That was remarkable.
It almost looked fake. Like something in a movie. Like a black disk was put in front of a bright white spotlight and you can see the streaming of light around the edges. I was surprised how white the sun's light was. After2 1/2 minutes, where I was, the "diamond" on the edge appeared signaling the end. Just amazing.
What I noticed. My son and his girlfriend were not expecting much but were wow'ed. I heard the cicadas and crickets as things got dimmer. In totality, the sky and surroundings didn't get nighttime black as I thought but maybe half an hour before nighttime.
As I looked toward the horizon, it was brighter and I realized we were actually under the penumbra. As the shadow of the moon moved, you could sort of detect it running toward the horizon. We had an advantage of being on high ground.
We couldn't see stars or planets as some had said but we were getting some wispy clouds moving into the area. Fortunately they didn't interfere at all with viewing.
"Eclipse glasses" worked great! Don't even think of taking them off until you get totality of the sun! You can tell when that is just by watching the sun. And when you see the diamond, put them back on. Things light up quickly!
Despite all the warnings about traffic, food and gas, we had no issues with any of that until we came home. We left my son's house about a half hour afterwards and the highway was slow and go half the way home and crowded. So maybe an extra 20 minutes for a one hour drive. Beforehand, I didn't notice anything different though, if someone told me highway traffic was a touch heavier, I would believe them.
This was fun. The most unusual thing I think I've ever seen. Another one in the USA is in 2024 just south of me and I will take the hour or so drive to see another one. Two might be enough for me but, again, this was fun!
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