Like most other people close to the 2017 eclipse's path, we were really excited to be able to catch a glimpse of the eerie natural phenomenon. My boss had offered anyone in the lab use of his South Carolina beach house for the day (or really any time, with a heads up), but when I saw that the path of totality also passed through the Blue Ridge Parkway (and was close to where my friend Kelsey attended college) we decided to go west instead.

We drove up to Cullowhee the day before the eclipse to grab lunch with Kelsey, who cooked us a scrumptious meal of mac and cheese and chicken, before checking into our hotel in Waynesville half an hour away from the parkway. Dinner was at a tiny Mexican place in town, and we picked up summer sausage, cheeses, bread, and beer for a picnic the next day.

The next morning, we were up early for a quick breakfast at Waffle House before heading onto the parkway. We drove down to Graveyard Fields, one of the recommended spots for eclipse viewing, and managed to nab a parking spot fairly close to the trailhead. Brendan and I hiked about a mile down to a beautiful waterfall, pleased to be away from the crowd for a bit before heading back to the car where Brendan napped and I knit until lunchtime.

Finally, the eclipse began, and the moon slowly slid over the sun for the next hour and a half. We hadn't been able to find real, safety-rated eclipse glasses so we weren't able to stare directly at the sun but Brendan was clever and managed to rig up a pinhole viewer with a cereal box the night before. About half an hour before totality, dark clouds started rolling in, with a scattering of raindrops to accompany them.

Sadly, the clouds lasted through the two minutes of total darkness, but we were still able to experience the odd silence that totality brought before we decided to beat the crowds off the parkway and head home as the sun started peeking out from behind the moon.