Boy have we been having fun. First, we drove up Pikes Peak. Then we went to Rocky Mountain National Park, and we've stayed there 4 days so far. I'll let my photo albums speak for me.
We sort of fell into a plan. We headed due west from Kentucky, across Missouri, across Kansas, and we're heading for Colorado.
When we hit the Rockies, we'll work our way north to Rocky Mountain National park. Then, we'll start heading east again. The PNW will have to wait until another year.
Missouri was a pleasant surprise to us ignorant Yankees. I expected it to be like Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. But no, it was green and hilly and very pleasant. We camped in the Ozarks on Lake Truman near Lake of the Ozarks. It was nice.
Kansas so far has been boring. We are in Dodge City on Wyatt Earp Avenue, but it looks like any other American city.
The big exception was the Cosmoshpere in Hutchinson. We spent nearly 3 hours there today.
It has 13000 artifacts from space.
It has a real SR-71 blackbird. I had no idea they were so big. I have a picture of me touching it.
They have real German V1 and V2 rockets.
They have the X1 that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier with.
They have real Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules.
They have the actual Appolo 13 command module restored to near original condition.
It was more fun than the Smithsonian Air&Space museum on the mall in Washington DC.
Man oh man. It was worth waiting 72 years to see. It was truly the experience of a lifetime. I don't think that Libby and I will every forget the beauty and awe of that moment.
We stayed right here in the camground for viewing. We had guests, Old Jim and Faire Ann (Physics Forum friends) came here from Arkansas. There was no crowd. We sat in a grassy area about 1 acre with a few shade trees. There wer e fewer than 50 othe people in sight.
The moment of totality caught us by surprise even though we were well prepared. It only started getting noticeably dark 2 minutes before the event. But abruptly the last brilliant sliver of sun disappeared and bang it was total. The corona was instantly visible and every bit as beautiful as described.
The stars came out, The night insects started singing. It did not get noticeably cooler.
At the end of totality there was no surprise. We could see one corner of the moon around 5 o'clock get brighter. Then instantaneously the first sliver of the sun appeared and the glare was immediately blinding. There seems to be no transition. 99.99% obscured, is blinding if you look at it. 100% is totally different (pun intended) and there seems to be zero time between the two.
My neighbor got a shot where you can see the solar flares (prominences). Three of them were visible, all beautiful pink or orange colored.
I heard of another man in the park who got a 360 degree panorama from a boat out on the lake. It was like sunset all around except that there was no direction of the setting sun.
Sun streaming through the trees made crescent shaped shadows. 5 minutes before totality they pointed one way. 5 minutes after totality they pointed in the opposite direction.
After much nervous worrying, we found a very agreeable place to stay and watch the eclipse. It is the Canal Campground, part of Land Between The Lakes National Park. We are just outside of Grand Rivers, KY; a delightful little town population 350.
We'll stay here a whole week. The local forecast for eclipse day is mostly sunny. :-) There is lots of land good for viewing and relatively few people. Double :-)
Last night we went to a show called Pickin' and Grinnin'. It was delightful; based on the old TV show Hee Haw. The cast was very talented; especially Casey Mills who played the fiddle. She was amazing. Casey Mills is only 18, watch for her name in the future as a possible super star.
This weekend, we'll go to a famous restaurant and garden called Patti's Place. It too is in Grand Rivers.
We also toured Land Between the Lakes, it is delightful. We even saw a bit of prairie complete with bison.
Boaters may recognize Grand Rivers as a favorite stop for those doing the Great Loop. At night, I can hear the diesel engines of the tugs pushing barges on the lake, and also hear them slow down and enter the lock at the nearby Kentucky Dam.
The other day, we visited Paducah KY nearby. It is a delightful town. I got to play with a river boat training simulator. Wow was that fun. :-)
Posts
