Solar Eclipse, Oregon

8/20 -- 8/21/2017

On August 21, 2017, millions of people across the United States saw nature's most wondrous spectacle — a total eclipse of the Sun. The path of totality (60-70 miles wide) of the Great American Eclipse in 2017 passed through portions of 14 states from Oregon on the west coast to South Carolina on the east. The last time the contiguous United States saw a total solar eclipse was Feb. 26, 1979, when the path of totality only crossed the Pacific Northwest. The total solar eclipse in 2017 is particularly rare because it's the first time since June 8, 1918, that the path of totality exclusively crosses the continental United States. It's also the first continent-wide eclipse to be visible only from the U.S. since 1776.
The next total solar eclipse will be in South America (Chile, Argentina) on July 2, 2019, and the next total solar eclipse visible in the US (Mexico, and from Texas to Maine), will be on April 8, 2024.

Getting there ...

We had an early morning flight to Seattle and then drove down to Oregon. Although we were just back home at about 1AM from CMU and had less than 4 hours of rest, we managed to have a smooth travel to our destination: Government Camp in Mt. Hood.

We arrived at Mt. Hood area in the late afternoon. Although it was just right outside the band of total eclipse, all hotel rooms were sold out months before (I have booked my room in last Sept!) and some places in the totality region were charging more than $1000 per night for a simple motel room.

8/21 Total Solar Eclipse Day ...

We passed by Trillium Lake in the early morning before we headed south to the totality band.

We planned to go to Madras area since it was rated as one of the best solar eclipse viewing region. However, the recent wildfire in Mt. Jefferson had some smoke in that direction so we decided to turn back after we passed Warm Springs (about 15 miles north of Madras) and we found a place along highway 26 where there were already many people lining up on the roadside.

The eclipse started at ~ 9:06AM when the Moon touched the Sun. The total eclipse last for about 2 minutes from 10:19AM to 10:21AM. Although it had only 2 minutes, it was such a surreal experience beyond any description of words. We could feel the air cool down and sky darken, and then suddenly the light source in the sky disappeared into a black hole with a light ring, and we could look directly at the Sun (or the Ring)with our naked eyes. The time really passed fast during these 2 minutes that it was over before you realized it...


9:07AM	9:23AM	9:35AM	9:46AM


9:54AM	10:03AM	10:12AM	10:18AM


10:19AM	10:21AM	10:21AM	10:21AM

Here is my time-lapsed photo/video for the duration of the solar eclipse (from 9:07AM to 10:21AM).

Going Home ...

We stayed for another 20 minutes after the total eclipse to start to drive back. The traffic was heavy and slow even in some sections on Highway 5 inside Washington State. Although it took us about 7 hours to reach SEA airport (~ 260 miles, should be ~ 4.5 hours in regular traffic), I think it was not too bad compared to some of my friends who drove 16 hours from Madras Oregon back to Shasta in California (fro ~ 350 miles).
This was a short but really unforgettable trip: first total solar eclipse, first trip after empty nest, and end of my crazy 6-consecutive-day of flying travel...

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