A total solar eclipse is as magical and as mind blowing as you think it might be. Nothing will prepare you for totality. You know it's going to be this incredible, once in a lifetime experience but once it happens, you feel.. altered somehow. I felt high for about a week afterwards. You wouldn't think that one percent would make much of a difference, but the sun is extremely bright and even if 99% of it is eclipsed, you can't look directly at it. Photos and video just don't fully capture it. Totality is something that needs to be experienced in person. Definitely one of the highlights of my chasing adventures so far.
I got to share this experience with my best friend, Roseanna, who I have known since high school.
I met her at place in South Surrey at 5:30am on the 20th. After a bit of a wait at the border, we were off!
We stayed in a sketchy little motel in Longview, WA. The security there was top notch! ;)
This didn't matter though because we were in bed by 6pm and up bright and early (1am!) to start driving south, to our target area.
I had spent weeks agonizing over a location and having fitful dreams about it clouding over. I was obsessed. I finally settled on a Walmart parking lot on Turner Road in Salem, OR with a clear view to the East. It worked out perfectly. They are open 24 hours so we had access to amenities. There were quite a few other people there, as you can see from the video further down.
I was so ready for this. Featured here is my Canon Rebel T3 with my 200mm lens. And the my trustee Sony HXR-NX70, with it's slightly melted frame. A hand-me-down from George Kourounis
This was the compilation of my shots during different phases of the eclipse.
My mom got this footage of the moment of totality. Whereas everyone was focused on the sun, she shot the surrounding and environment and really captured the experience.
