The eclipse had been on my calendar for eight months before August 21– I am quite a space nerd, and I was not going to miss the chance to see the sun fully eclipsed by the moon. I was so happy to learn that the path of totality cut through the southwestern tip of North Carolina! My brother Ford stayed at the Ironhorse lodge near Robbinsville with a college buddy to scope out the perfect eclipse viewing spot.
Early Monday morning I picked Alyssa up and drove from Boone to a pin my brother dropped the previous day. Thanks to Alyssa’s knowledge of back roads and highways, we avoided much of the traffic and arrived within four hours. We crossed over Cheoah Lake on our way to Round Mountain Cove to find a gorgeous rock face towering over us. It reminded me of the formations at Yosemite!
Once Alyssa and I parked and made our way down to the lake, my Ford and Kyle waved at us from down the street. They had been out holding their spot all day and decided to go for a walk to explore the area a bit more. They got into a few more shenanigans before the eclipse started– more specifically, they donned their swimsuits and bravely jumped in the ice cold water. Ford decided to swim the length of the lake, what a goon! I saw him contemplating his mistakes on the other side of the abyss while he was warming up for his trip back across. I joined in the cheers from the viewers around me as my brother swam back to safety.
Everyone went completely silent when the eclipse started, save for the occasional exclamation of “Wow!” or “Do you see that?” I was able to capture a bit of the progress through my lens, but nothing quite communicates the splendor of totality. I can’t wait until the next eclipse crossess over the US; it’s already in my calendar. : – )
