I realized a few months ago that my condo was located about 45 minutes from the zone of Totality for the Total Solar Eclipse that was expected today. Not wanting to miss the amazing, possibly once in a lifetime experience, I decided to drive north to find a good spot to watch. And, I since I was venturing away from home already (against the advice of the locals), I figured I might as well go as deep into the zone as I could. With help from some research and webinars, I identified a good location (with 3 minutes and 35 seconds of Totality): Newport, VT, a quiet little town is located only a few miles from the US/Canada border. I did some teleworking early (logged 1.5 hours) and then left my condo at 0715. Out of state cars were racing through Hanover (tailgating me) but I outsmarted them by using side roads that only locals know... Once on I-91, I didn't see too much traffic but there were more speed demons all the way. Encountered very little snow until about 30 miles from my destination (at a place with a sign for the “highest point on I-91”). Listened to audiobooks during the ride. Got to Newport by 0845 and parked at Wendy’s. Once situated, I teleworked (using the restaurant WiFi) from my car for about three hours. The town didn’t seem busy, initially, but the parking lot of the Wendy's was full before noon. When I started to get hungry, I found that the Wendy’s was already packed. Gave up the idea of food just then and continued teleworking. Just after that, though, my laptop battery drained. After that, I walked around for a while, looking for an outlet to use for recharge. Temps were pleasant (40s but sunny). It was already hard to move because there were so many people. When I got anywhere near a road, it was clear that there were also a lot of drivers who didn't think the lanes or rules applied to them. I walked along shore of beautiful Lake Memphremagog and looked for access points to the Eclipse viewing spot: Prouty Beach. On the way, I located an outdoor power outlet (and bathroom) at the East Side Restaurant. The place was already extremely busy but I was able to spend the next hour charging my laptop and continuing to telework - all while relaxing in a rocking chair on the deck. During that time, I overheard interesting conversations (eclipse, lost wallets, annoyed people waiting for lunch reservations, etc.). At 1300, I returned to my car and teleworked for another hour. By that point, all the internet options (including on my phone) had ceased to work due to network saturation from the high volume of visitors. The timing wasn't bad - the big event was approaching! I got all my gear (eclipse glasses, binoculars, folding chair, water) and started walking towards Prouty Beach. On the way, I met some folks from Massachusetts who had just arrived (they left home before 0600) and a young couple from Littleton who often vacation in the area (they keep a boat on the lake during the summer). By the time I arrived at the lakefront, the weather was spectacular - sunny, no clouds and in the 50s! Just as I arrived (1417), the assembled crowd (probably 1000 people) cheered loudly because the moon had started to cover the sun. This phase of the eclipse took more than an hour but I never grew tired of watching the celestial event with my commemorative eclipse glasses (provided by the Town of Newport; I'll add them to my "collection"). While viewing the developing eclipse, I was pleasantly surprised to see the moon almost in 3D profile as it got in the way of the bright sun. Unfortunately, my iPhone 8 was not up to the task of getting good photos but I got to see the ones that other people near me took. However, even those better ones didn’t do justice what we were seeing in the sky. For almost 30 minutes, there wasn’t much action (perhaps due to earth rotation?). Meanwhile, I talked to others in the crowd and ended up meeting families from near my home in the Upper Valley. At 1510, the air got noticeably colder and I began to wish I'd brought a jacket! Just as Totality began (1526), I managed to capture (video) the excitement in the crowd as the sun went dark. It was interesting to watch the behavior of animals (especially a nearby Siberian Husky) in the vicinity - they all acted quite skittish. Meanwhile, the shadows lengthened until it seemed like dusk - everything I’d expected would happen. But the effect of the sun being blocked was altogether different from what I’ve seen all my life and filled me with awe. The best word to describe the “pseudo-night” was “eerie.” There were planets visible in the darkened skies, solar flares shone like pinpoints in a brilliant orange and the Corona was so amazing to watch with the naked eye. I also got to use my binoculars and the view was even better - I saw terrain (mountains, craters) on the moon! Everyone was acutely aware that the sun would triumphantly return and we all kept watching the time. At about 1530, it only took one, tiny bit of sunlight to nearly erase the entire effect of the eclipse. The crowd cheered as it instantly seemed to become day again. As things began to return to normal, I watched the sun/moon through my eclipse glasses for a little while. The local authorities kept talking about how everyone should stay at Prouty Beach "until the traffic dies down". They added that they had live music, food and other activities planned for the next hour (since the eclipse didn't official end until almost 1630). This offer didn't appeal to me and I started walking towards my car. On the way, I talked to some eclipse enthusiasts with larger telescopes and exchanged socials with one who promised to send some of his awesome photos later (he was true to his word). By 1600, was able to quickly leave the Wendy's parking lot and make my way back towards I-91. However, I soon found myself in a huge traffic jam. Since I normally don't like being stuck in such "standstills", I tried several avenues to escape. First, I tried VT-191 (which I'd used in the morning). That didn't look good so I next tried US-5 (north). Again, I got stuck for a long time before I was able to by surface streets. Somehow, Mollie was able to break through the otherwise "no signal" situation and we talked until my phone lost service. This was a common theme for the next several hours - I never really had any kind of mobile phone service until I was home. Eventually (after several aborted attempts), I found myself on a road with less traffic: Darling Hill Road. I took one turn, on Shattuck Hill Road, that took me up to a beautiful overlook (where I could see the whole lake). There was too much traffic in that area too, though, so I headed back to Darling Hill Road and drove north all the way to the Canadian Border. Just before crossing, I took Beebe Road and made my way to to US-5 (on the east side of I-91) and the town of Derby. From there, I got on I-91. What a relief - there wasn't any traffic and I was hopeful this boded well. Sadly, though, this was the start of many hours of frustration... I hit traffic as I reached VT-191 and it was horrible from there. I listened to audiobooks to pass the time but the constant brake-gas-brake was starting to wear on me by the time I reached one hour since ignition. Just then, my Google Maps (which hadn't been working) added ab extra hour to my journey! Apparently, there was a huge accident near the I-91/I-93 junction - grrrr. Fortunately, I was able to get off the Interstate at VT-16. From there, I followed a huge line of cars (probably using the same app) south through snow covered hills and curvy roads. Switched to VT-15 and then drove to US-2 (West Danville). From there, though, things got really interesting as the routing took us through several miles of muddy roads (Keiser Pond Road). We ultimately reached the (paved) Peacham Danville Road and continued south. I had to drive on Bayley-Hazen Road, Peacham-Groton Road, Peacham Road and Minard Hill Road before I finally got to US-302. This (finally) took me to I-91 and I then found myself in stop and go traffic the rest of the way - ugh. As I drove, I ate "dinner" and listened to more audiobooks. By the time I got off the Interstate in Norwich, it was already 2015. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic going through Hanover and I was at my condo by 2030 (4.5 hours of driving). The long day and nasty traffic were small prices to pay in order to witness something so amazing and I’m really glad I made the trip to Newport. Wow!
