A month or two before the eclipse, I started hunting for hotels along the path of totality. My first choice was Bend or the John Day area in Oregon, but everything was already booked solid. Both were well within the path of totality. Casting a wider net, I noticed Eugene was close to the edge and managed to book a hotel there without any trouble.

Here is the eclipse path across the United States.

A closer look at the path of totality through Washington and Oregon.

We ended up viewing the eclipse along the Willamette River at Irish Bend.

Fast forward a few weeks and the media began predicting massive traffic jams and ticket scalping as everyone descended on the path of totality. To make matters worse, Northern California and Oregon were experiencing severe wildfires and smoke was blotting out the skies across Oregon. I nearly didn't go — but I decided to invite my friend Luke along for company, and that was enough to keep me committed to the trip.

We drove up on Saturday to get ahead of the crowds and have a day to scout a shooting location. San Francisco is a good day's drive to Eugene — manageable but not quick. By Sacramento we were hitting heavy traffic. It wasn't as bad as what the media had been reporting for those heading to a festival in Bend, but it was noticeable. By the time we reached Redding it was lunchtime, and I was growing tired of the traffic as the smoke grew heavier the further north we went.

We pulled off in Redding for lunch and a break, but the restaurants were packed with people doing the same thing — a quick meal was out of the question. By the time we finished, nearly an hour had passed. I'll admit I was seriously considering turning back because of the traffic and smoke, but after lunch I felt renewed and we pushed on. Somehow the traffic had let up considerably and the rest of the drive was much more enjoyable.

The smoke was still heavy on the drive up — we passed Mount Shasta and couldn't see it at all from the highway, which was striking given how prominent it normally is. But as we approached Oregon and crossed into the state, things started to clear up beautifully, and by the time we reached our hotel in Eugene we were rewarded with a lovely sunset.

Sunday morning we headed out to scout locations. First stop was the Irish Bend area — pleasant enough, but nothing that stood out photographically. There was a small parking lot that would fill up fast if we weren't early. From there we drove out to the Cascade State Park area, a much longer haul from the hotel, hoping to find something more compelling for our shots.

We stopped in several spots and just explored. Along the way we passed a large RV camp — nothing special going on, just a spot with good visibility and plenty of parking for eclipse watchers. We headed back to the hotel and settled on Irish Bend for the morning.

We were up early and on the road by 7am, with totality expected around 11am. There was a bit of sunrise color as we left the hotel, but as the sun climbed higher we could see a fair amount of smoke still hanging in the sky — enough that you could look directly at the sun without looking away. Discouraging, but it was still early.

We got to the parking lot and were surprised to find several cars already there, along with families setting up on the shore. We had to adjust from our original planned shooting spot, but the new location worked out great. Things stayed fairly quiet for a while — until kayakers started pulling up on shore. We had no idea that Paddle Oregon was happening and that the route passed right in front of us.

Paddle Oregon set up a tent to serve breakfast and brought in live music from a cellist. This drew quite a crowd to the shore, along with a few catering support vehicles.

Throughout the entire eclipse we were serenaded by cellist Gideon Freudmann — a wonderful and unexpected addition to the experience.

Luke is a Nikon shooter and rented a long lens for the occasion. I shoot Canon and came loaded — a 600mm with a 1.4x teleextender on one body for individual shots, a 24-105mm on another body shooting intervals for a stacked sequence, and a GoPro for a time-lapse of the eclipse and the activity on the shore. As it turns out, that still wasn't enough cameras. I should have had yet another body to shoot stills during totality itself. My phone was in automatic mode and compensated for the darkness, making totality look like broad daylight. The GoPro did the same thing with the time-lapse.

Here are the stars and planets that were visible during totality.

With totality behind us by about 1pm, Luke and I decided to skip the traffic and head out to the coast instead. We spent a great afternoon exploring and shooting before making our way back to the hotel.

We headed home on Tuesday. All along Interstate 5 through California, the electronic signs warned of massive traffic delays for the return trip. I can't say what Monday looked like, but Tuesday was smooth sailing — with the exception of one construction zone that backed things up briefly.

April 8, 2024 was the next total eclipse in the United States. It started in Texas, went through Ohio, and ended up in Maine. I had friends in all three of those states — hopefully some of them got out to see it!

Notes to self:

• Remember the extra camera to shoot with during totality
• Do take the time to remove the solar filter to shoot Baily's beads