A Roadtrip to Kerrville to scout for Totality

In case you don't know there is going to be a Total Solar Eclipse that will travel across part of Mexico, the USA, and Canada.

I am making weekly videos on TIKTOK about the eclipse and why people need to make the trip to see Totality (99.9 is not good enough). So for fun I will update this blog post on the bottom with those. I may also go to different areas in the path and if I do I will link future trips posts at the bottom similar to what I did when we drove the 48.

Also at the bottom is some real good links to follow for eclipse info so if that is what you are looking for scroll down.

If you came here looking for info about our paranormal investigations please follow this link: Travelers Paranormal that will get you to all social media.

But now on to Kerrville!

So after working overnight Tuesday-Wednesday on 4/26 we got a cup of coffee from Street Coffee in Pleasant View TN, packed, and headed west to Texas to check out where we wanted to watch the eclipse. Now as you can see from this map there are locations far closer to our home in TN than Kerrville so first let me explain why I chose that spot.

When the 2017 eclipse passed over my house that day was literally burned into my mind as an amazing experience. And I knew I wanted to experience it again. In that eclipse our time of Totality was a little over 2 minutes and to me it felt like so much longer. I had a party at my house that day and I remember at one point during Totality getting concerned that I had lost track of time and needed to start warning people about using their solar glasses again. I looked at my timer and realized there was still a full minute left. In Kerrville Totality will be 4 minutes and 25 seconds! Double the 2017 time... Also there was one phenomenon that we couldn't experience from our location and that was seeing the shadow of the moon approaching. I don't know if the Texas Hill Country will be high enough but I thought it would give me a good chance. I also selected this location because the 2023 Annular Eclipse will pass that same area and I can pick a spot for the Annular and judge whether that seems a good place to return for the Total.

For basic info about eclipses this is a blog I wrote in 2017 with some info I used to present at a library, charter school, and community center leading up to the eclipse.

Eclipse Info

This is a blog about the day of the 2017 eclipse

The Day!

Now for the trip. As I said we had worked overnight so I wasn't sure how far we would drive Wednesday before stopping but I knew it was going to be a leisurely drive. Our first stop will become a road trip tradition....we stopped at the Memphis Ikea for lunch, you got to eat somewhere so why not have some Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. The trick is to find all the short cuts to get to the restaurant without looking around and trying to buy something.

I didn't realize how much of our drive was actually in the Path of Totality but basically from the time we passed Little Rock Arkansas and on to highway 30 we were in the Path. Obviously there are varying degrees of time and cloud cover probability but that is a lot of area for people to come visit. 

We stopped for the night in Sulphur Springs, Texas. There was bad weather coming in and I didn't want to be driving in rain at night. We went to Backstory Brewing because the name was great and reviews showed food however they did not have food at that time. 

We ordered a flight to try several beers and pick one to potentially bring back to the hotel with us. While we were there we began talking with a couple of guys at the bar. They told us that Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs Arkansas was the best brewery in America. Which I have to say seemed like a big claim but these guys were certain it would stand against any brewery. 

The next morning we were off on our way after a quick breakfast at the hotel. We only had 6 hours left to drive and were hoping to get to Kerrville around 1-2pm. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...

We had stopped at a gas station in Waxahachie Texas and while trying to fill my car the gas kept stopping. I thought that it was an issue with the pump and so only put in five gallons before leaving. Awhile later I stopped at a Buc-ees and I had a similar experience. Then when I turned on the car the "check engine light" came on. Which is never something you want on a road trip. I went to a couple of auto shops to see if they could read the error code but our hybrid was not connecting to their portable machine so we made our way to Johnson Brothers Ford in Temple, Texas. The staff there was great! We told them we were on a road trip- the TN plates were a give away as well.  They worked us in to the schedule and were able to diagnosis the issue. Unfortunately the part for repair would need to be ordered which didn't make sense for just passing through. We were able to drive and they gave us the info to bring to our repair shop when we got home. We were delayed from our original time table but it wasn't horrible so we set back out towards Kerrville. 

When we reached Kerrville we had a list of things to do.

1st stop and get the official eclipse shirts and glasses on sale at the local park.

2nd visit the tourism office to find out about upcoming plans.

3rd check in with the hotel where I have rooms reserved for the Annular Eclipse. I know this is a smaller event but I made the reservation a year in advance and wanted to be sure the reservation still looked good. In 2017 I saw several people refer to hotels canceling on them and changing rates. Which sounds terrible but I also know that not only is there high demand from people looking to travel but it doesn't help that people will make reservations in three or four cities planning on canceling last minute depending on the weather. So I wanted to reiterate that this was my only hotel I was not canceling this was it for me.

4th was a stop at the Kerrville Hills Winery where we stopped in and had a tasting and relaxed.

This was one location I wanted to look at for potential viewing however the Total Eclipse is a Monday and they are closed on Mondays. Whether the owner does decide to open or not will be up to them. However the location is beautiful. And for eclipse viewing it is perfect since you drive up a hill to the winery. There is a very large open viewing area around it. The parking lot is small but if they were open I would consider this a great spot. Also the owner sounds like a fantastic human being who not only loves producing wine but also facilitates others to create their own by allowing them use of his incubator. He has helped with the production of over 30 wine brands.

5th was a stop at Cafe at the Ridge. I have been following them on facebook for awhile and the food looks amazing! And it tastes as good as it looks!.

The Cafe has a back seating area and an open parking lot in front. This definitely looks like a good location to comfortably watch the eclipse and I know they are planning some kind of event I just don't know details. 

6th and final stop for the day was at the Pint and Plow Brewing Company in Kerrville. This was another potential viewing location. Beer was good and they had a very comfortable seating area also something about the hobo writing adorning the building facade felt very welcoming. There were some trees and other buildings around but the eclipse will be high in the sky and should be visible.  Having just eaten at the Cafe we weren't looking at food but they do have a food menu and they have a coffee menu! One thing I have learned from travel to all 48 contiguous states and just an in general love of craft beer is that brewers pay close attention to ingredients. 

Finally (with a growler from Pint and Plow in hand) we went back to the hotel where we will stay for the annular eclipse and made our way to our room for the night. We watched some youtube videos and finished the growler before heading to sleep. Tomorrow we were going to go to San Antonio to see the Alamo, check on my hotel there for the total eclipse, and then start the long drive home.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then before taking the road to San Antonio, we stopped at our last planned Kerrville stop. PAX Coffee. PAX is located in the heart of Kerrville just steps away from the Guadeloupe River.  I know the town is planning events and I assume aside from their large beautiful park the river front will be another gathering place for visitors. 

Whether I will view the eclipse from any of the businesses I visited in Kerrville or not I'm not sure but I know I will be back to all of them. Each one was unique and speaking to the staff they were inviting and welcoming. It will be interesting to feel the change in town between a regular Thursday to the day of the Annular Eclipse and finally the Total Eclipse.

The drive to San Antonio from Kerrville was a very important step in the trip because on the day of the eclipse we will need to take highway 10 from San Antonio north about 60 minutes to get to Kerrville. Now this has been much debated in my mind. Because I know I want to leave extra time to get there. The drive should be an hour but with a crunch of people heading to the hill country what will it look like on the actual day? Highway 10 is in good shape. For the most part it is two lanes in either direction. There is a service road on the side for a bit and a few times where it opens to three lanes for a short time. So I am feeling confident that with car loaded already the day of the eclipse we should be able to eat breakfast the hotel and then be on the road by 6:30am. We will see the eclipse. Our hotel is in the path (but only 40seconds of totality). Within a 20 minute drive we will be over 2 minutes of Totality. It will just be more comfortable at an actual place rather than on the highway.

When we reached San Antonio we went to try and see the Alamo... note try.. if you clicked on the link above that says 48 contiguous states you saw the first road trip was called "My Luck right" and earlier in this one we had to stop at a Ford Dealer for repairs. Well luck and I have always had an on again off again partnership. Its ok it builds character and a helpful appreciation for disappointment. Though this was also on me a bit. I did not know that there is a month long festival in San Antonio that culminates in the last week of April where basically the whole city is shut down, parking is way to expensive, and lots of people are everywhere. One kind Texas Ranger offered for us to leave our car, if we were going to be 20 minutes, with  the vendors who were unloading but seeing the Alamo takes longer and since we know we will be returning to San Antonio we decided to skip it.

Next I went over to my hotel which is surrounded by all the shopping you could ever imagine or want! In fact a lot of what we saw of San Antonio was all the shopping you could ever want. I spoke to the clerk there to look at my reservation, confirm I did need it, that we would be traveling with a dog, and  a pet fee was no issue. She said it all looks good but did advise me to call maybe three months out. I am probably going to continue calling each month and check in again in person when I go for the annular eclipse. Anything I can do to confirm yes I need and want that booking!

From there it was time to head home. It was almost noon so the drive home was going to be split in two days just like the drive there. And since it was going to take two days....... we stopped at Hot Springs Arkansas to try Superior Bathhouse Brewing.

It is a really good brewery and while I don't know if it is the best in America it is easily in my top five of breweries which is a list that spans across America. From the monster Bath flight board to the food to the interior decor to everything this brewery was the full package. Also for those keeping track of the fact that I said most of our drive was in the path of Totality.... this brewery and hot Springs will be a destination location for the big event! The large National Park will most certainly be an attractive location for anyone who wants an experience alone in nature for the eclipse. The town is a vacation town so those looking to party also seem like they will find many options on the main road. Now the only down side is like I said before the sun is in the sky and the eclipse is close to midday so it will be high. Hot Springs is very closed in (at least the main tourist road is as is the tree covered national park). Make sure you know what direction is what when looking to the sky.

From there the drive home was easy and we were home by midday Saturday.

TIKTOK videos

There will be an eclipse!

Road trip to Kerrville

Humans Interested

Celestron Eclipsmart

Don't be afraid to ask!

Be safe Be Mindful

Jackpot!

Bon Jour Ste. Geneveive, MO

The ingredients are ready for awesome!

Find your spot in Totality!

Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis and the Sun and Moon Cafe

Eclipse humor

Paducah, KY

Cape Girardeau

Explore More and make a trip out of it!

Bailey's Beads

99.9% is not enough!

Kokomo thinks you should see the eclipse

Make it a trip!

Size and distance makes the eclipse

The Sun Spotter!

Visiting the Sun King

Make it a trip!

Special guest coming up!

Annular eclipse this week!

The Ring of Fire

Great Resources!

Interactive map by Xavier M. Jubier

Mr. Eclipse

Time and Date

Dr. Kate Russo

Go See The Eclipse

The next 7 years of my next 30 years (as far as Solar Eclipses go)

In the days leading up to the Solar Eclipse I found myself thinking, "wow soon it will be over." And that would be it. The build up to the event- which included me getting to talk at a library, school, and park about solar eclipses- had been a whirlwind and it was quickly coming to an end.

I got to play the part of an expert and be a guest speaker and I kept saying to my Mom, and sister, and friends that my "15 minutes (days) of fame" would soon be over. And I thought I would feel sad or depressed. A lot of people had asked, "what will you do when it is over?" Because it has literally been all I've talked about and thought about for the last two weeks.

Well here I am a full week after the event. No sadness or depression like I expected, but now a renewed interest. I want to see it again. Once was not enough. And I don't want to wait until 2024 like I thought I would be fine with doing leading up to August 21st.

That was the plan see this one and then think about 2024, for which I will probably head to Texas Hill country to see because that is where the 2023 annular path intersects and I can scout a location for 2024 in 2023. But at some point in the days after the eclipse I realized I don't want to wait that long. I had not even considered the eclipses in 2019 and 2020.

Weather and timing still has 2019 ruled out but 2020; that's a different story. I like car trips. I hate planes. Planes make me feel claustrophobic and trapped. But here I am seriously considering, more than considering, seriously committing to doing what I must to see the Total Solar Eclipse of 2020 either in Chile or Argentina. I have emailed three different tour companies who specifically plan tours for Solar Eclipse viewing.  I know I want to travel in a group for several reasons. The first being my own safety since I am not experienced in travel and the tour company will know better than I the safe viewing locations and hotels.  Second they will have done the research for factors I can't even think of right now: after all they are a specialty tour with the eclipse as the focus. They will take into account weather and other factors that can create the best viewing experience.  Third there will be extras like lectures and speeches by experts in a variety of fields but most importantly in eclipse viewing. And finally I will be in a group. I think experiencing the eclipse with a group of people added to it! I know a lot of people seem to want quiet and to be alone with nature, which I understand and may do in 2024. But for this next one I wouldn't mind a group of strangers altogether to witness a beautiful moment in celestial alignment.

So what does that mean for me now? Well I already contacted those three companies that do tours because I need to know how much money I need to save. I'm guessing somewhere in the realm of $5000-6000 should be the tour and airfare. So going with the high number I need to start putting away at least $200 a month into a savings account. I've got my passport already so that's good. I need to learn Spanish. Just because I am traveling in a tour group doesn't mean I shouldn't know the local language. Languages have never been easy for me, heck I've been speaking English all my life and I still have grammar difficulties. I bet you can find them in my posts and that is with me re-reading and getting others to read them for me.

What else do I want to do? Well one of the talks I gave on the eclipse was filmed and shown on a really really local news show (a three minute clip of the hour long talk at least) and while I was thrilled to say I was a guest speaker featured on the news (I can exaggerate right?) I'll be totally honest and say I wasn't thrilled with me. I need to get in better shape and lose weight. And I want to do that now. The good news is cutting out things that negatively impact my weight like soda, beer, and fast food will positively help the other goal of saving $200 a month.

I've still been at a loss of words for trying to explain the wave of emotions that came with experiencing this total eclipse. I said right after that I have never truly understood the phrase "awe inspiring" until the eclipse. I didn't have the fear that some talk about. I mean there was a strangeness and I felt chills at how still it was but I wouldn't call it fear just an awareness at something strange happening. Also some people say they feel small or insignificant in the face of Totality but I feel the opposite. I feel a larger connection to the world. I feel like I need to cherish that moment and every moment. I've been thinking in terms of words like 'renewed', 'connected', and 'alive'. Especially when I think about the monumental amount of factors (size of the sun, moon, earth, distance between the three, location on earth, weather, and everything else) that had to be just right to see Totality. I have a strong feeling of thankfulness that I was able to, given all those different factors, be privileged to see it.

I often see people with small children or babies and watch how easily amused or surprised the little ones are by just normal surroundings. I think to myself, "how nice it would be to have that wonder of a small child and be so impressed with the world again." Well now I am.

I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights. But now I am wondering what other amazing sights of beauty are there that I haven't even considered.


News starting at three minute clip from my talk (when the whole thing is posted I will share that too)

Also what should I research and become an expert in next? Could be anything. There was awhile where every night before bed I would pull up a random wikipedia article. Maybe I will go back to that for some inspiration.

It came. I saw. When is the next one?

Well the day that I had been anticipating for over a year and a half has come and gone.

The night before I could barely sleep. I lied awake, checked my phone, and talked online to other people who were, like me, waiting to fall asleep and anticipating what would happen in the morning. And then it was morning. There were several things I knew I wanted to do early to get them out of the way. For instance run to Walmart to get some last minute groceries. I pulled into the Walmart and there weren't a lot of shoppers but it did seem like more than a normal Monday. I wondered how many of these shoppers were here today to chase the eclipse. I saw one young man on line at Self Checkout buying a pop-up tent and smiled. Several of the employees were wearing eclipse tee shirts and when I left the woman at self checkout wished me a happy Eclipse Day.

Next I had to run to the dump to get rid of some trash I had accumulated over the weekend. But the dump was closed: no note at the gate or anything but you know what, it's ok. If they were closed to allow their workers to enjoy the day I'm cool with that. I can go to the dump today anyway. On the small road to the dump were two cars parked facing the sky. It was 8:00 am and I think they were eclipse chasers who had picked an open view and were waiting.

Then there was the post office. I had been blessed with three great opportunities to speak at different events in the area leading up to the eclipse and I wanted to send them thank you notes for allowing me to come. So I had postcards from greatamericaneclipse.com and I put the forever stamp in commemoration of the eclipse on each one and mailed them so they would be postmarked for that day. I don't think I have mentioned the stamp in any post before so I will take a moment here. It is a photo by Fred Espenak who is an eclipse chaser, retired Emeritus Astrophysicist from the Goddard Space Flight center, and expert photographer. The stamp is heat sensitive so when it is cool you see a darkened moon over the sun with the corona around it. However if you place your finger on the moon it will change and reveal the moon with craters covering the sun.

I also mailed a post card to myself and my sister.

Then I went home to finish preparations. In the days before the eclipse I had gone out to my backyard during the time when it would be Totality to try and judge where people would want to be to see the show so I began moving my patio furniture out kind of where I thought it would be best. And then of course people could move them but at least I had them in the area. I also moved my Morning Glory and Moon Vine into the backyard along the fence. Looking around I realized exactly how big my yard was and it was perfect for a party.

A really good friend of mine from NY who now lives in Iowa had made the trip on Sunday. He is more like family and in true family fashion as soon as he showed up I put him to work :-) He helped me put together and move the last of the patio furniture while I finished putting a sun shade on my gazebo.

Gazebo and Table for shade

The morning seemed to fly by... partly because we urged people to get here early because of traffic concerns so while I was out with last minute errands Meg was home making eggs, bacon, and pancakes for the early arrivals.

One of my neighbors brought a pair of binoculars with a board behind them to project the eclipsing sun on it and two pin hole projectors he had built out of cardboard boxes. Other neighbors brought over chips, various sides, and desserts.

As 11:30 approached my kitchen and yard were filling up. At that point I called people together to give a quick presentation on the eclipse and what we could expect to look for as well as an important stress on eye safety. I didn't go into the history of it because I needed to get my video camera set up on the morning glory and moon vine and we had a little less then 30 minutes before the eclipse would begin. Leading up to the party I had worried about keeping people entertained during the partial phase but turned out I didn't have to worry about it as people broke off into groups talking with each other. The kids were playing with bubbles that my Mom had brought. I had built two corn hole boards but never got them into the back yard from where they had been in my drive way (it's ok they will get used at other parties).

I set up our Solar Telescope and Meghan got it lined up so that people could take a look at the eclipsing sun.

We had chips and a veggie platter out for snacking on and told people that we would do the barbecue after Totality this way Meg was free to photograph and observe.  We had a ton of soda which had been donated to the party by our city hall, since this party had been listed on the website as the town party even though only my immediate neighbors took us up on the offer. I had three 5 gallon containers of lemonade, ice tea, and just plain water and kept urging people to stay hydrated.

The weather had been so cool these past few weeks until of course Monday.  And I was worried about people getting too hot... but that concern was quickly removed when the temperatures began dropping. Really! At least 10 degrees and one friend said it was 12 or 13. The wind also stilled.

A video showing the crowd.

As the partial phase was going on I would grab a pair of glasses and glance up at the partial covered sun and check the time to be sure of how far we were from Totality. About ten minutes before Totality my neighbor, Glenn, was doing a live stream from my backyard and I got to go talk on that about what we were expecting, after we argued about whether Yankees or Red Sox are better (the answer is Yankees). But in it you can see the way shadows are changing and looking crisp, lighting and colors are different, and this amazing silence around us. Everything was so still. It made sense to me what Edmund Halley meant when he described a, "chill and damp that came over the crowd causing a sense of horror."

Live Feed

My guests were better than me at checking on the flowers and eventually a call came out from that area of the yard that it was working. Now I have sped the video up as a time lapse but it still is a little over 12 minutes. Unfortunately the Moon Vine didn't open :-( And I don't really see the change in the Morning Glory but I think it is because I was too zoomed out. I was trying to catch too much. I was hoping to get the flowers, I wanted to see if I could catch shadow bands, and I wanted the sky to see the changes in it. So in hindsight I wish I had closed in on the Morning Glories more. But the video is still neat as you watch you see people periodically come over and look at them. I slow down the video when everyone is commenting on it, around minute 3-6, and I slowed down the video for Totality starting at minute 8.  One cool thing and I didn't realize I was going to get this is that I have Jupiter in the sky. There is a vine of the Moon Vine that points into the sky. As Totality comes you will see a small dot appear, that is Jupiter. Also I caught the ambient sound (or lack of it) and the changes in lighting and shadows. But best of all is the reaction of all the people in my yard as the clap, cheer, and exclaim at everything they are seeing and experiencing. At the very end you hear the first chirps of one of the birds doing its morning song. I do apologize because I don't have a real movie editing software so I was able to remove the sped up sound from one clip but the ones I had to slow down I couldn't remove sound from. So it sounds like an army of chipmunks in the video.

A little more then four minutes before Totality I was just taking video of the yard and different people were talking about the changes they were noticing in nature.  My neighbor Glenn noticed the crickets chirping and then Meg and I began discussing the difference in the lighting.

And then we had Totality!!! The moment we had all been waiting for was finally here. Now our eyes are the best cameras we have and video and photos do not do the whole experience justice. So keep that in mind with this video. What I did capture was the people's reactions. I mean cheering, clapping exclaiming... one little boy excitedly covering his eyes with his glasses as the sun disappears. My friend John threatening that if the kids aren't good he won't let the sun come back. And all the cool things to see and feel: Venus, Jupiter, Bailey's Beads, The Diamond Ring, The Corona, the horizon, and the stillness. And to me it felt like so much time, like more than 2 minutes and 25 seconds. At one point my neighbor, Glenn , asked how much time was left and I remember thinking it was almost over but we still had 45 seconds!

Here is a clip that was on the Tullahoma news from my talk at the monthly "Lunch and Learn". In this part of the talk I discuss the Corona in art and then just about what I imagined the experience would be. Watching it I think it was a good description of how special this moment would be. The video should start at around 11:50 and is about three minutes.

During the Partial and Total phase Meg was taking photos of the event. And the photos she took were amazing!

Meghan Keohane

Meghan Keohane

The picture above shows the partial sun with three sun spots. The picture on the right has a fourth dot under the sun spots that we believe may a plane.

Meghan Keohane

Here is the sun doing it's best Cheshire Cat grin.

Meghan Keohane

Meghan's beautiful shot of the Corona (crown of the sun).

Meghan Keohane

This is a wonderful shot of the Diamond Ring with prominences.














I have been trying and trying to think of how to put my feelings and emotions at that moment into words. And I still feel like no words (just like pictures) can do justice in describing my feeling. So far the best thing I can say is that I have heard the phrase awe-inspiring used so many times and I have used it in the past. But I have never truly understood what awe-inspiring meant until August 21st 2017. In the video I say I have chills. And I did. I also, as I knew I would, was crying. I noticed nature like I had never ever done before. And I felt connected to it. That I was allowed  to view a special moment between the sun and moon. And we were all part of something so grand. That at that precise moment in time the celestial bodies had lined up in such a way to allow us to see true splendor. We were privileged to be a part of it. And I will share that moment with the friends, family and neighbors forever. I will hear their cheer and applause in my mind when I think of the beautiful corona for the rest of my life.



I feel like something in me was awakened. This eclipse is just the beginning.

And now it is over and it is time to plan for 2023 Annular and 2024 Total eclipse.

Thank you everyone!

Solar Eclipse Party Update

So the preparation for the August 21st Solar Eclipse Party is going splendidly! Some of the supplies have started arriving including the eclipse glasses.

I purchased them from this website: https://www.teachersource.com/  One very important thing to note is the inside writing that shows it meets the ISO 12312-2 requirement for solar viewing. Looking at the sun is dangerous for your sight. A lot of websites may be selling glasses that do not meet these requirements which could make prolonged viewing of the sun extremely hazardous. The solar eclipse is going to be magnificent but safety must come first.

I have found some things to make gift bags for kids who come to the party, all solar system or general science themed, though I haven't made that purchase yet.

We have several backyard games and I got a rocket because why not!

I'm pretty excited about the possibility of soaring up to 50'.

After researching several different citizen scientist projects I found the Eclipse Mega Movie project (https://eclipsemega.movie/ ) and keeping that in mind I bought some equipment. We haven't tested it yet but I bought a solar filter for Meghan's Cannon Rebel to catch photos leading up to Totality. Then she will be able to remove the filter to hopefully catch photos of the Corona (crown) around the sun during Totality and also the Diamond Ring Effect just before and just after Totality. This is when people report seeing a bright light that looks like a jewel in a diamond ring caused by sun light being concentrated through a crater on the moon surface.

http://www.weatherscapes.com/

Another piece of equipment I bought for her camera is the T-ring and adapter we needed to attach her camera to our telescope. Last night we hooked it up for the first time. Obviously there will be a learning process but here are the first photos we captured of the moon.

Finally I have a Go-Fund-Me page to help us raise money for the party. As I have said when I have shared it in the past on facebook and twitter I realize there are many more pressing and important causes on Go-Fund-Me but also I think we have a once in a lifetime event and chance here to bring some of our excitement about the Solar Eclipse to many people. It's hard to put into words but with each day  (there are 190 left until the Eclipse) I get more and more excited. Last night with the telescope trying to capture images of the moon I felt like a kid again.

We have different suggested donation amounts that come with various rewards. One of the rewards is a shout out here when the donation is made as well as in the blog post I will write after the event. Well we got a donation from a real good friend who donated anonymously so I won't mention my friend's name but still I want to acknowledge it here.

If anyone reading this could help me by spreading this page or donating that would be appreciated:  https://www.gofundme.com/2sjdtm6k

Also I am using the Go-Fund-Me to try and invite several celebrities who most certainly will not ever come but it would be awesome to get it to their attention and maybe at least get a "no thank you".  So any help again in spreading that would be cool.