2024-04-08 Texas Solar Eclipse

2024-04-06 Saturday

The trip to Texas to see the eclipse began with a blown right rear tire. The spare was not in the best of condition, and after a long wait for AAA, it got us to Tucson, where I bought a new tire. When we got close to Deming, New Mexico, the other rear tire blew. After another long wait for AAA, we put the iffy spare back on and it got me 20-some more miles before it went out. It was several more hours before Good Sam could send a tow truck driver, but we got loaded on the bed of the truck and got to Las Cruces, where I bought two more new tires. So now I had two brand new tires on the rear, and another new one as a spare.

2024-04-07 Sunday

It just kept getting better! Saturday night, while camped 20 miles east of Marathon Texas, at 3:30am my friend got really sick. When I went to clean up the bathroom, I realized she was defecating blood. I was between Marathon and Sanderson on Tex-90, so I got her settled into bed and began driving the 34 miles to Sanderson. I knew there was a 24 hour Speedway there, and when I arrived I asked where the nearest hospital was. Fort Stockton, I was told, was 64 miles away (North) had a hospital. So off I went in search of medical help.

I was grateful for the new headlights I installed before I left home. They allowed me to see the road well enough to detect elk and deer grazing on the shoulders. I dislike night driving, but the situation demanded that I do so now.

My friend has some serious restrictions to her mobility. Both hips are titanium, and her knees need work. When we pulled into the Emergency Room entrance, I fetched the nurses for help. One nurse was a strapping young African-American, whose strength was key to getting her out of the van and into a wheelchair. After getting examined by the doctor, he determined she needed to be transferred to the Midland-Odessa regional hospital, where a gastrology specialist could take over her treatment. The ‘hospital’ at Fort Stockton was more like an urgent-care facility and only capable of providing care not requiring any specialists.

I gathered all the information I could about where the ambulance was taking her. I also provided the team with contact information about my friend’s daughter, her brother, and her sister. Mostly at my friend’s request, I did not follow the ambulance for the two-hour drive to Midland. She insisted I still pursue the eclipse, but somehow, I was a little ambivalent about it.

2024-04-08 Monday

After driving another 206 miles, I set up my spot to see the eclipse at the Pinto Creek Picnic Area, along US-90, 7.4 miles west of Brackettville, Texas. When I settled in, I had the area to myself. But as the time for the eclipse approached, dozens of vehicles began arriving. Most vehicles had multiple passengers, and things got a little hectic. As the 11:13am start time neared, I took a series of test shots, hoping for the cloudy skies to part. The clouds stayed with us all day, but there were a few moments of clarity, when gaps in the obscurity blessed us for a few seconds. 

The moon-shadow finally moved past us at 12:33pm when the first slivers of pure sunlight peeked from behind the moon. The eclipse of 2017-August was the first time I experienced an eclipse’s totality. That event occurred under clear blue cloudless Idaho skies, and was perfect. But even with the overcast, my experience at Pinto Creek was memorable.

2024-04-12 Friday

After the eclipse, I remained at Pinto Creek for two days to recover from the hectic craziness of the past week. After some well-deserved rest, I drove 256 miles to Midland Memorial Hospital, where my friend was recovering from the surgery to stop her bleeding ulcer. She was intent on attending a wedding in Michigan. I had originally considered driving there as well. But I took all the mechanical dramas getting to Texas as a sign I should rein in such an ambitious journey. My friend arranged to fly to meet her brother in Saint Louis. I camped out in the hospital parking lot for three nights until the hospital released her. Friday, I dropped her at the Midland Airport so she could get on her flight.

I decided to head down to South Padre Island from Midland in central West Texas. It was a long drive (9.5 hours, or so), and I think it would be a two-day drive to get there. It made sense that I stick to the interstate routes for this run. It would be criminal to come to Texas and not get in some birding.