2024 Eclipse
We wanted to get the full effect and see the 2024 Eclipse in totality! It probably should have been a little easier than it was because the cloud cover was estimated to be a huge problem. Thankfully, Jon had all kinds of charts, apps, ideas, back up plans, back up - back up plans etc. The original plan was to not go as far as we did, the second plan was to make it into Lancaster, NH, and what we finally did was ended up a little short of that goal ( though still in totality) in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont.
We left Pennsylvania around 6:30 am and planned to be at our destination sometime around noon. The left photo is the parking lot of Diamond City Studios ( our start point) at sunrise. We got on the road and find a pretty good Spotify Eclipse song mix to sing aloud to.
Oliver and Ben strike a pose at The New York Welcome Center
A family stretches in front of the New York Welcome Center. There were so many travelers on the road for the eclipse!
Our first stop was at the New York Welcome Center and we got our first real taste of how busy this trip was going to be. The parking lot, sides of the road, and welcome center were packed with people who had the same idea as us, to get to the best viewing point. From here on out we were bumper to bumper on the roads and interstate and knew we had to get a move on, so photo opportunities were few….but I got some coverage on my phone that you’ll see in the eclipse video I post at the end!
We just kept driving…that’s mostly what happened. The 6 hour trip was now a 9 hour trip and it was a race against time to get where we needed to be.
At our next quick stop (which was also an extremely packed rest area) we were still about 2 hours away from an area that would experience totality, but since the skies were clear there were people pulling out lawn chairs and preparing to watch from the grounds of the rest area.
Is this a good time to mention to the rest of the family I forgot to get eclipse glasses ?
So……Oliver and I spend the next few hours on Google Maps as we put along through windy New York and Vermont roads calling ahead to gas stations, Walmarts, and libraries along the way to see if they had eclipse glasses. We had hoped to order the Sonic Drive in milkshakes and each get a pair of glasses but thankfully the speaker at Sonic’s blared “ Welcome to Sonic, were all out of eclipse glasses!” I was feeling pretty bad about this, but still thought “ they will be handing them out like candy as we get closer”…haha..
The time ran too close, and Im glad that it did, because the experience that we had was awesome. We pulled over at the Saint Johnsbury exit about 40 minutes shy of Lancaster, NH. We followed suit and pulled right alongside the exit road like a bunch of other people and got out in the grasses in the middle of the exit and along side the interstate to watch the spectacular event.
I don’t know why…but seeing people resting at an exit, where they normally wouldn’t be was really really freaking cool to me.
People relaxing and getting ready for the eclipse at the St. Johnsbury
Very bright day as everyone waits for the eclipse to start
What the exit area looked like and how dark it got during the eclipse
Jon set his camera up on top of his car ( he didn’t bring a tripod because he wasn’t going to worry about filming he was just going to enjoy it…but we are photographers/filmmakers and there was no way he was going to actually stick to that plan)
Jon and Oliver watching the eclipse during the darkest part
This part of the eclipse was my absolute favorite and felt the weirdest because as everything around darkened I felt it first, the temperature dropped and the star came out. This was the part that gave me goosebumps! Oh! I also have to mention, that they were NOT handing out the eclipse glasses like candy, and we weren’t unable to get a pair of our own until it was almost over…thankfully this super nice gentleman next to us kept offering multiple views to us with his.
Some nice folks from New Jersey who were parked next to us and allowed me to take their photo. He’s waving at the camera!
This was definitely a 10/10 experience. Im so glad I have these memories to remember it by also.
check out this footage of our trip on the way there!
Our trip from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Saint Johnsbury, VT to see the eclipse!
After that it was another 9 hour drive home with the same amount of traffic now heading home also. Im giving a special photo shout out to the drive in restaurant in Vermont where the food and service were outstanding and I got the most phenomenal bacon cheeseburger with hand cut fries followed by some almond joy ice cream.
I ended the night with my last few memories including the sound of Jon, Oliver, and Ben snoring loudly while I drove a windy road through the snow covered ski towns of Vermont and got some peeks of a pinkish orange sunset behind a snow capped mountain.
