – especially when the roads went through the nearby small towns.  In Lander, we were stopped in traffic through downtown for over an hour and a half!  Lander is not very big at all – 7,665 people to be exact.  Most of the population of Lander lined main street taking pictures of all the cars going through their downtown.  I bet they had never seen a sight like that before.  I know I never had…

Downtown Lander, Wyoming after the eclipse.

We finally made it to Rawlins about 10 pm.  It took us almost 8 hours!  We just weren’t thinking about tons of cars on little country roads and small towns or we would have waited to leave until the following day.  Having avoided all the crowds in Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons and having such a small and intimate eclipse experience, we forgot that most everyone would try to leave at once.  So, until 2 pm, our day was perfect.  From about 4 pm on, it was a parking lot.  But I guess it was all part of the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse event.  (Although, I hear in 2024, there will be a total eclipse going from south to north and it will travel through central Texas.  See you there?)

Watching all the traffic on the streets of Lander

We took two more days to drive to Odessa and spent several days with my parents then arrived in Nacogdoches the day before school started.  First, we had no internet at the campground, then we were on the road about 10 hours a day for three days, then busy with my parents and finally starting classes this week so I am very tardy getting this blog posted. 

Near sunset about 50 miles from Rawlins, still hours away at less than 20 mph

We had such a beautiful summer on the road and the eclipse was a stunning finale. It was quite the celebration of our 40 years of marriage.  Also, it was nice to have Maya able to travel with us.  She will be 14 in December and we are treasuring what time we have left with her.  I still have photos and pictures to share of our last week in Wyoming – more hikes, wildflowers and the beginnings of fall color so I will get a blog or two posted in the next week.

Maya became good friends with Jax, a mini Australian Shepard, at our campground

Not to end on a down note, but Hurricane Harvey hit as we were driving to Nacogdoches.  We drove through some rain and have had a lot more since we arrived home.  The ground is saturated here but nothing at all compared to the coast.  Several of our neighbors have family from Houston, Beaumont and Port Arthur staying with them.  The magnitude of this hurricane has touched so many.  What an awful storm and with water still standing and even rising in some places, it isn’t over yet. 

One week and counting...

Lake Louise in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness in the Wind River Mountains

Most people that visit Wyoming go to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks and until this year, David and I were no exceptions.  While both parks are outstanding and should be on everyone’s list of ‘must see’ places, we are discovering that there is a whole state out there worth exploring.  We aren’t just here killing time before the eclipse, we are having a blast.

Continental Divide National Recreation Trail at Brooks Lake near our campground

Since we don’t have a lot of time left this summer, we are concentrating our efforts in Wyoming’s Wind River Country.  So far, we have hiked three great trails, two in the Shoshone National Forest, our nation’s first national forest, and one in the Bridger-Teton N.F.  One of our hikes into the Fitzpatrick Wilderness required a little rock scrambling up to gorgeous Lake Louise with views of glaciers.  Another hike took us high into the Teton Wilderness with nearly 360 degree views of mountain ranges in every direction.  And the third hike was to Jade Lakes in the Absaroka Mountains with tall cliffs reflected in emerald green lakes.  These last two hikes had some of the most beautiful wildflower meadows we’ve seen this summer.

Jade Lake in the Absaroka  Mountains

Paintbrush field, Cindy and Jade Lake

Holmes Cave Trail, Teton Wilderness with Grand Tetons about 20 miles away

High mountain view from the Holmes Cave Trail in the Teton Wilderness

We’ve driven some great backroads into beautiful high-country areas with more glacier views.  We’ve seen mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, golden eagles, hawks and a black bear.  Not to mention lots of smaller birds and mammals.  We visited the Bighorn Sheep Museum in Dubois and learned much about the iconic Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.  I never knew that Shoshone meant ‘sheep eaters’ and that these native peoples were so dependent on the bighorns.

Wildflower field high in the Teton Wilderness

View of Washakie Wilderness from trailhead in Horse Creek Canyon

Maya was with us on this drive and we didn't hike this trail - looked too rocky for all of us!

The haunting Wind River near Dubois

We could have camped here for the eclipse
Believe it or not people will camp here - the campgrounds around Dubois are full.

There is so much history in this area.  Driving to Dubois on WY Hwy 28, we went through South Pass, where many settlers came through on their way west.  Without the discovery of South Pass, a relatively easy grade route across the Continental Divide, the history of the United States’ westward expansion might have been a lot different.  A marker on Hwy 28, commemorates “Parting of the Ways,” where many emigrants said goodbye to friends they would likely never see again as some were traveling the Oregon Trail to the Pacific Northwest and others went on to California or took the Mormon Trail to Utah. 

Wildflowers near Jade Lake

We’ve found that Wyoming folks are just as friendly as Texans.  The locals have been so welcoming to us and have told us about their favorite places in Wyoming to camp, fish, hike or just go and see.  We won’t make it to all those places this year, it is a big state, but we will be back.  And we still have six more days to cram in more sights and trails before the eclipse.

Black Bear sighting in the Grand Tetons

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked   4

Rain Days       1 
Total Miles Hiked   20.37
Ave. Miles per Day      5.09
Total Elevation Gain     3,809
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  952

Countdown to Eclipse

David looks out over the hazy Whiskey River Basin from the Glacier Trail

It is now 9 days before the eclipse.  Wyoming skies are very hazy from all the western fires and on top of that, there have been lots of clouds and rain.   While we knew fires were possible as well as clouds, our thinking earlier in June was that Wyoming would have a good shot at being clear for the eclipse.

We made an exploratory trip to the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole and it was even hazier there than when we first arrived in Wyoming.  Very disappointing as the Grand Tetons are one of our most favorite places.  Other campers have told us that Idaho skies are just as bad or worse and we keep hearing about the crazy prices that are being charged to camp in parking lots or fields with no water or other services.  It is looking now like Nebraska would have been a better choice.  Oh well, even with perfect weather, one stray cloud with poor timing can drift across the sun at just the wrong 2 minutes – so we’ve decided to stay in Wyoming and take our chances.

Mt Moran in the Grand Tetons -- pretty hazy with all the nearby fires

Mt Moran in October of 2012 -- our first year on the road

Skies were so much clearer then

Luck was with us on finding a campground.  Northwest of Dubois in the Wind River Range of the Shoshone National Forest, we found a great National Forest campground for $10 a night!  And we even have electricity.  Falls Campground is on Brooks Lake Creek and there is a beautiful water fall within easy strolling distance.  Honestly, if we hadn’t found this place, we would still be wandering around wondering where we were going to be for the eclipse.  We have Trudy at the forest ranger’s office, to thank for helping us find such a beautiful and remote place to camp with many trails to hike and three wilderness areas nearby.

Meadow at Falls Campground where we hope to view the eclipse

Our plan is to stay in our little campground without the crowds and hike and maybe make some day trips to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone or other places nearby.  Dubois, Jackson Hole and other towns are having several eclipse events – lectures, concerts and tours and we may try to take advantage of some of those things.

Brooks Lake Creek Falls by our campground

So, we won’t be fighting crowds or desperately seeking a parking space/camping place at the Casper, WY Walmart after all.  I will try to make a blog entry or two before the eclipse but because of our remoteness, the nearest Internet service is in Dubois about 25 miles away. (Which is where we are this morning having a great breakfast at the Cowboy Café.)  You will hear from me for sure right after the eclipse as we will be streaking home in Silver for the start of school on August 28.

Now if only the rain and wind will clear the smoke away and the skies will not be cloudy all day, we could see an eclipse.

Wildflowers and Moose

Dumont Lake and fireweed

Our campground in the Routt National Forest

Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs

We hiked to falls while we were staying in town.

After our stay at Lostman Campground, not only did Silver need a good charging but everything electronic we had needed power.  Originally, we had planned on taking Silver the rest of the way on Colorado Hwy 82 through Aspen and staying in Carbondale or Glenwood Springs.  But it was the weekend and both places were booked up completely.  We needed electricity and not another forest campground so, we went back through Independence Pass and over to I-70 then up to Steamboat Springs where we did find a commercial campground to suit our needs.

A family does Yoga at our campground in Steamboat Springs

Our energy restored, we traveled about 20 miles east of Steamboat Springs to Dumont Lake Campground in the Routt National Forest.  This campground was at 9,600 feet, one of the lower elevations we had camped in several weeks.  We had a good camping spot with some large trees to shade us but we also made plenty of solar energy during the middle of the day.  The generator and the refrigerator were happy to be at the lower elevation as well. We were still having thunderstorms, however it rained lightly or missed us completely most afternoons.  But the very best thing about our campground was the wildflowers.  The surrounding meadows were just bursting with yellows, blues, reds and purples.   The trails were lined with wildflowers, the lake was surrounded – it was a beautiful place to stay.

Wildflowers around Dumont Lake

David hikes through fireweed on the CDT/Wyoming Trail

One morning as we were hiking on the Continental Divide Trail / Wyoming Trail, we saw two moose (a cow and calf) near the lake.  As we walked, they started towards the lake and went swimming across.  We were at a good distance and watched their progress for several minutes.  As we continued along the trail we paralleled the moose and kept our eye on them off and on for half an hour.  We lost them in the woods but as our trail left the lake and entered the forest, we saw three more moose, this time a bull, cow and calf.  We don’t know if it was the same cow and calf with a bull or three different moose but what a great morning!  Neither one of us had ever had such a long sighting or seen so many moose at once.

Moose cow and calf swimming in Dumont Lake

Bull in velvet

Three moose in the forest

We hiked every day, took Maya for afternoon wildflower walks and hiked a trail in the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, another new wilderness for us.  Our last afternoon at the campground a big thunderstorm rolled in and we not only got rain but about an inch of hail!  It was pea-size or smaller but it really came down hard.  The temperatures dropped from the 70s to the 40s in a matter of minutes.   We were glad to have Silver’s protection and felt sorry for all the tent campers around us.  Most of the hail didn’t melt and it was in the 30s when we woke up the next morning.  Just a reminder that weather in the mountains is very unpredictable.

After the hail storm

Well, it is August and time to be thinking of that eclipse that seemed so far away at the beginning of our adventure.  We are in Rock Springs, Wyoming and are heading over near the Grand Tetons in a couple of hours.   It was so hazy driving here yesterday.  The many fires in the west are making visibility a challenge and it is likely to stay hazy for the next month.  So we aren’t sure exactly where we will be for the eclipse.  We don’t have reservations in a campground and have heard that some places are charging $250 a night for a camping spot!  Some campgrounds have a four-night minimum requirement, so $1000.  Hard to believe.  David and I may be viewing the eclipse from a Walmart parking lot.  Stay tuned for our eclipse adventure.  It is sure to be one.

Elephant head

This was the summer of paint brush

Last year it was columbines, but this summer the paint brush have been outstanding.

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked 4 

   
Total Miles Hiked  16.65   
Ave. Miles per Day      4.16
Total Elevation Gain     2,001
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  500