On August 13, I left my home town of Bloomington, Indiana on my bicycle and rode it 450 miles to, and around parts of southwestern Kentucky to find a place to view the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 21, 2017. I found the most epic location to view what was easily one of the most epic things I've ever seen with my own eyes. Internet access was limited during my travel, so I wasn't able to update here as I went, so I'm posting this blog in retro.
August 12, 2017
Tomorrow...
August 13, 2017
Kentucky bound once again to bare witness to one of the best shows of nature on Earth. A total eclipse of the Sun.
Stealth camped behind a church in Loogootee, Indiana.
August 14, 2017
Not a whole lot to see today coming down 231, just an ocean of corn and soy. If it weren't for the rolling hills I'd swear I was in the northern half of the state.
Also a coal power plant that looks nuclear but isn't, as judging by the mountain of coal around back.
Stealth camped in the back of a cemetery near Rockport, Indiana.
August 15, 2017
Gotta admit, leaving my home state for parts unknown via bicycle is a pretty great feeling. Smiling from ear to ear.
Owensboro, Kentucky
Near Calhoun, KY
Stealth camped in the woods at the back of another cemetery somewhere between Calhoun and Madisonville, Kentucky.
August 16, 2017
Felt like I was riding in an oven today. Still managed 50 miles regardless. Just takes a lot of water, Gatorade and a slower pace. Clouds are awesome on days like this too.
Stealth camped in a thin patch of woods next to the Walmart in Princeton, Kentucky.
August 17, 2017
Northern extremity of Lake Barkley. I can see this area being full of boats come eclipse day.
Stealth camped in a good, peace and quiet forest in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
August 18, 2017
I do believe that is state #36 that I've biked to. (I once spent a year bicycling to all four corners of the USA. May 31,2015 to June 16, 2016)
I only went in a few miles to see a herd of Buffalo and then biked back into Kentucky.
August 19, 2017
Camped out in someone's yard on the south side of Hopkinsville, Kentucky tonight. I was at the YMCA taking a badly needed shower and upon leaving, a fella by the name of Leed (not sure of spelling) offered his yard. (Me on the left) Especially great because the woods I was intending on wild camping in was already full of tents! Ha
Anyways, the forecast for Monday's eclipse is looking good. I feel like there should be an asterisk for that day. Mostly sunny, *with a touch of mid-day night time.
August 20, 2017
Did a little stroll through the country side east of Hopkinsville to scope out potential spots to view the eclipse. Pilots Rock
From the top of Pilots Rock I saw the most peculiar thing on the horizon, so naturally I biked 7 miles to see it up close. My eyes weren't deceiving me. An obelisk every bit as large as the one in Washington, D.C., but in a tiny neighborhood sized town in the Kentucky country side. Jefferson Davis Memorial
Tobacco field in the foreground.
Hopkinsville is hoppin' tonight. Traffic is picking up noticeably. Tomorrow is the big day.
August 21, 2017
It was the most fascinatingly eerie feeling riding down a tiny country road surrounded by farm land knowing that in just a few short hours everything I'm looking at would descend into a kind of darkness the likes of which this patch of Earth hasn't seen for probably thousands of years, and probably won't see again for thousands more...a kind of darkness that terrified our ancient ancestors into thinking the sun had died and that the world was about to die. It was as if the eeriness I was feeling was a lingering terror from our ancient ancestors transcending time, but tempered down, knowing full well what was happening and that everything would be just fine.
Seeing a total solar eclipse for the first time with my own eyes was easily one of the most epic things I've ever seen. Pictures and video can't ever capture the feeling of actually being there, no matter how hard anyone tries.
I couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. It was quite a party at Pilots Rock, northeast of Hopkinsville. Currently hitching a ride home with my dad who drove down to see the eclipse. Here's a photo of the pre-eclipse scene along with my camera rig that I let record video during the event. 3 cameras, 3 angles, 1 tripod.
3 raw videos:
People cam
GoPro
The Eclipsed Sun (skip to 0:45 to bypass blurry portion)
Post Script:
All in all it was an epic week capped off by an epic moment that will be emblazoned on my mind until the day I die. Well worth the 450 miles of bicycling that preceded it. Keep an eye on my blog. I recorded video all throughout the journey and an adventure video is starting to come together.