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After waking up fairly early, I went for a short walk around the neighborhood I was staying in.  For those of you that are hashers, I saw some good places to lay trail!  See photo below! Continue reading “Long day’s journey into night”

So, we left Bend OR in the early morning of the eclipse and headed east to ‘get away from the crowds.’  We decided a spot near water would be good so we found Chickahominy Reservoir off of Rt. 20 and stopped there.  The terrain there was pretty much like a desert, except for this oasis of a reservoir.  There were a couple other eclipsers there, and by the time we got there the eclipse was already about 50% through.  As we were driving we could tell a difference in the quality of the light.

So, we sat there with our glasses (only looking a few seconds at a time so as not to injure our eyes 🙂 ) and watched the moon pass in front of the sun.  There were some birds around and they got quiet for a little while.  We actually were not in a place of totality, but around 99.6% or so.  And, as I had heard previously, it doesn’t get uber dark when you’re not in a location of totality.  But the light had an eerie quality to it.  Not exactly dusk.  Not dark but not light.  It was cool to be in a place that was so quiet.

After that, a non-exciting drive back to Reno passing through a few little towns (one was Litchfield – population 35).  We stopped for smoothies in one place but otherwise just drove back to Reno.

In the evening we had dinner at Chipotle and went to see “Hitman’s Bodyguard.”  If you like action movies, this movie is the one for you.  I enjoyed it.

Here are some pics from yesterday’s fun:

Chickahominy Reservoir

Crappy eclipse photo with glasses on my camera

Lake Abert

Festive smoothie place in Lakeview, OR

Yesterday we hiked on the Tumalo Falls trails.  We did an out-and-back of about 7 miles or so.  Saw lots of beautiful waterfalls.  Kenn came along.

We were rewarded afterwards by (or, I was anyway) with a visit to the PourHouse where I had a Boneyard Brewing Company RPM IPA (yummy) paired with some seafood mac-n-cheese (also yummy).

After that, back to the house and then a slight rest until we went to check out downtown Bend.  It’s a nice little downtown – a little touristy but not too bad.   A nice park.

Today we’re heading east to watch the eclipse away from some of the crowds (hopefully).  Bend does not feel as inundated as we were expecting – doesn’t seem overcrowded much at all.

Anyway, here are some photos from the day:

 Beginning of the Tumalo Falls Trail
(Bicycles can go up this side of the trail, but have to take another trail back down so they don’t run over all of the pedestrians)

 Kenn pointing out some scenery

 Cali the dog Scenic downtown Bend

OK, another stellar weather day in Bend OR.  Cool, low humidity, another mighty fine cup o’ joe and breakfast being cooked in the kitchen as I sit here. Continue reading “I survived …”

OK, Day 2 of the eclipse trip!  Made it into Reno last night.  The flight to Reno wasn’t bad.  Both flights (PHL-PHX, PHX -RNO) were on time despite the flight attendants for PHL-PHX arriving a little late.

After arriving, changing my clothes and taking the dog for a walk, we rode into downtown on a SCOOTER (I know, right?), and walked around the relatively small downtown (biggest little city!).   Downtown Reno itself is pretty small, and much of it has changed since I was here last (when I was probably in my teens maybe)

We got up early yesterday morning to hit the road to Bend, OR.  Traffic on the way here wasn’t bad … yet.  I can smell smoke and have had ash fall on me from nearby wildfires (luckily none of which I’ve seen).  The smell reminds me of camping.  Last night after a filling dinner of yummy leftovers we had a rousing game of Ladder Ball.

Today we’re supposed to go mountain biking and then to a local brewery for some good ol’ fashioned beer tasting.  For now I am sitting in a quiet house, overlooking a beautiful backyard, and enjoying a mighty fine cup o’ joe.

I’ll write more later.  In the meantime, enjoy some pictures from the past two days…

Adin, OR