As the sun enters totality, there is a flash called the “Diamond Ring.”
I had loosely planned this trip in 2017 when a partial solar eclipse passed over Virginia. I was at work and got a brief glimpse of the ¾-eclipsed sun through an office window with a set of borrowed safety glasses. I thought it was interesting, but wanted to see if there was an even better opportunity in the future. A web search revealed that the 2024 total eclipse would pass directly over my family’s small town in central Texas. Even better, my brother built a house on 10 acres outside of town in 2018. I knew it would be a perfect location for a private eclipse viewing. But there were a few things that I didn’t know at the time…
Longhorn Cavern State Park
For starters, I had no idea that events in 2020 would compel me to dive deeper into ham radio than I had in the previous 25 years that I had been licensed. Today, I’m more connected with fellow hams than ever before, I’ve built quite a mobile ham radio station, and I’ve become at least a little fond of Parks on the Air (POTA). Back to 2017, I also didn’t know that I’d gain popularity within ham circles that reach far beyond my local club. Finally, I didn’t realize that 2024 would feature the last solar eclipse to sweep the United States until August 12, 2045, when I’ll be 77 years old. That led to A LOT of people pouring into the path of totality. All of those facts shaped my eclipse experience for 2024. See this video for details on how my plans evolved as new information surfaced.
My first attempt at astrophotography…
Hotels all along my path to Texas were already showing price increases for my original travel period. For example, a room that cost $107 on April 5th went for $350 the following night. I knew that I needed to travel ahead of that mess! I was thankful to be at my brother’s house and settled on Friday, well before the circus began. My early arrival led to new planned activities and further travel. For example, I was surprised to see how clear the sky was the evening that I arrived. So, I tried my hand at astrophotography for the very first time. I don’t know the constellations, but I can say that Orion’s belt is in the upper left section of this photo. I was hoping to see the Milky Way, but it was not visible that evening. I’ll try again someday.
The following day, I drove to visit some engineering students at Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST). I had met two of them at a hamfest in Berryville, VA. I had no idea that they lived in Missouri since they were working near Washington, DC at the time. Coincidentally, one of them had e-mailed me to share his own mobile radio project, but I didn’t see his message until after we met. In a follow-up e-mail, he invited me to visit MST to meet their amateur radio club, W0EEE, “if you’re ever passing through on I-44,” he said. I’m sure he had no idea how soon that meeting could happen! I met the club, gave a presentation about my car in their shack, showed them the car, and then had dinner with a small group. It was a great stop! This photo shows the club’s president, who is also one of the hams that I had met in Berryville.
This is most of what comes into the hotel each night during a trip…
I stopped overnight near Louisville, KY and then another overnighter in Beckley, WV. This random photo shows how neatly everything appears to be as removed from my car for a hotel stay. Believe me when I say that this load-out takes a lot of space, both in my car and in the hotel room. I did activate one more park, Fort Boonesborough State Park, US-1256, in Kentucky. I considered activating more parks for POTA, but I was experiencing a bit of “barn door fever.” Usually, I’m quite tired after 10+ days on the road. So, I can get a bit impatient and don’t stop to “smell the roses” toward the end of a long road trip. Oddly enough, I was still feeling VERY good, perhaps because I was on a good regimen of anti-allergy meds that didn’t make me drowsy. Still, I was READY to be home! I made it home by mid-afternoon on a Friday with plenty of energy, sixteen days after I had departed.
“How fast do you drive with all of that up there?” I cruised at 78 mph…
Overall, I think the trip was fantastic! Once home, I spent several days processing my raw images to share here, as well as with friends and family. While the photos may not be of professional quality, I am still quite pleased with my efforts and hope to improve my photography skills as I continue to experiment. Again, see the photo album below for the rest of the photos. I’ve added descriptions to tell stories that aren’t already shared above. Of course, I have to share some driving stats: I drove 5,258 miles and consumed 176.3 gallons, which calculates to 29.8 mpg! Obviously, the car is capable of better fuel economy, but I still think the result is excellent when I consider the extra equipment on the roof, my cargo, some idling to charge my secondary battery, and the increased speed limits that I encountered out west. Let me know if you have questions that I may not have covered.
Eclipsed,
Scott
