I decided to see the 2017 eclipse since I’d never seen one before in my life, and I needed a reason to go a trip this year. However, this would be my first long trip in a car, by Subaru Crosstrek, instead of by motorcycle. On my 2015 trip to Newfoundland, I decided that I was cutting it too close due to the arthritis in my hands, as well as elsewhere. The plan was to car camp about half of the time, and that worked out pretty well.
Prime eclipse viewing wold be in Oregon, but I’d already heard the stories of price gouging and crowds, and I wanted to avoid that, although some of friends elected to go that way. I also had some thing I wanted to see in the Midwest, so I started thinking about Missouri since that seemed to be one of the most unpopular places for eclipse viewing, but they were putting up web advertisements to lure eclipse tourists, which seemed to be a good sign. I didn’t do a lot of up front investigating of where exactly I wanted to go, but instead reserved a Motel 6 room in the general vicinity of where I wanted to go, noting that there were adequate roads for fine tuning my location in real time.
I decided to take two different tents with me for different campsite options. One was a large 4 person REI for comfort and the other was a 2 person ultralight from Big Agnes for tight spaces and quick pitching. I had a hybrid insulated air mattress that I had used on previous car camping trips but this time I intended to use a very small and compact battery powered pump to blow it up. I also brought along my Allen folding bicycle from Walmart. I had just replaced a set of Michelins that wore out quickly with a fresh set of Bridgestones from Costco.
At the last minute I received from Amazon a small solar telescope, but along the way I received a warning from Amazon not use it and that I would get a full refund. So much for preparations. I also got a new crown that came in right before I left and I realized that I was overdue for an oil change – actually my car, of course. I managed to get to dealer (thought of doing it myself but decided that I had no margin for error since the oil filter was on really tight and started deforming when I tried to remove it) the morning of my departure and headed out of town straight from there.
My first destination was Las Vegas. I ran into really heavy rain, thunder and lightning and this was the first of many time I was glad to be in a car instead of a bike. I’d ridden through plenty of very heavy storms, but I’m getting old. Watched the car outdoor temperature drop from 104 to 65F as I drove through the storm. I stayed at eh I-15 Motel 6 which was pretty nice for a Motel 6. I tend to stay at M6s since they are cheap and easy to find. They have a national directory which makes it easy to plan ahead, and you know what you’re going to get most of the time, just like McDonalds. Never great, but kind of consistent and you’re probably not going to die.
The next day I realized that I’d forgotten my prescription drugs at home and that the hard drives for my laptop had gone bad. This prompted a trip to Costco for their pharmacy and their cheap 2.5” hard drives. The hard drives were easy, but it would take a couple of days to get my drugs. So, it was off to my first sight seeing destination, Ely, with the knowledge that I’d have to make a return trip to Las Vegas.
Ely is at 7000’ altitude so the temperature is much nicer than Vegas, although you might get a little faint at first. The scenery also improves as you get closer to Ely. I checked out the big train museum although it was closing as I got there. I learned when the train rides started and walked around the yard to plan my tour the next day. I stayed in the local KOA which was pretty nice and just a little bit out of town. I had an inspiration and visited the local hardware store to pick up a 25’ extension cord and a fluorescent drop light. Since I got tent sites with water and power, this allowed me to easily late at night, charge up my camera batteries, and power my laptop. I’d also purchased a small plastic water boiler before the trip, and this meant I almost never had to use my gas stove. Starbuck Via coffee works fine for me as well as instant oatmeal and granola. Most dinners I ate out.
The next day I splurged for breakfast at a nice cafe near the train museum, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, one of the 3 big Nevada rail museums. I purchased my train (diesel) ride ticket and enjoyed the ride. The ride drops you off at the big shed that you can only visit via guided tours. I understand that the shed was a gift from a very wealthy admirer of the museum. Some people really like trains. I had a good time walking around the yards and went on a guided tour of the big maintenance shed. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/ElyRail2017/index.html
I got done by noon so I drove out through some crappy weather to Big Basin National Park. At the lower visitor center the ranger warned me that the weather was pretty bad higher up and it probably wasn’t safe to go hiking at that time due to the lightning and poor visibility. It started clearing a little as I got to Lehman Caves visitor center and went on the short nature walk. Cave tours of course were all booked up. I drove up hight to the Bristlecone parking lot and walked the very short Sky Loop train which is mostly boardwalk. The weather was drying but it was getting late so I decided not to try any longer hikes. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/GreatBasin2017/index.html
Back to Ely and the KOA. One disappoint was that I found that I’d forgotten to load Adobe Lightroom software on my laptop before I left home and Adobe had changed its policies so that it was no longer easy to download a new copy. I gave up and decided to look for new software. I didn’t really find a good solution till I got home. Anyway, I wasn’t able to process and upload my photos as I went, as I had planned. I did celebrate the day by going to a Mexican restaurant in Ely. I have a lot of dietary restrictions so normally eating isn’t a big part of my travel experiences these days.
So the next day I retraced my path back to the Las Vegas Costco and picked up my prescriptions and made use of this delay to see the Las Vegas Obon festival which I knew about but thought I wasn’t going to attend. I was wondering how you celebrate obon (Japanese version of Day of the Dead) since normally you dance outdoors and it’s kind of hot in Vegas. I found that the solution was to use a large high school gym. Mainly cultural displays and Ondo (dancing) but there was a large crowd and I recognized people from Los Angeles. From there I took off for Cedar City KOA to get back on schedule. This KOA was right in town, but that was kind of convenient and there was more rain. Obon photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/LasVegasObon2017/index.html
I’d passed by a heritage museum on the way into town so I decided to learn a little about early Utah and visit it the next morning:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Frontier%20Homestead%20State%20Park2017/index.html
I think I was the first visitor of the day. I hadn’t planned on it, but Cedar Breaks was close by and the weather was better so I headed there next:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/CedarBreaks2017/index.html
It was a steep climb and my car barely made it. Just went to overlooks and skipped hikes due to high altitude and ominous weather. Decided to drive towards Grand Staircase National Monument, the one Trump wants to decrease in size, which I think is a really bad idea. I had lunch at 50s diner in the middle of nowhere; I liked the food. The visitor center came up early in Cannonville and decided to call it quits and stay at the KOA there, where I’d stayed once before on my earlier trip to Zion. Per advice from visitor center went to Kodachrome Basin State Park and started short hike but rain started. Got photo of very small bridge but good views:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/KodachromeBasin2017/index.html
I did go on a hike there to a small natural bridge and got chased out by rain just as I finished. Washed clothes and had two Unita beers at the KOA. They were pretty good. I had to warm up something for dinner since there aren’t any restaurants that were close by and open.
The next day it wasn ice enough in the AM, but it was overcast with storms in the late afternoon. Next destination was the the Escalante Great Staircase visitor center (different from the one I visited the day before. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/GrandStaircase2017/index.html
This is a big national monument. this time I grabbed breakfast in town on the road and per the visitor center’s advice drove to the
Anasazi State park and toured the museum and ruins. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AnasaziStatePark2017/index.html
From there it was on to Capitol Reef with a lunch stop of tacos right outside of the park. I’d been there before but I hadn’t seen Hickman Natrual Bridge. I stopped at the Visitor Center for and info dump on Hickman Bridge. Also learned that there was a ranger talk on Fremont peoples at Petroglyph site on the way so I stopped there first. Capitol Reef is also known for the apple orchards that the Mormon settlers had planted and the trees are still producing. They were in season so I picked apples for $4, honor system. Finally I got to the trail head and packed all my rain gear since the sky didn’t look too good. i hiked to Hickman Bridge and got caught in downpour right at Bridge. Felt sorry for the people who only had T-shirts since it was pretty heavy. The bridge is pretty impressive and you get to walk right under it. On the way back I found site of a pithouse as described on the trail guide. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/HickmanBridge2017/index.html
After that adventure drove to the Green River KOA, which was on the outskirts of town and plenty of room. It was in walking distance of the very nice Tamarisk restaurant which had a great salad bar and gave KOA guests a discount. Crossed the street and read placards outside of Powell Museum which was of course closed. The placards were pretty extensive and informative. The next morning I treated myself to breakfast at the Tamarisk and went back across the street to get into the Powell Museum, which is dedicated to the heroic explorer. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/PowellMuseum2017/index.html
Next it was off to Canyonlands. I decided to skip Arches since I heard it was very crowded. I’ll save it for another day. Checked in at visitor center and decided to hike to the Bridge view and the crater. Also went to the Green River and Grand View overlooks. Impressive storms could be seen in the distance, but fortunately they weren’t headed my way. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Canyonlands2017/index.html
Drove to the Cortez CO KOA which was just outside of town. Dinner at J. Fargo’s Family Dining & Micro Brewery, which was okay. Saw signs to Hovenweep – caught that on trip home.
August 9 was a nice day and after breakfast at Dennys I took off for Chimney Rock National Monument, the one in Colorado. I noticed the signs on my 2015 trip but didn’t know what it was. I kicked myself when I found it was another Native American site. However, there was a loud bang from my car on the gravel approach road to the visitor center and a horrible screeching sound after that. No cell reception in that area, but the Visitor Center let me call AAA on their land line. AAA told me that I probably should get my car towed to the nearest Subaru dealer, which happened to be in Durango. I amused myself by watching an atlatl demonstration. Finally the tow truck (actually it was the big flatbed kind) showed up and I was hauled back to Morehart Subaru in Durango where they said it was probably just a rock in the calipers and it cured itself. These guys were great since they put my car up on a rack to inspect it and didn’t charge anything.
This killed my plants for the day so I went out of town and got camp site at the local KOA. This was the same place I stayed at on my 2015 trip. Expensive for a campground, but a bargain compared to the motels in Durango. As long as I was there I decided to do some grocery resupply and found the local outdoor shop. I needed some more tent pegs (REI wasn’t very generous in providing for their tent), a small duffle to help get organized, some other odds and ends and a long sleeve shirt since I was getting tired of spraying on sun screen all the time. This took me down to the local river walk which was pretty and under used and also to the local science center which was closed. I went to the north side of town to sample some beers and get some dinner at the Durango Brewing Company. It was okay.
Rested up and tried again for Chimney Rock the next day. Nice weather in the AM. No weird sounds and I made it down the gravel road without problems. I got there in time to join the guided tour of Chimney Rock, which is the only way to see the upper ruins. You drive up a dirt road to the upper parking lot (too far to easily walk) and group up there. First you tour the lower ruins take a break, and then start the ascent to the upper ruins which may have been some kind of observatory and of course Chimney rock. They said that the entire surrounding area is probably full of un-excavated sites. Not too bad a hike, actually, and a great view. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/ChimneyRock2017/index.html
From there it was on to the Taco Bell in Pegosa Springs with dinner at Shamrock Brewing in Pueblo, which I’d also visited 2 years ago. I went north of town to the Pueblo KOA in time for a heavy downpour after I pitched my tent. Everything was a little muddy in the morning, which gave me the idea I needed to eventually get a spray nozzle for the short water hose I carry with me. I backtracked to the Target in Pueblo to get some T shirts (another item I’d forgotten to pack) and a nozzle, and decided to do some sight seeing in town. The first stop was the Rosemont Museum which is a large mansion you can visit via guided tour. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside. I had lunch at Brues Alehouse (I liked it and the food looked healthy, and you can also get coffee) on the Riverwalk, which is quite attractive. I spent the afternoon at the Weisbrod Air Museum which was much more extensive than I had expected. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Weisbrod2017/index.html
Then it was time to head East again and I departed for Lamar. Rains, sometimes heavy. I thought it was interesting that for part of the way I was on the Santa Fe Trail by chance. Lamar was small and atypically I stayed at the Chek Inn, an old style motor inn that served my purposes. I had dinner at BJs Burgers, a local fast food place which featured intercoms for odering from the tables, but I just used the window. I cannot eat hamburgers because of the buns, but they had tacos. Should have ordered more of them.
The next day, a Saturday, was overcast, followed by light rain and even some storms. I left the Check Inn after breakfast from stores; that is, more instant oatmeal and coffee with soy milk. I continued on the Santa Fe Trail and then happened on the site of the Amanche Concentration site, outside of Granada, completely by chance. Met two couples who rode in on Harley Davidson bikes there and gave them a little talk on the Evacuation experience to supplement the signage. They were genuinely interested and disappointed, as was I, that the museum was already closed for the season. Apparently it’s staffed by local students so when school starts, they have to leave. The road wasn’t too bad up to the orientation area with the placards and picnic benches, but after that it got pretty bad so I decided to walk, since now the weather wasn’t bad. There are signs up showing the locations of various buildings, and a watchtower and barracks have been recreated. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Amache2017/index.html
I maintained my serendipity and next happened on Fort Larned National Monument. This is a pretty extensive restoration and there is a museum and various buildings you can tour. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortLarned2017/index.html
Lunch was a Kind Bar and later some Taco Bell taco. My doctor probably doesn’t approve, but tacos seem to be one of the few low glycemic fast foods. The stop for the night was at the KOA in Salina, Kansas and
dinner was at the Blue Skye Brewery downtown. ordered a humus plate and salad. The beers were okay, but on the mild side for my tastes. The KOA here was kind of on the edge of town and had a Wizard of Oz theme. I used the comfortable laundry there in the morning since I wasn’t in a rush to anywhere.
The day started overcast and then turned to sun. I splurged and had breakfast at the nearby IHOP and then drove to Topeka to see the Brown vs Board of Education National Historical Monument. This was inside of a renovated school building and mainly featured a multi media display. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/BrownvBoard2017/index.html
The next stop was the Kansas History Center. This was a pretty fair sized museum and included a system of trails around it. I took the very short one that looped around. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/KansasHistory2017/index.html
I ended up at the Columbia East (Missouri) Motel 6 and had dinner at Flat Branch Pub and Brewing. I think this was one of the better Motel 6s for the money. Usually they don’t fall below a certain level, but sometimes they can be quite good, especially towards the center of the country. This was probably the best beer on the trip, and I think the food was okay, too. A supermarket was near the motel, which was convenient since I needed some more breakfast supplies. The next day, Monday, was overcast but I was going to Cahokia in Illinois. I’d been there once before on my cross country bicycle trip in 1982. A lot had changed and there is now a nice big visitor center with lots of displays. It’s amazing how good some state museums can be. They even gave me a free pair of certified eclipse glasses. I spent a lot of time here and did a lot of walking to the various mounds. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Cahokia2017/index.html
That night I stayed at the Mount Vernon Motel 6 in IL and had a salad at the McDonalds.
Tuesday, the next day, I had to hustle because I wanted to fit in Wickliffe Mounds in Kentucky and Fort Donelson in TN. Wickliffe Mounds is small but interesting if you fit it in to the overall context of ancient Native American sites. Again, the entire area is probably full of un-excavated sites. The museum does not allow photography. In the past it was privately exploited as a sort of tourist trap, but now it is a state park. Apparently it was some kind of funerary site, like the one I visited in Newfoundland. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Wickliffe2017/index.html
Next it was a dash to Fort Donelson. I’d driven past it in 2015, but it wasn’t till later that I read about its historical Civil War significance. The regular visitor center was closed for renovation but a temporary one was open with some good exhibits. You can take a driving tour, which I did. The actual fort is now just depressions in the ground, as it pretty much originally was. However, batteries down by the river have been restored and they give an idea of what is was like. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortDonelson2017/index.html
On the journey back northwards I encountered Amish in horse carts. That night I stayed at the pretty basic Evansville Motel 6 and had more McDonalds. Traffic patterns a little difficult in that area. I did have the energy to drive to Carson Brewing which was in an industrial area. Not too bad, but I got there near closing.
The next day, Wednesday was overcast and started with breakfast at Dennys. No point in an early start since I was heading for Angel Mounds which wasn’t too far away. Angel Mounds is large with good walking; kind of a smaller version of Cahokia, including more reconstructed walls. The visitor center has nice displays. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AngelMounds2017/index.html
Overcast, Thunderstorms in the PM. Lunch was at McDonalds: salad + oatmeal. Outside of California you cannot get oatmeal without sugar. They claim it’s all prepackaged. Also had another Kind Bar and an afternoon snack of 2 Taco Bell tacos. The evening found me at a Motel 6 in a truck stop sort of location in Franklin, OH. I dashed across the street to have a salad at Wendys for a change and it wasn’t too bad.
Thursday beakfast was at a cafe called Mom’s in a gas station. It was okay. Today was another big day since my first destination was Serpent Mound, a destination I’d thought of visiting a couple of times before but hadn’t been able to justify the side trip. Now, it wasn’t a side trip. Serpent mound isn’t that spectacular, in fact none of the Native American archaeological sites are spectacular with maybe the exception of Cahokia. They are spectacular taken as a whole and the story they tell of mostly lost civilizations that were spectacular in their own time. It also makes you aware of how much was plowed under, looted, or outright destroyed for no good reason before anyone started to value it. Even the disrespectful exploitations had some value since they did preserved the sites. Serpent Mound is important since it is an effigy site and there aren’t too many that we know of. There is a viewing tower that allows you to see that it really does look like a snake. The visitor center is small but does have some exhibits and information. Signs are up that show the celestial alignments of parts of the snake, and there are some small “sighting mounds”. The state park itself is on the edge of a Permian era huge meteor impact site. Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy in the world.
Overcast, hot, and then a downpour as I drove to Fort Ancient. Not much around and I was glad to be able to buy fried chicken at a gas station deli and it was pretty good. Fortunately, the downpour really came after I was already inside the Fort Ancient visitor center and museum, and there was plenty to see in the museum as I waited for the rain to wane. Another time of many that I was glad to not be on a motorcycle. The site is flat and large and driving around is a good idea. This is another place where it’s a good idea to study the maps and info in the museum since it’s not obvious what you’re looking at otherwise. A lot of the park work dates back to the Civilian Conservation Corps and not everything has been kept up. However, there are many informative signs around that try to give you a feel for where you are. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortAncient2017/index.html
I decided to make it a really busy day and made a deep dive back into civilization to see the Cincinnati Art Museum since it was open late. To get there I really had to trust my GPS and for once it didn’t drop the ball. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Cincinatti%20Art%20Museum2017/index.html
The museum was definitely worth the stop. I put together a take out dinner (no fast food placed around) from a Kroger branded supermarket cold deli. In Southern California we have Ralphs which is owned by Kroger, but this was the first time I saw an actual Kroger supermarket, but I guess that makes sense because Cincinati is the location of their headquarters. I too my feast to the Crooked Handle Brewery in Springboro OH. This is where the GPS was back to its normal tricks since it was a real pain finding this brewery, which was in a large shopping area. The beer was okay. Spent the night at the Franklin Motel 6 again
Friday was mostly good weather for the area. I made my own breakfast from stores and left the Franklin Motel 6 for Columbus. My first destination was the Ohio History Connection and Ohio village. This is a large museum and the village is sort of a small version of Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford. It contains furnished buildings with staff in costume who explain life in what I think was the late 1800s. I enjoyed it but there was no one in the bicycle shop. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/OhioHistoryConnection2017/index.html
Kind Bar for lunch again since I wanted to make a quick trip to the Air Force Museum and the newly opened Hanger 4. Some interesting things in there and I also poked my head quickly in some other hangars as I exited. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AirForceMuseum2017/index.html
From there I headed to the Richmond IN KOA which was kind of nice. The tent camp sites were right on their pond. For dinner it was just a Wendys salad and chili for dinner but I did make it to New Boswell Brewing a little farther south on Chester Road. Even with a GPS it was a little tough to find this brewery since it set back in a parking lot, and not where the GPS said. There was also a lot of roadwork which made getting around in town difficult. It looked like the brewery was near or part of a project to improve the old part of town with a renovated commercial building housing cafes and shops.
August 19 was a Saturday and it was hot and sunny with downpours on the way into Terre Haute. Breakfast from stores (instant oatmeal and granola). I got curious and made unplanned stop at Wilbur Wright’s birthplace. This was a pretty major departure from the interstate, following a whole series of signs in the middle of nowhere. However, they did finally lead to a genuine little museum among all the agricultural fields. It was a local project but they had a whole little main street and workshop and a flyer replica, as well as a replica of the house. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/WilburWright2017/index.html
I told them they ought to make a books of all the drawings in the museum illustrating Wilbur’s childhood.
This was followed by a big traffic jam on way Indianapolis and another Kind bar for lunch since I wanted to get to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I’d been there once before, but it was another one of those deals where I got there an hour before closing and didn’t see Everything. This time I started with the Lilly (Yup, the big pharma one) house and gardens. Did a lot walking and there is a large park adjacent. There’s even a beer garden serving real beer, but it seemed to be mostly IPAs so I skipped it, plus I didn’t have that much time. I re-entered the museum through a large section that seemed to be out of use but was unlocked. Inside among other things was a nice Hiroshige exhibit. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/IMA2017/index.html
Walked in 100 Acre Park afterwards, but couldn’t complete the loop around the lake since the trail was blocked.
On way to Terre Haute Motel 6stopped at Taco Bell for dinner. From the motel for amusement I walked to Honey Creek Mall and bought 2 Nike shirts at the JCP and a long sleeve Izod shirt at Carson’s, all on sale.
Sunday was again a hot day with downpours on way into Kingdom City. Breakfast from stores. Still had plenty of Starbucks Via coffee to get me going in the morning. Drove to St. Louis without problems and had lunch at Art Museum (local beer). I’d been there once before while it was being remodeled and, again, only for an hour. This time I had plenty of time to see everything. This museum is situated among parks and I tried walking to Worlds Fair Pavilion but it was farther than I had realized so I decided to drive, contrary to my normal practice. No available parking there so I gave up and drove to Jewel Box green house. Closed, but it was a good photo op. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/SLAM2017/index.html
Jack in the Box tacos and salad on the road since signs said there was a 20 min traffic halt on the Freeway and I decided not to fight it. After that, no problems into the Kingdom City Motel 6, which I had booked months in advance as my eclipse base. Not as close to the eclipse track as I liked, but it was sitting on top of the north-south running Route 54 which could get me as close to the eclipse track as I wanted. The motel seemed to be booked full of eclipse chasers. My initial plan was to go to Fulton, and I made a reconnaissance run down there that night to check it out. The Walmart parking lot was my initial choice. There were warnings that the interstates could be jammed on the eclipse day so I didn’t want to get near them. By this time I had downloaded a couple of eclipse apps that allowed me to get a better handle on the eclipse track and timing.
Monday, the Eclipse Day, was a hot and clear day (kinda) in spite of weather predicts for rain. All along the bad weather had me worried. Breakfast from stores and I took off on a really early start which turned out to be a good thing. First, though, I stopped at a truck stop and bought a Missouri eclipse T shirt and cheese sticks. I drove to Fulton and checked out the Walmart parking lot I had scouted. I met some people there who were also waiting for the eclipse. It looked okay and I decided to get greedy and headed to New Bloomfield which was closer to the eclipse track. This was a much smaller town and after much driving through the city including on dirt roads I finally found the eclipse party at the volunteer fire house. I did drive by an open field where people were charging to park, but there were no bathrooms so I didn’t like it. I parked at an abandoned gas station across from the fire house and town park. There were other people there and some people said they’d asked the mayor and he said it was okay to park there. The park was full of people including a lot of telescopes. It was really hot in the sun so I decided to set up near the abandoned gas station where there was some shade. At surrounding houses I could see locals getting ready for the event. I’d purchased a little solar telescope from Meade via Amazon, but I had received an email warning me not to use it since they had never been able to verify its certification. I wasn’t planning on looking through it, but it did have a solar sight so I set it up and lined it up with the sun. This was basically a pinhole projection sight so there was no danger in using it. I then set up on a tripod my Yi 4K camera modified for a C mount attached to an old but f/2 200mm Pentax lens I had bought used long ago and had refurbished. My dealer said it had been used by a pro to photograph horse races. This was my first chance to ever use it. I aligned it by making it parallel to the Meade scope. I did have the certified solar glasses I’d gotten for free at Cahokia. The eclipse app on my iPhone gave a very dramatic countdown to the eclipse and I used another unmodified Yi 4K on my head (via a bicycle helmet mount) to take video of the change in illumination during the eclipse. The weather wasn’t quite perfect since the there was a very thin layer of clouds, but the eclipse was plainly visible and I got some shots with the modified Yi. Besides the change in the illumination, the drop in perceived temperature was very dramatic. My handheld thermometer told me the actual air temperature drop was only a few degrees.
Eclipse was at 13:14 local time. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Eclipse2017/index.html
Bought hot dog at fire house to celebrate.
Hot again and headed back north to Fulton where I had a 2nd lunch at Taco Bell and then washed clothes at a real laundromat since I was closer to running out of shirts than I thought. While waiting in the laundromat I looked up the Churchill Museum and realized that it was the real thing since Truman came from Missouri. Unfortunately it was closing then but I drove over anyway. As I was looking through the door a very rude man told me to get out of the way since he wanted to buy something at the shop inside. I stuck my nose inside but couldn’t conclude I’d missed something. I visited outside of Churchill Museum where there sections of the Berlin Wall (just like at home near LACMA) and the reconstructed Church of St. Mary (sort of like how they brought the London Bridge to Lake Havasu). The church can only be entered from the museum.
My last stop in Fulton was the Walmart and 5 very cheap T-shirts. Starting to appreciate Walmart. Dinner was at Iron Skillet buffet (truck stop) in Kingdom. Not too bad. Back to the same Motel 6 for the night. I had successfully achieved the main goal of the trip, so I was pretty happy at this point. Didn’t get to see the stars due to the haze, but I thought I’d seen enough to make the trip worthwhile. Before going home, I had decided to turn North and see Isle Royale.
On Tuesday there was heavy overcast in morning with drizzle following a heavy downpour overnight. I’d had enough truck stop food for the moment so it was breakfast from stores followed by driving through a lot of farm country, the kind you see in the movies. Stopped in Hannibal to get eye drops (mine had gone bad) and cheese sticks. I’d done the Mark Twain thing a long time ago on another trip so I just kept going with string cheese and Kind Bars for lunch.
The destination for the day was Dickson Mounds Museum: Interesting overview, immersive religious sound and light show. This was another example of a Native American museum that had originally been a sensationalized tourist stop that had not properly honored the dead. This had been rectified at some point and the museum buildings were actually on top of some of the mounds.The staff said there had been big cut backs and museum had recently been closed for 9 months. The gift shop had even been shut down. Half finished exhibits showed there had been some big plans at one time. The light show demonstrated that some effort had gone into the museum at one time. There were some remote buildings covering building sites that were being excavated, but they didn’t have the staff to open them for visitors. It was worth the side trip and was one more piece in the puzzle. There were more mounds in the distance, but some are on private property or there is no access.
Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/DicksonMounds2017/index.html
From there, which was pretty remote, it was on to the Moline Motel 6. Drove to nearby mall to explore it. Really couldn’t walk there since I was in an area where they didn’t believe in pedestrian access and sidewalks. Smaller than other one and really empty. Dinner at Habanero restaurant-actually quite good and got my vegetable fix. Bought another duffle bag at Dick’s sporting goods since I’d dropping things out of the Trader Joes shopping bags I’d been using to haul things into the motel rooms or my tent.
Wednesday was a really nice day and it was breakfast from stores. I made the short drive into Davenport and to Putnam Museum which was mainly good for local history. photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Putnam2017/index.html
It was a short drive to the River Front Brewpub for lunch; grade B but gave me a buzz. Fortunately, they said it was okay to leave my car in their parking lot and I walked to Figge Art Museum. Went through it pretty quickly. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Figge2017/index.html
Drove to Lasalle but made stop at McDonalds for coffee and oatmeal. KOA tent camping again; very weak wifi, but made reservations for Dearborn Motel 6. In this part of the world I have trouble getting any 4G cell access, even in any roaming mode, and I don’t stay very long so I’ve never bothered to figure it out. My remedy is to stop at McDonalds to get wifi access. Set up new VOIP software on iPhone since Skype kicked me off, at least for the duration of the trip for some reason. Found that the Corel photo software I’d purchased to replace Lightroom doesn’t support my Canon, so still not real time photo processing. Dinner at McDonalds to use their wifi.
Thursday was a nice day and the stop would be in Joliet to see their City (Route 66) museum. Pretty elaborate intro. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Joliet2017/index.html
Photos include the Prison parking lot where they have some informative signs. I guess there is talk about doing something with the massive prison, but apparently not yet. Also went to the park near the remains of the Steel Works. There is a signed tour that takes you through the site, but there isn’t too much above ground. I finally got to use my folding bicycle on a short bicycle ride path that starts by the steel works but I stopped at the unpaved section. Lunch at McDonalds which consisted of coffee and oatmeal. Finally reached the Ann Arbor Motel 6 and then it was on to the Pileats Brewing Co. I asked and they told me it’s named after the largest woodpecker. I got to see a stuffed one the next day. Taco Bell for dinner.
Friday was an nice Day starting with breakfast from stores. The project was to tour some of the U of Michigan museums. For a university campus, parking wasn’t too bad to find. I started with the Kelsey Museum of Anthropology which included a 5/6 reproduction of House of Mysteries from Pompeii. Apparently they weren’t allowed to make a full sized reproduction. I was happy to see it since it was something I had missed when I visited Pompeii on a tour. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Kelsey2017/index.html
I broke for lunch at a Greek fast food place that was pretty good and then it was off to the Art Museum. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/UMAM2017/index.html
and then to the Natural History Museum. I especially liked the early and snake like whale skeleton. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/UMNHM2017/index.html
Finally it was time to leave but there was a big traffic jam so I retreated back up north and had a real dinner for once at Blue Tractor Brewing where I had the brisket. Beer was good, too. I walked around and took the opportunity to Fedex most souvenirs home. I finally escaped the traffic and checked out the Ann Arbor REI: Arctyrx fleece jacket, socks, replacement tail light for bike (it’d fallen off in Joliet), and a battery powered Steripen for no good reason. Spent the night at the Southgate Motel 6.
Saturday was another nice day with reakfast from stores. This day was dedicated to the The Henry Ford. This was about my fourth trip and the goal was to see all the exhibits I’d missed in 2015. I hadn’t realized how much they had added to the museum itself. Had a progressive lunch first at the stand near the Wiener Mobile and then at the Lunch at Dog and Diner. They were expensive and I belatedly realized I couldn’t each much either time because of my dietary issues (tacos seem to be okay). Not their problem, just mine. Found I had some leftover time to go to the Village. Ticked off that the tea garden was opened that day but I go there just when it was closing. Hadn’t thought that one out. Can’t complain since I’d had tea in the real Lake District. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Ford2017/index.html
I left at closing time and drove to Flint stopping along the way at Taco Bell and at a market to buy bananas. No Motel 6 so I picked the Burton Inn via Travelocity. Forgot that this is the place with the water problem. Hope I didn’t drink too much there. Not up to Motel 6 standards. Drove over to a buffet dinner.
Sundaywas overcast with rain at night in St. Ignace. Drove to Mackinac & stopped to visit Fort Michilimackinac State Park at the foot of the bridge which included staff in period costume and a lot of explanatory signs. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortMichilimackinac2017/index.html
Picked up tacos at Mama Mias where the Mackinac Bridge Museum is located. Small but wished I’d had the time to watch the video about the building of the bridge. I crossed the bridge without freaking out. It would have been more fun on a motorcycle. My stop for the night was at the St. Ignace KOA where I washed my clothes. This was a huge campground but pretty empty, since I imagined it was late in the season. I also made a reconnaisdance run into town to figure out where the ferry dock was. There’s more than one but I picked the closest one with the fast boats. Also went to the market to buy soy milk, oranges, bananas, granola, and beer.
It rained overnight and Monday dtarted overcast; occasionally opened up with some sun.Breakfast from stores and I drove to the Starline dock where I boarded with my bicycle. The ferry was a fast hydropump. Landed on Mackinac Island where cars are not allowed and bought a bike map from the ferry company that included a bike map. One of the highlights was making the flat but very scenic ride around the island. Finished the ride by riding up to the bicycle parking lot for the Grand Hotel that was featured in the movie Somewhere in Time. You can only walk so far and then a young lady stops you and says that only guests can get near the hotel. I hear you can get a little closer for $10, but I was too cheap and I’d never seen the movie. Apparently there is still a fan base that come out here. Took a break afterwards at the Starbucks (think they put real milk instead of soy in my coffee that made me get sick.) I locked up my bike and walked up to Fort Mackinac State Park, not quite at the highest point. This is another pretty elaborate park with costumed docents, demonstrations, and plenty of signs. Lots to see there.
I also walked to the Fort Holmes reconstruction which is on the highest point on the island. This was a battery built after it was found that the fort below was vulnerable to an enemy hauling cannons up there, as the British did. Nice views. Walked over to the gazebo from Somewhere in Time. Might mean something to a fan. When walking, always have to watch out for horse carriages of various sizes and quality, since they are the main form of tourist transport as well as for maintenance.
Boarded ferry for return trip
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Mackinac2017/index.html
Went to hardware where I got screws for rear bike light I cannot find andanother extension cord (double instead of triple) Dinner was at the cafe recommended by the tourist office, Bently’s? Then it was back to the KOA for the night.
Tuesday started overcast, cleared around 3;00, and then the fog came in. Drove to Copper Harbor to catch the ferry to Isle Royale. One traffic delay along the way; found a way around it. Stopped at Calumetvisitor center of the Keeweenaw National Historical Park. This is actually distributed over a number of sites, but the new visitor center tells of the mining history and gives you an overview. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Calumet2017/index.html
Drove right through Copper Harbor since it was so small but that was good since I discovered Fort Wilkerson. I doubled back and finally found Fannie Hooee Campground which was really nice. Also had a nice guest lounge. I still had some time so went back to visit Fort Wilkerson State Park which fortunately had late hours. This was a real hard luck post but makes a good tourist attractions now. No docents, but plenty of displays to see. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortWilkins2017/index.html
Bought supplies for lunch at the General Store in town and
got a fish dinner at the stand next to the Brickside Brewery. Yes, this tiny little town had a brewery and it had a pretty good tasting flight. Back at the campground I packed for the trip. I was lucky to get a seat since they said they were booked out every day except the one I picked. Pouring rain during the night and in the morning. Breakfast from stores and no thought of bicycling to the ferry. Fortunately the parking lot was monitored and I was directed to a spot since I had a ticket. Boarded the boat for Isle Royale and the weather started to improve.
Good weather on the island. Decided to hike Scoville Point Trail; ate Baloney sandwiches on rye for lunch. Didn’t check in at the ranger station since it was jammed and so I didn’t get a stamp or any official loot. Trail was interesting and not too difficult. I got out to the plaque and decided it was good enough which was a good idea. As it was I just barely had time to buy a hat at the island general store. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/IsleRoyale2017/index.html
Back to Copper Harbor and dinner at German themed restaurant called Harbor Haus-pretty good if a little expensive (but cheap relative to L. A.) The gimmick is that the staff is forced to dance outside to greet the ferry when it returns. House wine was pretty good. Back to KOA for the night.
Thursday had good Weather but it was cold during the night night. More instant oatmeal and headed south on the road that runs along the coast. I tried to see the lighthouse I’d been told about, but it and its museum were still closed and I decided to keep going. I’d also been told about a monastery that sold fantastic muffins, but I didn’t see it and I can’t eat muffins anymore.
I did get a coffee and a very rich granola bar (probably shouldn’t have eaton it) in a Calumet cafe, but most of the in-town museums were closed. A little bit farther south I stopped at Quincy Mine above Hancock and took the tour. This is a site of the National Historic Park. I’d seen it on the way up but didn’t stop then, which was probably a good thing since you want to spend some time. One tour takes you in to see the mine hoist, which is much more impressive than it sounds. A second tour takes down into a part of the mine that was used for teaching. There’s also a museum and a partially restored miner’s house. Highly recommended. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/QuincyMine2017/index.html
Spent the night at the Motel 6 in Eau Claire and had an expensive but mediocre dinner and beer at sports bar within walking distance.
Friday, the first day of September, started overcast, but became sunny. Another breakfast from stores and then drove to Mississippi and along wetlands to Effigy Mounds. This was an especially scenic drive in places. Effigy mounds has hiking trails. Unlike Serpent Mound, there are no viewing platforms so you have to rely on the photos and models in the visitor center to believe that some of the mounds are in the shape of bears. Still I found it interesting, again, as part of the bigger picture of Native American civilization. These mounds cover a lot of territory and there is a separate site you can drive to for more, but I didn’t. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/EffigyMounds2017/index.html
Late lunch at Red Burrito/hardees and then on to the Cedar Rapids Motel 6 and Metro Buffet.
Satirday started with yet another breakfast from stores. It started getting warmer as I got into Nebraska to drive to Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/JoslynMuseum2017/index.html
Spent the night at the Motel 6 in Kearney which was frustratingly close to a local heritage museum that was closed. Restocked for breakfast at local market and Walmart.
Sunday was a clear hot day started with another breakfast from stores. Drove to Denver Botanical Gardens which I’d forgotten that I had already visited in 2015. However, there was an exhibit of Calder sculptures sewn throughout the gardens and I got in for free with my LA Arboretum membership card. Anyway, the gardens are lovely. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/DenverGardens2017/index.html
I stopped at the REI in Colorado Springs bought a Marmot Trestles Zero sleeping bag since I’d been freezing in the rectangular North Face sleeping bag I’d been using. I would use it only once on this trip, but I plan on doing more car camping, and it was worth it to be warm for once. Anyway, it was cheaper than a night at a non-Motel 6 motel. I stopped at a Perkins for dinner and then it was to the same KOA north of Pueblo I’d stayed at on the way out. Fortunately the KOA sold wings and a salad which I needed to supplement the pretty minimal Perkins dinner.
Monday started nice day but there were showers on the way into Dolores. Breakfast from stores and then a stop at the Pueblo Walmart for groceries. It was a high mileage Long Drive day including a detour to Great Sand Dunes National Park and a 1/2 mile trail walk. I’d seen the Park signs on the way out and decided to check it out this time. It is kind of weird to see these huge sand dunes in Colorado. The visitor center was good and a trail starts right from it. The dunes are a short drive but they were really crowded. I was happy with pictures and had no desire to climb them. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Great%20Sand%20Dunes2017/index.html
Tortillas, sandwich meat and Tillamuck swiss cheese from Walmart made my picnic lunch in the park. Then it was on to the Views campground near Dolores. I picked this campground since it was near the Canyon of the Ancients visitor center. It was up above town and it was pretty nice, but getting near the end of the season as the owner told me. I drove into Dolores for a tasty Mexican dinner.
It was windy overnight, but the next day was nice, hot one.
Made the short drive over to the nearby Anasazi Heritage Center and took the short trail to above center. From there you can see the reservoir that covered up a lot of archaeological sites. The visitor center was built to house what was rescued before the reservoir was filled. It’s also the visitor center for Canyon of the Ancients which is actually a series of sites. You can spend some time in the visitor center. Per the map and instructions I received, I drove to Lowry Pueblo. You can hike around it but not into it. Lunch from stores again and then continued on to Painted Palm tower; took hike to it, but couldn’t get that close. If you were younger, you might be able to scramble down to it. A tourist couple I met agreed that there didn’t seem to be an easy way down. Photos at;
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/CanyonoftheAncients2017/index.html
Then it was more dirt roads to Hovenweep National Monument, which was more convenient than driving there directly from the highwat. There is a very rewarding 2 mile loop starting at the visitor center around the nearby ruins. Very impressive towers. See the video in the visitor center to get an idea of what they might have lookedlike. There are more sites that you can drive to. Photos at:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Hovenweep2017/index.html
Hovenweep Campground for $5 (senior pass rate) was a real bargain and pretty nice, even though there were no showers. Canned food for dinner.
Wednesday was a good weather day with breakfast from stores, of course, since I was in the middle of nowhere. I departed Hovenweep campground and headed back towards civilization with lunch at Del Taco (may have upset my stomach) in Flagstaff. I looked up the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and paid it a short visit since it wasn’t too far off the path. It had a short little trail outside that I followed. I also visited the REI Flagstaff – I kind of like visiting the REIs wherever I go. Then it was on to the Kingman Motel 6 for my last stop of the trip. It was near the old town so I took a walk after it cooled down a little to Black Bridge Brewing and had a gyro from next door cafe. There was another establishment, much bigger that was also going to start brewing, but not quite yet. There was Route 66 museum near the motel that was closed by the time I got there. and a large locomotive on display in the park. The old town looked a little like it was trying to reinvent itself, as I had seen in a number of small towns along the way. Dinner for once was a successful celebration of prime Rib at the Calico restaurant across the parking lot from the motel.
Thursday was hot weather with showers at one spot. I fave myself a self-guided tour of Kingman following the directions I’d found online. It was a straight shot into LA and I skipped lunch since I couldn’t find anything interesting, and that’s how I wound up my trip.
It was different traveling on a car instead of a motorcycle. Now that I’m a senior citizen, riding through heavy rain and high winds doesn’t seem to be fun anymore. Except the brake problem in Colorado, my Subaru Crosstrek performed pretty well, but it was underpowered in the mountains and I could have used more room for all my toys. I decided the 4 person REI tent was too big for me after all, and it went on eBay. Rectangular sleeping bags have more room, but get kind of cold in places like Upper Peninsula Michigan so I’ll return to mummy bags, albeit roomier ones. Power cords, drop lights, and electric water boilers make tent camping more convenient, and I saw other tents with extension cords trailing out of them. It’s nice to be able to easily recharge all your gizmos and run the laptop. It was a pain that I didn’t have working digital darkroom software on the trip since I had to spend a lot of time after the trip processing software. I finally settled on pro level Capture One 10 and used to process all the photos from the trip. No more Adobe.
I achieved all the goals of the trip and more. I did get to see the eclipse and maybe I’ll go on an expedition to Illinois to see the next one. I crossed the Mackinac Bridge and made it to Isle Royale, although I didn’t see any moose (people kept asking me if I’d seen any there). I revisited Cahokia, the Air Force Museum, and the Ford Museum. I saw a lot of new to me Native American sites.
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