I traveled 2,200 miles to see the total solar eclipse. It was worth it.
I traveled 2,200 miles to see the total solar eclipse. It was worth it.
Thoughts on a relatively rare celestial occurrence.
It’s been a bit light on updates here recently because I decided last week to journey to the path of totality in Indianapolis, Indiana to catch the solar eclipse. I’ve witnessed many partial solar eclipses before and I think we all know what the experience is like: you go outside, you put on the flimsy dark glasses, you hang around outside for a little bit while the sun is obscured kinda, and then you go back inside and go about your day.
But on a recent episode of The Filmcast: After Dark, a few commenters noted that seeing a total solar eclipse is a fundamentally different experience than any partial eclipse. I also watched this video by Smarter Every Day that seemed to say the same thing, reinforcing the notion that it’s something worth traveling to see.
So last week my wife and I started figuring out whether this was something we could do. We quickly realized we had some friends who not only had rented an AirBNB in the path of totality (and done so a year ago, no less), but also had a family drop out last minute. Their loss was our gain! After a 4.5 hour flight and a 3.5 hour drive covering over 2,200 miles, we finally made it to our destination.
Was it all worth it? In short: yes.
When totality occurred, I think I started shouting uncontrollably. I’d never seen anything like it before. Not only was it one of the most beautiful, surreal things I’ve ever witnessed, but it also helps you appreciate and understand your place in the universe. Truly we are insignificant beings in the midst of these hurtling celestial bodies, whose trajectories we cannot control nor influence!
Anyway, I made a vlog about the entire experience. Watch the video below:
I’m going to see Civil War and The First Omen this afternoon and hope to write about one or both of them later this weekend right here on Decoding Everything. In the meantime, if you saw the eclipse, let me know what your experience was in the comments!
Other Stuff David Chen Has Made
If you want to hear me discuss the experience, listen to this Patreon episode I recorded about it [FREE] or this episode of The Filmcast: After Dark [PAID]
On the latest episode of Decoding TV, I talked about how much I appreciated the audacity of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s series finale.
On The Filmcast, we discussed Monkey Man, which I found to be a super confident directorial debut from Dev Patel. [That said, be sure to check out Siddhant Adlakha’s piece about the politics of the film.]
First off Dave, thanks for sharing your experience. In my pop culture circles/entertainment info/podcasts, etc. nobody was really commenting on the eclipse beyond a mere formality. Like yourself, I had seen a partial eclipse a long time ago with no real fond impression but since I live in a suburb just north of Dallas, I was within that totality path and looking forward to giving this nature show a second chance. Most of the talk leading up to this event was the potential cloud coverage and its impact to our viewing. Just minutes before totality there was a decent sized cloud covering up the sun and moving at a snail’s pace. It finally cleared and for the entirety of the eclipse I watched in wonder. I 100% without a doubt underestimated how awe inspiring this event would be. Like yourself, the giddiness and weird noises that come with it spontaneously spilled out. The corona and diamond ring effects were truly majestic. I suppose this became a bucket list item I never knew I wanted. Well done Universe.
We traveled a bit to see the 2017 eclipse in totality &, as you say, it was *absolutely* worth it.
We were close enough to drive to it on the day, for a few hrs until 15 mins to eclipse, stopped in a church parking lot, in wide open country, & waited. It was a beautiful day & there was a small group of fellow travelers there to watch.
Two things that struck me beyond the incredible visual sense of it - immense
In itself - being there w/other people, & the auditory sense of it was just as memorable, which I hadn’t considered. It was extraordinary how all the light chattering died down moments before & a collective hush swept over all (even the birds), night fell, crickets sang out, sounds of astonishment, wonder. The moon continued, it grew light, the birds took the place of the crickets, chattering began again & it was over. Even my 18 yr old was wowed😉.
I knew it was an extraordinary event, but, for me, it was *unexpectedly* extraordinary & astonishing. And it lives among my favorite life experiences.
I’m so so happy that you were able to go, Dave, & experience it yourself. And record & share it to all!!