Totality Eclipse in Corvallis Oregon

The last USA totality eclipse was 100 years ago in this part of the USA. On August 21st, it was happening again. I had to go; this was a once in a lifetime travel experience. Off to eclipse chase, I went to see Totality, it couldn’t be missed by me! We headed to Corvallis, Oregon which was the perfect place for viewing and I loved every moment of the experience, my friends went down to Seaside, Oregon, and said the views were just as gorgeous.

A Video of the event. The Video is so cool! It’s all about the people!

Our group experience of Totality eclipse
Photo credit by Glen Belkins

The Totality Eclipse in Corvallis was a fantastic event. The eclipse made the temperature drop, the skies black, the sun blocked by the moon with only a halo, a Corona, shining through. The people ooh and awed, and realized how small we all are in the big scheme of life.

Beautiful View of the Totality Eclipse

I left Seattle on Sunday, August 20th, super early, by 5:00 am we were at Denny’s for breakfast. For me, it was too early to order breakfast. But, after others consumed breakfast, it was time to hit the road again. We thought the traffic would be dreadful, but, surprisingly we found the eclipse watchers weren’t on the road. I guess the roads were empty because they were already at their spots and were getting ready to watch the totality eclipse.

Corvallis Oregon, Vineyard Mountain

My spot, in Corvallis Oregon, on Vineyard Mountain at a gorgeous home was a great choice. Every place was expensive and this rental was too. But, I was with friends, old and new. I guess you get what you pay for. Some people rented a room in the house while three other groups, from central Oregon, outside of Sacramento CA and Lynnwood, Washington, rented a spot to camp. Breakfast, port-a-potting and viewing glasses were provided. What was breathtaking was our view which over looked a beautiful valley, mountains, and endless sky.

Here is the path of the eclipse. This is the path everyone used for chasing the perfect locations to pitch their chairs for viewing. Some stopped along the road, others went to festivals and others found unique view points along the route. In 2024, according to Abc News, the next eclipse path will travel from Texas to Maine.

Home Port

We stayed at an Airbnb home. It was a great experience, fantastic breakfast and beautiful home. Our host and hostess, and Amy, their daughter were incredibly generous. This had to be the best hostess for this type of event. I couldn’t imagine anyone more hospitable than both of them. Their home and property were the perfect locations. There was a Zen Swing, a chicken coop, chicken area, gardens, and tons of blackberries. The guests could pick the berries for snacks.

Dinner the Night Before the Eclipse

Needing a restaurant recommendation, they provided a perfect suggestion. And better yet, we got in and got the last reservation for the night. Thanks to the parking angel, we found parking right in front of the Magenta Restaurant. I ordered a delicious specialty cocktail of Mango and rum. When the entree came, I took a photo and devoured it. I completely enjoyed the crazy delicious spring rolls, salmon, wait staff and ambiance of the small restaurant.

Milky Way

Later that night, everyone laid on the grass and watched the Milky Way. Some people feel asleep watching the Milky Way. When one person woke, they couldn’t see a thing because it was so dark and crawled to the house making it to the front door. Once inside they bumped into the closest, not because they drank too much, but again because their eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark. They also were evidently very happy, because they sang in the shower, and talked to the soap, I think.

That was one guest, so let me include a little about the other guests. The people, the hostess selected were an outstanding group of individuals. They were all different ages, from different backgrounds, and hometowns, different walks of life. We all fit together regardless of our background. My hope is that I will see all of them again.

Who knows, maybe we’ll have a reunion next year to celebrate what we experienced together.

My Experience on 8-21-2017

On the day of the eclipse, I got up early, ready for the big event. I took some photos of sunrise because I thought it was beautiful at our sweet little spot. Additionally, I was curious if sun rise would look the same as the moon covered the sun. The answer is no – it looks different.

Sunrise Corvallis Oregon 8-21-2017

Totality Eclipse Starts Photo credits by Amy Belkins

Photo credit by Amy Belkins

Amy used her eclipse glass over her cell phone to take these pictures. We got the idea from my friend Mark Mueller-Eberstein, who wrote me on FB, and told me how to photograph the eclipse. I shared it with everyone at our site.

Kate dressed for the cooler weather and ready for the eclipse

My View of the Eclipse

For me, the best part of the experience was how everyone worked together. I am sharing other folks pictures because as I said, they are better than mine. But it also seems to me, that on a spiritual and romantic level, it seems to be what the experience was all about.

More interestingly to me, it was how everyone worked to make sure everyone was enjoying the experience. People shared their advice, photos, and kind words. It was a little community to me that was impressive, built around an event, a group of random people shared a once in a lifetime experience.

I can’t imagine what it must have been like for humans before they could predict an eclipse. It could be a really scary event if you didn’t know what it was or how long it would last or what made it happen.

Totality Eclipse Corvallis Oregon Photo credit by Amy Belkins

The collaborative nature of the eclipse was a bonding event for me. People shared a moment.

More Eclipse Pics

Photo credit by Amy Belkins

Photo credit by Amy Belkins

Amy Belkins – Photo credit – Love the moon shadow at the top of the Corona of the Totality Eclipse

Vineyard Mountain, Corvallis, Oregon totality eclipse-scape with Totality Eclipse
Photo credit by Amy Belkins

Second Round of Egg Collecting by the Girls

The girls collecting the 4 eggs laid after the eclipse, the chickens thought it was morning again so they laid their eggs twice

Traffic!

Traffic coming home wasn’t the same as going. We were in standing traffic for most of the way back to Seattle. Dead stops in some places, barely moving, then open lanes and suddenly the traffic was at a dead stop again.

We passed the half way mark to the North Pole on the freeway

More About Traffic

The reason I could take this picture even though I have seen it many times before is because – we were parked on the freeway. Our trip that would take 5 hours took about 10.5 hours. (I think) I fell asleep several times. Hail to all the drivers, who got everyone home safely. There were accidents, one burning car, an ambulance, and fire truck. All and all – with so many cars on the road – I think it could have been worse! It could have been like Woodstock when the freeway completely shut down for days. We didn’t have that and I am very grateful everyone arrived home safely.

I Loved being there, experiencing it, and I will never forget it, even though my buns are never going to be the same from sitting in the car for so long.

In 18 years and three days, the totality eclipse will happen again. I’ll go again if it’s close enough and I am around.

If you go to Corvallis consider these side trips

Visit University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon – One other note: Because the traffic was so light we took side trips to the University of Oregon in Eugene (This is where I went to summer school and my kids ran track events when they were in school in Washington.) Map here to the campus.

Visit the Eugene Oregon’s Pilgrims Cemetry – We found a headstone from 1803 and a Regimental Burial site. Map here

Get McDonald’s ice cream cones – I love them. It was perfect for a long car ride.