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ON SEPT. 7, I shared the story of my drive with three friends to see the solar eclipse in Sun Valley, Idaho. Today, I pick up where I left off, starting with the morning of Aug. 21.
ON ECLIPSE MORNING, I was the first out of bed, as I had opened my Venetian blinds so the light would gently wake me and I wouldn't oversleep. I felt like a child on Christmas Day! Nonetheless, all were soon awake as well, perhaps from hearing me move about.
Gathering back at Stella's as the start of the eclipse approached - scheduled for 10:11 at the western state border and crossing the state in the next five minutes - we soon shared our delight with the moon taking an ever larger bite out of the sun. We also took in the spectacle of countless inverted sun crescents dancing on the ground beneath a nearby quaking aspen tree. As had been described in the prior Tuesday's Science section of the New York Times, the leaves in a tree's canopy act like a pinhole camera to create spots of light on the forest floor.
The very best early-eclipse "parlor trick" images came from a colander, which Stella produced on request from her kitchen. The multiple crescents it produced, projected onto an outside table, were enhanced by the perfect spacing and alignment of the holes. A small army of partial suns marched in formation across the tabletop.
Of the early phases of the eclipse, what I found surprising is how bright the landscape remained until just before totality. Until then, it appeared only that something was wrong with the sun. Like a winter sun, it began to lack brightness and warmth.
Additionally, I found it remarkable how quickly the landscape chilled as the sun began to disappear. We were just over 5900 feet above sea level. I was glad that I had stuffed a light down jacket into my rucksack last-minute. I fished it out and put it on, feeling guilty for the seconds it took from witnessing the spectacle forming in the sky above me.
AS TOTALITY...