Shawnee National Forrest 37.546964, -89.435056
Inspiration Strikes
The last time I got any where close to seeing a total solar a eclipse I was a child and it was the early 90s. It was possibly one of my earliest adventures that my some what faded memory from that period of life can remember. It should be no surprise then, that when we saw how close the the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse was going to be to us and that it would happen on one of our weeks with Bayleigh that we would be loading up the car for a trip.
Initially, our adventure was expected to take us on a roughly 8 hour drive north, to a state forest in western New York and then taking a short hour drive the next day to Erie Pennsylvania the day of the eclipse. However, only 3 days prior to our intended "hit the road" date, a check of the weather informed us that a cold front had other plans. With 90% cloud cover expected in Erie on the day of the eclipse we quickly started pivoting our plans.
Checking the path of totality against weather reports, comparing those locations to their drive distance from us, then cross referencing them against near by Wild Life Management Areas and National Forrest which would provide us with free or low cost camp location along the way, we quickly shifted our destination from Erie, 8 hours away, to Shawnee National Forrest in Illinois, almost 13.5 hours away.
The Plan
Bayleigh's spring break was the week prior on a week with her Bio Dad and Step Mom, and they had took her on a trip to Ohio. Our shift in plans would mean instead of a late morning step off with the kiddo we would have to plan a rendezvous to get her as we crossed paths on our respective trips a whole day earlier than planned. This, though, meant that we would be able to take our time getting to Shawnee NF as we would have an extra day on the road.
The new plan: Leave early Saturday morning, drive to Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia. Spend a couple hours relaxing till we met up to get Bug. Once we had her, we would spend a hour showing her the state park, teaching her the geology, and letting her stretch her legs before getting back on the road to grab dinner, and make our way to our first camp spot in Daniel Boone National Forrest. The next day would be a slow wake up before hitting the road to Mammoth Cave National Park. Along the way we would get a breakfast at a local doughnut shop and check out a waterfall that Holly found the night before on our route to the National Park. From there, we would spend a few hours exploring the National Park before again hitting the road to a brewery in Paducah, Kentucky for dinner. Finally we would make our way to our camp spot in Shawnee National Forrest where we would watch the eclipse the following day.
Our plan went off with minimal hitches. Monday morning, though tired, we set up our viewing spot at the McGee Hill Observation Point. Here at the OP, we relaxed for few hours, sprawled out on our travel quilt, soaking up the sun while Reba and Bayleigh did their best to make sure we chatted with all the other folks viewing the eclipse.
Eclipse Begins
At roughly 1242 CT, my camera set up, the sun in center focus, and camera settings zeroed in, the eclipse began. The McGee Hill OP became a flurry of activity with folks grabbing their eclipse glasses and watching as the moon began to slowly cover the sun.
I began snapping photos every few moments, wanting to get as many shots of the various phases. Making sure to step away and take time to enjoy the moment and look through eclipse glasses to see it with my bare eyes and not just through the viewing screen on my camera. Holly bounced between looking up with eclipse glasses, looking at the camera view screen, and keeping an eye on Bayleigh, who here self, was bouncing between playing on the quilt, watching the eclipse, and trying to get our attention.
A family next to us talked with us, and a young boy behind us watching with his family, tried to figure out taking a picture with his little camera. Eventually I gave him one of our extra solar lens covers for our phones to help him try to get his shot. By 1335, the moon covered the sun enough that it started to effect the sun light shinning on us at the OP. The day light taking on the likeness of a thick cloud passing over the sun during an otherwise clear and sunny day. At 1350, the light took a more ominous feel, like a sunset through the haze of wildfire smoke. Birds stopped making noise, and aside from the movement of the other people at the OP and a few butterflies, a quiet still filled the area.
1355, with just a sliver of the sun still showing on my camera view screen a man points out on the horizon that in the mid-day darkness to shadow of totality was enough that the aircraft warning lights on near by power transmission towers started blinking. A low "woah" rippled across the small crowd as we all looked. Someone making the comment that "This is how much effect the sun has on us, even with this little sun showing we still have so much light." Then, with only seconds to go, even the movement and noise of the people at the OP became still and quiet with anticipation.
Four Minutes In Totality
At 1358, the still and silence broke. The sky went completely dark and a roar of cheers erupted up and down the ridge line. Everyone at the OP took off their glasses and stood in amazement of the diamond ring, the pinnacle of the eclipse. With only 4 minutes of totality, I quickly whipped my 16 Stop ND filter and started snapping pictures furiously, shifting my shutter speed with each shot from 1/1600 of a second all the way down to leaving the shutter open for a full second. Holly stared in awe, us both trying not to cry as we shifted between watching the eclipse and looking at the amazing photos I was getting.
Bayleigh screamed with the same level of enthusiasm as when we surprise her with a trip to Busch Gardens be for asking if she could lay in the dirt on the ground to watch. Of course we said yes and she laid there, glasses off, and quietly melting into the moment.
Two minutes into totality, at about 1400, a light breeze started to stir, which quickly grew into a large sustained gust and quickly dissipated. The thermal wind. A result of the shift in air pressure as the shadow of the moon caused everything in totality to be several degrees cooler from everything outside totality. I briefly explain this to Holly which further put us in astonishment. I snap a few more pictures, and get the ND filter back on the camera, resetting the shutter setting to what it was before totality and enjoying the last few moments looking at our stars magnificent corona with my bare eyes. The colors and intensity seen in person being something I can not describe with words and my photos do no justice.
Only mere seconds before 1402, the darkness started to fade. A man with a large telescope calls out "Okay were coming out, glasses on." Myself and several others echo him to ensure everyone puts their protective glasses back on. Holly and I quickly get Bayleigh to put her glasses back on and as suddenly as we went in we are out of totality. The light of the sun rapidly returning.
Coming Out of Totality
As we left totality and the moon made its hour long trek away from the sun, the OP began to stir. Folks began to return to their cars, birds returned to making noise, Bayleigh returned to playing. I continued to take photos so I could capture all the phases and Holly started to repack the car for long journey home.
A couple people asked if we would be putting anything up on YouTube and we handed out our website., telling them it will take me a few days to get the photos processed and a couple weeks to get the videos edited. A man with a Nikon came over and we chatted about the equipment we were both using before sharing some of our shots with each other. The folks with the large telescope and I chatted a bit and then another man came over to ask about my photos.
Holly asked for my help with loading the car and we switched off her now snapping my shutter release while I loaded the car. When a couple of 20 somethings at the OP were having car issues, Holly returned to loading the car while I walked over to help with what I could. Bayleigh now got a chance to be in charge of snapping pictures. She quickly turned this into a game of running around counting to 30 before returning to the shutter release and pressing it.
As the ridge line returned to normal, and the sun came fully out of eclipse, I broke down my camera gear, loaded it in the car, found a couple rocks for our collection, and made a note in my field notebook. I took a moment to reflect on the 4 minutes that seemed like time froze, and the last 3 days which felt like a life time. I started the car, my mind focused on how this day and this adventure would stick with Holly and I for years to come and hoped that years from now, when Bayleigh is older she too will think back to the day she got to experience a total solar eclipse.
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