Total Solar Eclipse at Indian Lake, Ohio April 8, 2024

What an amazing experience! After watching totality in South Carolina back in 2017, I wanted to repeat the experience with the entire family. A year in advance, I had set up a several day stay at an exotic animal ranch along the Brazos River south west of Waco for the April 8 eclipse. I was looking forward to seeing animals, fishing, swimming and hiking. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating. Although my initial target was a climatologically favored area for less clouds, the forecast was consistently showing a strong potential for cloudy skies. Driving to northeast Texas was a possibility, but that meant a long drive and the return could be much longer with eclipse traffic. Not much fun. Luckily, I had a "plan B" with reservations at a cute house on Indian Lake northwest of Columbus, Ohio. I canceled the Texas trip and we made the long drive to Ohio. We stopped along the way to visit the amusing Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia near the site of the bridge collapse. I also observed the nearby EF3 tornado damage from the recent tornado once we arrived at the lake. This was a reminder to take tornado warnings seriously. We also went to nearby caverns and explored a pretty small town that was prepping for a big eclipse party. The skies were completely clear. The following day (eclipse day), we awoke to overcast skies. The clouds slowly moved away revealing perfectly clear skies. A warm beautiful day to prepare for the eclipse. After reviewing satellite loops and forecast models, I decided there was no place nearby that would offer a significantly better view. We would stay. As expected, cirrus clouds mixed with contrails slowly covered the area as eclipse time approached. In the early afternoon, our nice neighbors gave us a ride on their pontoon boat. Everyone we met in this area was so friendly. We followed the eclipse progress with our eclipse glasses and a sun projection device that I made with old binoculars and a box. We also looked at shadows and watched the birds. Nothing really looks different until the sun is covered 80 to 90 percent thought the temperature drop is noticeable earlier. The shadows became sharp and we could see crescents. At that point, the lighting just looked wrong or off; like an approaching storm. I honestly don’t find looking at the sun through eclipse glasses that interesting. I’d rather watch my projection while looking around at the sky, lighting and shadows. In those last few minutes, darkness rapidly arrived in a wave. One can see it approach from the southwest. At totality, we could see the black silhouette of the moon surrounded by the glowing corona against a darkened sky. Planets were visible. There was a 360 degree sunset. Photos and video just don’t do justice to the amazing crisp view of the sun’s corona surrounded by darkness, sunset and the planets. The patches of high cirrus added a texture to the sky. At totality, some folks shot off fireworks in the distance. I scrambled to take photos while also enjoying the experience. Totality was just too short. It ended with a wave of sunlight. The eclipse was over, but we had memories to last a lifetime. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the lake, hiking in a nearby park and prepping for the long drive back on Tuesday. I later discovered that I had botched the settings on my camera and degrading my photos. Frustrating considering the preparation and thought before the event. I still had a wonderful time experiencing this rare spectacle with the family. For future eclipses, I’d advise anyone interested to make sure they are in the path of totality

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