August 21, 2017
Day 16 - still at Filley, NE: eclipse day!
Posted via email Mon Aug 21 19:42:02 2017 PDT
The sound of a diesel engine school bus starting inside the shed to the south of my tent (behind the old high school) woke me up at 5:30am. There were still storms to the northeast, but they were moving slowly on east. Somewhat cloudy here.
At 6:55am, I walked up to the bar and grill for breakfast. I don't know if it's special hours for just today, but they're open 7:00am to 9:00pm. They have AC outlets next to the tables along the wall. I should have brought my charger! Others came in while I was here. One fellow, a meteorologist, wanted to set up cameras and equipment at an isolated location. Breakfast was very good.
I headed back to the park, arriving at 7:55am. Lots of cars and people here already. My tent was set up way back next to a cornfield, and it seemed everyone was setting up to keep an eye on me!
I worked on yesterday's report with the smartphone plugged into the bike's battery. At 9:15am I went back to the bar for coffee, and this time I took my AC charger. The waitress said my coffee was free - just a continuing refill from breakfast! The place was getting crowded, but I got the report done and had a 100-percent charge before I left. What didn't happen was getting the report sent in. The cellphone network was overloaded! There was light rain here at 10:50am (while I was still in the bar). It had stopped by the time I left - at 11:16am.
Even more people at the park now. And four buses with school kids showed up at 11:45am.
One more trip uptown for me to see people. I found a person who was very grateful to have my extra pair of eclipse glasses.
It was still somewhat overcast, but the eclipse progress could be seen. Back at the tent, I checked the bike tires, since I was sitting right next to them. Surprising to me, I found some thorns - one in particular that would have soon caused a flat.
It was almost totality time. I'd set up one of my cameras on my tripod, to record a video of the light-to-darkness change. I started recording at 1:00pm. Totality where I am occurs from 1:02, 36.6 seconds, and ends at 1:05, 13.7 seconds (thanks to my wife for that data). With my glasses on, I saw the last of the sunlight next to the moon disappear. Glasses off. The view was a little fuzzy, due to light cloud cover, but still amazing! Seeing the surrounding darkness, and birds flying around in flocks was also awesome. I could see light in the distance as I stood in the dark. Then a sliver of light by the moon reappeared. What an experience! Everyone was excited, especially the school kids. I stopped my video recording a little later than I'd planned to, due to the cheering I was hearing.
A little later cloud cover was thick enough that the sun couldn't be seen through the eclipse glasses. The kids filled the buses, and people packed their chairs and left. By 2:00pm, only four cars were still here. A fellow in a pickup drove up to me while I was sitting on the ground by the tent. He asked about my trip. He said it was a good thing I wasn't in nearby Pickrell, a town I'd considered while planning at home. (Camping there was fifty dollars per night, and bathrooms were three blocks away. So I'd searched further for other options). The pickup driver said Pickrell had solid cloud cover, and people there had been rushing to Beatrice at the last moment. He also said Beatrice was overwhelmed. True or not, I was very happy to have experienced the eclipse in this friendly small town.
At 2:10pm, I had the ball field back to myself, save one couple still sitting in their chairs under the pavilion. I walked past them on my way uptown at 3:05pm. I asked them if they were waiting for the next eclipse. That got a chuckle. They were just enjoying the quiet.
I was heading uptown to get out of the hazy sun, to get another smartphone charge, and to have a beer on this special day. Several out-of-towners still here, stating that there was still traffic congestion in Beatrice.
I finished my beer, but the waitress said to stay here as long as I like. So I worked on today's report until the phone was fully-charged (at 5:05pm).
I took a walking tour of the town on my way back to the tent. A couple of notes on the post office door explained modified worker's schedules on this unusual day.
Back at the tent I took a look at my schedule and route for the next few days. I was supposed to be riding this afternoon. Since I made this a day-off instead, I decided I will bypass Lincoln (and its bike trails), and make a diagonal to just south of Omaha. That's the plan, for now.
At 6:05pm, I was on my way back to the bar and grill. This time for a celebration supper. My next-door neighbor back home provided the funds for this meal, with instructions not to celebrate until after the eclipse. Pulled pork sandwich, mashed potatoes, baked beans, cookies, and lemonade made a meal to celebrate! Also enjoyed another visit with the 'parking attendant' I met yesterday.
And to end the day, I was treated to a rainbow when I was back at the tent. There's no end to the wonders of God's creation, and to all the kind people He works through. I have a lot to be thankful for, including this awesome day!
Jeff
Spent: $9.01 plus $2 (breakfast) + $0 plus $3 (coffee "refill") + $3 plus $2 (beer) + $15.13 plus $3 (supper) = $37.14.
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