We settled into our camping spot, which had the perfect view for the next day’s eclipse viewing. We met some fellow campers and invited them to join us for the big event.

After finishing off our BLT’s, we brought out the cribbage board – a now routine evening activity when we travel. Tonight’s game was as close as you can get – we finished a hand with each of us one point away from a win, and Rachel got that point.

We woke Monday morning to a beautiful, clear sky. Not a cloud in sight! Rachel’s sister, Mary, was on her way to join us with their father and another friend. This would be her father’s 3rd total eclipse – 1932 at his home in Maine, 1972 in Nova Scotia (after bicycling with Mary from NH and camping along the way), and now in 2024. Traffic was a bit of a nightmare, but they made it with time to spare. We donned our eclipse glasses and watched as the moon continued to take a larger and larger bite out of the sun. It really was amazing how bright it still was when there was just a sliver of sun showing, and then it suddenly got dark. The corona that was visible at totality was gorgeous! I gave up early on trying to capture the eclipse progress with my phone camera, but I think I got a good shot of totality.

It was a great day to spend with family and new friends!