My alarm went off crazy early Monday morning. Like, 5 AM early. Honestly, almost slammed the snooze button into next week. Eclipse viewings wait for no sleepyhead, right? Dragged myself up, grabbed the stuff I’d prepped the night before.
The Gear Grab
- Eclipse Glasses – Bought a 5-pack online weeks ago, just in case. Smart move, saw they were sold out everywhere last week!
- Camping Chairs – Comfy ones, figured we’d be sitting awhile.
- Cooler – Packed waters, snacks… totally forgot the coffee thermos though. Doh!
- Camera & Solar Filter – My trusty DSLR with a special lens filter screwed on tight. Hoping for decent shots.
- Big Piece of Cardboard – Sounds weird, but handy for making a quick pinhole projector if needed.
Threw everything in the trunk. Goal? Waterfront Park in Louisville. Heard it was a prime spot, but worried about crowds. Hit the road around 6:30 AM. Traffic wasn’t bad yet – phew!
Setting Up Camp
Got down there maybe 7:15 AM? Sky was partly cloudy, already lots of folks staking claims on the grass. Found a decent patch of green near the walking path, unfolded the chairs, and just… waited. Checked my eclipse app constantly. Partial start was supposed to be around 1:45 PM.
Those early hours felt LONG. Watched boats on the river, chatted with neighbors who forgot their glasses (gave ’em my spares, felt like a hero!), fiddled with camera settings. Clouds rolled in and out, making me sweat. Would we even SEE anything?
Showtime (and Cloud Drama)
Right around 1:30 PM, the mood shifted. Energy buzzed. Put the glasses on. Boom! Tiny bite out of the sun. Cheers went up. Took my first shaky photos. Sweet!
But then… clouds. Thick ones. As totality time got closer (around 3:07 PM for us), the sky just turned grey. Like, solid grey blanket. Panic mode! Whispers of worry through the crowd. Used the cardboard trick to project little crescent suns onto the ground – at least we could track the progress that way when the sun vanished.
Total panic at 3:06 PM: Still grey. Looked like thick twilight. Birds went quiet. Streetlights flickered on downtown. It was EERIE. Put my glasses on… NOTHING. Just black. Took them off. Dark like deep dusk. Looked west… saw a tiny sliver of orange? Maybe? It lasted just a couple of those precious minutes. Felt the temperature drop, got shivers – not just from the cold! Was it totality? Felt like it. But man, those clouds robbed us of that clear diamond ring moment.
Aftermath & Lessons Learned
As the light slowly came back, the disappointment was real but folks started laughing. We had this weird, shared experience. Packed up chairs slowly, trading stories with people nearby about other eclipses they’d seen clearer. Drive home was quiet – processing.
- Louisville Specific Takeaway: Waterfront is awesome vibes, but next time? Check high ground forecasts obsessively. Maybe head slightly south or west next time clouds are predicted. Downtown got REALLY dark though!
- Big Lesson? Have multiple ways to experience it. Without the pinhole projector during the clouds, we’d have missed tracking the phases completely. And handing out spare glasses? Best feeling ever.
- Photo Reality Check: My camera shots were… meh. Too cloudy, fiddled too much. Should have just watched more. The mental image of the sudden city dusk is way stronger.
Was it perfect? Heck no. Clouds drove me nuts. Still feeling a tiny bit bummed about that peak moment being hidden. But the whole adventure? The build-up, the shared tension with thousands downtown, the sudden darkness hitting the city lights… shivers down my spine just thinking about it. Louisville put on a wild, atmospheric show. Won’t forget it. Next eclipse, I’m chasing clear skies though!
