38 Years Later: Full Solar Eclipse 2017

The last full solar eclipse visible from the United States was 38 years ago.

38 years!!!

Most of us don't remember anything, and many of us weren't even born. This latest eclipse, then, was a major event. The path of totality was rather thin, and there were many rumors that traffic to reach the path would be terrible. Here are some of the statements I heard:

• "Oh, a five-hour drive? Ha! Make that fifteen. The traffic is going to be insane!"
• "I don't envy you that road congestion."
• "Oh, you should've left Tuesday if you're going. There's already a 30-mile slowdown."
• "Eh. I'll just stay right here and see the partial eclipse. Who needs to go through all that trouble?"

This small path ran along the US as shown below in this photo from Eclipse2017.org:

I can definitely see why so many people were dissuaded from trying to find a point along the path. That's a tiny band, and the sweet spot was located along that itty-bitty blue line along the center of it. Well, these two green boots were made for opportunities like this!

We went to Lincoln City, Oregon on August 21st and stayed overnight at the Chinook Wind Casino resort. It's a great place along the beach, which means spectacular viewing.

And!

Lincoln City was also the first place in the United States that got to see totality. Score!!!

I actually did expect a bit of a slowdown getting there, so you can imagine my shock when there was no abnormal traffic to speak of.

None.

It was a nice, peaceful, uneventful drive. Aside from a few businesses advertising eclipse glasses, you wouldn't know anything out of the ordinary was happening at all.

Of course, the next morning was different. I woke up to a parking lot full of vehicles, including two news vans.

Now, the wait from the point at which the eclipse began (roughly 9:04 am) until the eclipse reached totality (roughly 10:16 am) was a bit long.

So what did people actually do to pass the time?

Well, many just... sat there... waiting. That was a bit too much sitting for someone like me that needed to keep moving, so I ran around, looking to see just how many people were there, what they were doing, how they were feeling, etc.

Some people chose a spot on the beach, which seemed like a good idea, but... beaches along the Pacific Northwest have a tendency to be covered in fog.

The fog was really working at becoming a rainbow!

 While this fog does look beautiful at times, it's still not the greatest for eclipse viewing. The moisture gets on your glasses, and it's... chilly! I was up in the parking lot with the majority of people.

And it's a good thing I was!

Had I been anywhere else, I may have missed what was undeniably a sight worth seeing. In order to pass the time while waiting for totality, one group of people danced! It definitely broke the monotony of all those... sitting... people.

These dancers really livened the mood, making an extraordinary event even more amazing!

And the view of the sun throughout the process? Completely worth every moment.

And this is what it looked like just a few minutes before totality.

And what did we see during those two minutes of total eclipse? 

I did mention it was foggy, right? 

At this point, the eclipse glasses were worthless. With the sun completely covered, the glasses couldn't even track the thin outline. The photo above was taken without a lens, so the camera faced the full impact of light bouncing off of the fog.

Even so...

The world darkened, The casino's outdoor lights turned on, and the crowd cheered. Hearts were racing, and everyone seemed to join together in a single, indescribable joy.

Did you make it to the path of totality? Tell us about it in the comments below. And while you're at it... head to the Green Boots Facebook page and post your pics for everyone to enjoy!

Green Boots Changeover: On Schedule!

I wanted to give everyone one huge, wonderful, and happy-making update on the progress of switching over Even Green Boots Leave Trails to its new, revived form. 

Everything is on Schedule!!!

You've probably noticed the name switch: Two Green Boots. While the name Even Green Boots Leave Trails definitely fits this blog, it's a wee bit long (ok... really long), and therefore hard to remember. Furthermore, trying to type that name into an address bar can be a great exercise in patience. Two Green Boots, however, flows much more easily, and is less likely to inflict an extreme case of Typo Terror.

Sooo...

The name has been changed, a new logo has been created (Two green boot... prints!), DIY and article ideas are being researched, broken links are being mended, I'm in the process of making this theme responsive on mobile devices, and everything is on schedule...

...even though I'm in the process of moving into a new home, again!

Like I said previously, I've really missed you guys. I look forward to once again seeing your comments and reading your emails. You mean quite a bit to me, and some of you even helped inspire blog posts that I never would have written otherwise. 

You rock!

So now it's your turn, since this blog was created with you in mind. Send me an email, or reply in the comments below to give your opinion on what should be done. 

• What environmental issues are most important to you, right now? 
• What items do you want to re-purpose? 
• What home remedies are you interested in, but unsure of? 
• What visual properties of this website need a design change?

What changes do you want to see happen with Two Green Boots?

Blowing Dust From the Green Boots

It's been a while. A 

r  e  a  l  l  y

long while since I last posted to the Green Boots.

That needs to change. Now, more than ever before, we need to stand together to protect our environment. Let's get those green boots back out and blow the dust away, shall we? Tonight I begin the long process of bringing the blog back to life, and with your help, it'll come back even stronger than before.

That "your help" part is actually incredibly simple. All you need to do is show up and read. Easy-peasy, right? I'm sure, however, that you have one big, burning question on your mind:

Why the long break???

Actually, while I never gave up on the quest to go green through research and various projects, I stopped writing about it due to the upheaval involved in moving to new locations a few times. Four times, to be specific. Two different places in Minnesota, and two in Washington.

And I'm actually moving again later this month. Craziness, right?

During the time I spent away from the Green Boots, I also learned web development. I'm not actively using any of the skills I learned on this site... yet... but if you're interested in seeing some of what I've done you can find my portfolio at CatEye Coding. 

And on that subject...

You can expect to see more about green technology in the future. I firmly believe that the responsible use of technology can help us build a more eco-friendly world, and I want to be a part of that.

So...

Here we go! I've got a lot of housecleaning to do with this website, and its name will be shortened to make it more memorable. Even Green Boots Leave Trails, after all, is a bit of a mouthful. I'm excited to get back and begin writing for you again!

Now that the Green Boots are coming back, what do you want to hear more about, and what projects are you interested in?