Eclipse 2017: In Celebration of a Family Farm, Friends, and Pure Awe

The "diamond ring" emerging from totality. Photo by Allen Denver.

In today's hyper-speed news cycles, the 2017 total eclipse that sliced across the USA on August 21 is old news. But in the days since, I've been replaying that amazing 1 minute and 48 seconds in my mind, lingering over the too-brief spectacle.

It was the most thrilling, mind-bending, magnificent natural event I've ever experienced.

The bonus? It capped a wonderful weekend on a family farm in the Willamette Valley filled with happy, interesting people, great food, and kick-back fun.  Life doesn't get much better.

Over 40 people and 7 dogs converged on the farm situated conveniently in the path of totality. We ranged in age from 6 to almost 80. Many of us pitched tents in the orchard, some slept in RVs and campers, while others lodged in the barn.

As people arrived over several days from Seattle, Portland, and even Santa Cruz, California, it was fun to meet old friends and make new ones. As Tonia said, it was like "a family reunion with the people you like even though some of us had never met."

Some went hiking and exploring in this beautiful, pastoral patch of the valley near Silverton, and some stayed close to relax, cook, or read. Several kids picked fat, sun-ripened blackberries for pie, which hostess extraordinaire Mary Lou helped them make.



The taste of late summer in the Pacific Northwest.

Although there was a possibility of clouds, I awoke before sunrise on Monday morning and peeked out of my tent to see sweet clear skies. As fast as possible, I threw on a fleece sweater and jeans, grabbed my cameras, and ran out in the morning quiet to shoot the sunrise, my favorite time of day.

 

Eclipse day sunrise - minus 4 hours.

After another hearty breakfast of farm fresh bacon, eggs, fruit, pancakes, and more, the anticipation edged up several notches.  We spread out in a couple open fields and patches with good views to the east, set up chairs and cameras, got out our eclipse glasses, and watched as the moon slowly crept across the sun in tiny but increasingly large increments.

Sheet spread out to catch the post-eclipse wave shadows.

About half an hour in, the light started to visibly dim, the temperature dropped, and a slight breeze picked up. I reached for my jacket and put it on.

As the moon encroached more over the sun, the light was unlike anything I've seen, as if someone turned down the dimmer switch in the sky.

Shortly before totality the roosters started crowing, and I heard what sounded like an owl hooting from the patch of woods behind the field. A short hush fell while the last sliver of light faded from view, as if everyone held an intake of breath for an extra second.

When I could no longer see any light at all through the eclipse glasses, I tore them off.

That first stunning glimpse of a big black circle in the black sky, surrounded by the white glow of the sun's corona shimmering outward in delicate filaments of light, will forever be seared in my mind. 

(For you art history types, it reminded me a bit of the dramatic crown of thorns in Grunewald's famous Eisenheim alterpiece, only more exquisitely gossamer.)

All the photos I've seen don't quite capture it. But they're close.

Totality. Photo by Allen Denver.

People whooped, I heard what sounded like a bomb or fireworks go off in the distance, and I found myself bouncing around, saying to no one in particular, "THIS IS SO AWESOME!!"

I'd heard people say to look around, so I did. In this instant predawn/dusk, there was a tinge of red on the horizon in every direction. 

Then I grabbed my camera and snapped some shots, put the camera down, put on my regular sunglasses and gazed up at that wondrous sight above again. I remember thinking, if this was a few thousand years ago and I didn't know what caused this, it would be a fearsome sight indeed.

Far too soon totality was over. I wanted more.

Some of us drove away quickly to try and beat traffic (no such luck) and some people stayed another night at the farm. I waited until after dinner and headed north at 6 pm. After 8 long hours on the road without a break, I pulled up to my home in Seattle at 2 a.m.

Of course I want to see another total eclipse now. Next time I wouldn't try to take any photos and would instead focus more on the sun and surrounding sky during totality, without sunglasses. I'd heard conflicting things about the safety of viewing without any protective lenses during totality (consensus: it's safe). As a result, I missed seeing the stars in the background around the sun.

So how about you? Did you make it to the totality zone and see this spectacular phenomenon? If so, how did you react or feel? Would love to hear about your experience in a comment below.

And perhaps Chile in 2019?

Photo by Allen Denver.

Happy trails and thanks for visiting Pacific Northwest Seasons! In between blog posts, visit Pacific NW Seasons on FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram for more Northwest photos and outdoors news.

Thanks to Allen Denver for letting me use some of his great eclipse photos. And extra special thanks to our generous and gracious hosts Mary Lou and Ben.

Northwest Fall Road Trip: Maryhill and east Columbia River Gorge

View from top of Horsethief Butte

October is a wonderful time for roadtripping in the Pacific Northwest. I asked my friend Mary to do a guest post after I saw her beautiful photos from  a recent overnight trip from the Seattle area to The Dalles, Oregon.

Our getaway down to the eastern Columbia River gorge was so much more than I expected. This trip made me very happy!

The Drive:  We started by driving east from the Seattle area on Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass past Ellensburg, south on Interstate 82 to Yakima, then south on Highway 97 to the Columbia River through Goldendale, and west on I-84 to The Dalles. 

Where We Slept:  We stayed at the Celilo Inn, which sits on a bluff with spectacular views of Mt. Hood, the Columbia River, and The Dalles. This inn is newly transformed from budget motel into a boutique hotel catering to the wine-touring crowd. I've never seen such a cool motel. [On October 16, Groupon offered a two-night package at the Celilo Inn! It might still be available today if it didn't sell out already.]

The view from our room was lovely, the bed was heavenly, and we enjoyed a swim on a warm fall day in their outdoor pool. In the evening, we were treated to wine and cheese on the patio as we relaxed by the fire and listened to a local musician while watching the sunset on the river.

The recently renovated Celilo Inn in The Dalles, Oregon

Dinner in The Dalles:  We had dinner at the historic Baldwin Saloon, which originally opened in 1876.  We enjoyed fresh, local halibut along with a Pheasant Valley organic Pinot Gris. Only Northwest wines are served at the Baldwin, with house pours from local wineries. For dessert we shared a generous piece of carrot cake. Just perfect.


Our Favorite Stretch of Road: After a light breakfast at Celilo Inn, we were ready to hit the road again. We crossed the Columbia River via The Dalles Bridge and then headed east on State Route 14, a wonderful road with so much to do and see along the way. 

Our first stop was Columbia Hills State Park to view the petroglyphs on the  Columbia River basalt along the river. This particular collection of over 40 petroglyphs and pictographs is bordered by a paved trail. While the carvings and paintings are sacred to the local Native Americans, they are open to the public.

Petroglyph near Horsethief Butte

 

And For Some Good Exercise:  Horsethief Butte in the Columbia Hills State Park is just awesome.  We noticed a hiking trail on the map  near the butte, so decided to check it out. We started not really knowing what to expect. The trail is very short, so basically the hike is a climb or scramble over the rocks to the top of the butte. 

Horsethief Butte

I wasn’t sure I could handle the climb because it looked steep, but my husband Michael convinced me to give it a shot. I'm so glad I went for it! The views were incredible in every direction. The top of the butte was cluttered with rock climbers, all decked out in their colorful climbing gear. We explored the many nooks and crannies at the top and  enjoyed the spectacular landscapes that completely surrounded us.
 

Yes, the view from atop Horsethief Butte is ahhhhhhh-some.

Rock climbers on Horsethief Butte

The Main Attraction:  Our main reason for taking this trip was to visit the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington.  Their new $10 million wing opened in May 2012. The original structure is a beautiful Beaux Arts style mansion built by railroad executive and entrepreneur Sam Hill. 

Maryhill Museum

I was so excited to arrive at the museum. The original mansion, the new modern addition, and the spectacular setting of the Columbia River and its banks was just so much beauty to behold. I was truly thrilled to be there and I hadn’t even stepped inside yet. 

The new Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing includes an education center, an outdoor plaza overlooking the river, a cafe and outdoor terrace, and the modern, all-glass Mt. Hood Gallery. The museum’s collection includes many sculptures and watercolors by Auguste Rodin, a large Native American collection, religious icons, a collection of chess sets from around the world, an outdoor sculpture garden, and much more.

On the terrace, Maryhill Mary and Bruce Stevenson wing

  
We had an excellent lunch at the museum’s cafe sitting outside on the terrace taking in another work of art, the Columbia River. Magnificent!


Another Must-See Stop: Maryhill Winery, on a bluff above the Columbia River and Gunkel Vineyard, is one of the oldest and most established vineyard sites in Washington.  We stopped and did a little wine tasting, and since everything we sampled tasted fabulous, we ended up walking away with a few bottles to take home.

View from Maryhill Winery 

And Before Heading Home: Just 3 miles east of Maryhill is the Stonehenge Memorial,  a replica built by Sam Hill and dedicated to local Klickitat County servicemen who died  during World War I.  Before we arrived at the war memorial I wasn’t sure what to think about a faux Stonehenge, but it turned out to be a powerful experience for us. 

Stonehenge Memorial, Goldendale, Washington

 We want to go back and tour more of the wineries in the area. Next trip!

When You Go.  A Washington highway map showing the areas we visited are sections 15 and 16 at this website. While this is a 3.5-hour drive from Seattle, it's less than a couple hours from Portland.