Total Eclipse of the Park

     So much preparation !  Designated eclipse viewing areas were announced, extra porta-a-potties, and extra dumpsters were in place in the park by the weekend.  Park Service waived entrance fees for the day to facilitate the heavy flow of traffic that was expected to enter the park. While preparations were good, crowds were less than expected inside the park.  All the campgrounds and rented cabins are usually full during the summer, anyway.
     Umbra-philes stayed in the southern part of the park because the Gros Ventre area was forecast to have 2 1/2 minutes of totality. Signal Mountain Lodge area had 2 mins of totality.  And what an amazing 2 mins it was !  All guest services were closed for 45 mins so that all employees and guests could be out enjoying the eclipse.  Everyone was given eclipse glasses to watch the show. 

     I sat near the wooden fence with a view of the lake and mountains to the west, and the sun to the east.  Slowly the moon nibbled away at the sun, hiding more and more of it.  Even as a tiny thin crescent the sun was brilliant without the eclipse glasses.  Suddenly the land went dark, the mountains went dark, and the temperature dropped significantly.  A different type of dark, quite unlike a sunset.  The corona shone brightly, it was almost a spiritual experience.  The guests stood up and cheered.
     It was over too quickly, the "diamond ring" effect moved from a small "diamond" to a tiny crescent.  The corona disappeared into the brilliance of the sun. My co-workers and I continued to monitor the sun's re-appearance after lunch.  We were blessed with beautiful weather. 
     Heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported in Idaho on hwy 15 and on the highways leading to Teton Pass.  In Wyoming, Lander,  Riverton, and Casper had large crowds watching the eclipse, and many miles of  slow traffic on their highways.  I did not see any of the traffic problems, as the employees were cautioned to stay home and avoid the potential gridlock.