When the sun doesn't shine

Yes, this photo was taken with my camera.

I was in the little town of Madisonville. I got there around 1:30, found a parking spot, walked around the town, and enjoyed the celestial show. by 3:10 I was back on the road.

I left Corbin, KY this morning. Driving down I-75 to and around Knoxville went easily. A ways west of the city the traffic slowed to a crawl. This didn't look good. But I didn't need to stay on I-75. So I took I-140 to the east, then US-411 south. I had marked on my map the boundaries and middle of the totality zone and Madisonville was close enough to the middle. The traffic was heavy, but not bad. Several places offered eclipse parking for $10 or $20. I considered stopping at a school with a $10 offer, but went on by.

I solved the bathroom problem by stopping at a Home Depot not far from I-140.

For lunch I ate the ham and cheese I bought from a Kroger deli before leaving Corbin. I did this once I got to Madisonville.

Within a half hour of eating I needed a bathroom quickly. If there was something wrong with the ham I didn't think it would go through me in a half hour. I didn't see public facilities, but a cafe allowed me to use theirs.

I set up my camera with a clamp, but didn't have anything to clamp it on. I tried clamping to the car door, but it didn't work. So I propped the camera up on the car roof and hoped I had it pointing in a good direction. When totality came I reached over and clicked the shutter, but it couldn't focus on anything. So I picked it up, snapped this shot, and set it down so I could enjoy the show in person rather than through a viewfinder. The exposure time was probably too long for a hand-held shot. Even if blurry, it's a wonderful image.

Overall, really cool! I'm glad I did it.

Though people sat around to watch the moon slide in front of the sun (or, more accurately, pause in their reading or socializing every few minutes to step into the sunlight, put on their protective glasses, and look up), they didn't stay around very long after totality was over, even though the moon would be partially in front of the sun for another hour.

I went back to the cafe, thinking to buy a drink in thanks for the kindness of opening their bathroom to the public. Alas, the only drinks both sugar and caffeine free were decaf coffee (nope) and water. I paid them a quarter for the glass they put the water and ice in.

So, on the road by 3:10 and back out to US-411. And into a gigantic traffic jam.

The road has two lanes in each direction. Even so, it took an hour to travel the first 10 miles and a half hour for the next 11 miles. My route from Madisonville (or general area) to Gatlinburg would take, according to Google Maps, about two hours. It took 3:45, including a stop for gas (and a bathroom break).

Pigeon Forge seemed to me a non-stop tourist trap, an assault on the senses for the constant grab for the sucker's dollars. I might have stopped at one or two restaurants, but didn't see them soon enough. I was relieved when the last few miles to Gatlinburg were through a forest.

Gatlinburg has the same vibe, but on a much smaller scale, both in effect and in size. Most of the attractions were in walking distance, not possible in Pigeon Forge.

I checked into the hotel and was given a list of restaurant (I guess ones the hotel recommends). I went walking, but had left the list behind and, likely from hunger, couldn't remember most of the names on the list. After a half hour I was back at the hotel asking for directions. The one that looked promising wasn't on the main street, which is why I missed it. Turned out to be only adequate.

Into the mountains tomorrow.