The Solar Eclipse, 2017

One of the Coolest Things I’ve Ever Seen

We drove all night to see it, the solar eclipse of 2017.

We had no choice. The best view for it was toward the bottom of Oregon, and we lived at the top of northwest Washington.

We’d been packing for a few days, as we were staying for a few days afterward, and left soon after my mom got home from work, around ten pm.

Sitting in the back seat, I stayed awake for much of the ride, despite my attempts to catch some shut-eye.

It didn’t help that our vehicle was stuffed so full I couldn’t recline my seat. Not to mention my mom’s seat was practically draped over my legs as she tried sleeping.

It was interesting traveling on the road while most of the country slept. I wondered how other people did it for their jobs.

We made a couple of stops along the way, including a donut shop in Portland at two or three in the morning. Of course, the small shop was packed full of people, most of whom were eclipse watchers like us.

I think my parents struck up a conversation with a young couple as we all stood in line. They, too, were there for the eclipse and donut shop.

It was a bit overwhelming for me back then, as I was a lot more socially awkward at…