The Great Solar Eclipse of 2024

I first heard that there would be a solar eclipse a few months ago.  At first, I didn't think it was a big deal since most times, these celestial events can't be viewed from my region of the world anyway so I just tossed it aside as something I would miss or, at the very least, see on TV. 

When I heard Cape Breton would be in the path of totality, that really caught my attention! I started researching the event and soon, I was all onboard. I bought a few pairs of those funny-looking eclipse glasses and some camera phone filters, dug out some filters and tripods for my Canon and put in a request at work for a vacation day.

Well, the day has arrived.  With my vacation day approved only days ago, my equipment ready by the door the night before and a promising forecast of clear skies and decent temperatures, I headed off into the afternoon sunlight to wait the darkness.

I choose Dominion Beach as my final destination.  While my area of Cape Breton wasn't directly in the path of totality, it was close.  Many people headed to Meat Cove at the Northern Tip of the island which was in the direct path.  If it was summer and there wasn't a concern about adverse weather, heavy traffic and crowds, I would have gone there too but Northern Cape Breton is not always a nice place to be this time of year!

I parked my car near the gate of the Dominion Beach Provincial Park and walked about a kilometer to a flat, high area where I would get the perfect view of the entire event. I set up my cameras and got everything else ready and by the time I put my glasses on for the first time, a little sliver of the sun was already gone. 

All that effort to set up cameras and dig out filters and tripods for them wasn't all that worth it.  Not because the eclipse wasn't as expected because it was fabulous!  It was because I didn't have the right settings and it was too damn cold to start playing around with buttons and dials.  I tried for a bit and gave up.  As much as I wanted to capture some great shots, I also wanted to just sit and enjoy the show. 

The best picture I could get. It was just too cold to figure out the settings on my camera, so I just focused on actually enjoying the show instead. 

 

And enjoy I did.  I watched as it got darker and darker and the crows got all messed up and set off to roost in their favorite spot on the Sydney waterfront. I stayed right to the end despite not being able to feel my hands mid-way through. 

I gathered my things and made the long journey back to the car and as the sun grew bright again, a bittersweet thought came to mind; how lucky I was to have experienced it and how I may not experience another one in my lifetime.