The magic of the eclipse is something to behold, whether it be a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse. In 2017, I drove to Wyoming to see the solar eclipse in its totality. I stood in a field while the sun was covered and was able to experience twilight in the middle of the day. It was an entirely surreal experience!
That’s why, when I learned of the solar eclipse this year, I knew I had to drive to New Mexico. It was an annular eclipse. This means that the moon is further from the Earth, so that it doesn’t completely cover the sun. Of course, I didn’t learn that until after I experienced the eclipse but still, worth it! (Keep reading to see our watch spot – absolutely gorgeous!)
Because of this, it doesn’t get as dark during an annular eclipse as it does during a totality. The annular eclipse was traveling over New Mexico, with the hub being in the Albuquerque. This also coinsided with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta for 2023. It was originally in my plans to make it to both. The morning of, however, I decided I didn’t want to deal with as much traffic as I would expect for both events.
What I ended up doing was driving down a road I previously discovered and enjoyed on my way to El Paso. On a whim, I turned down a street, and then another. It resulted in finding the most gorgeous little pull off that was perfect for enjoying the morning and watching the eclipse.
I spent my morning with my niece eating snacks, laughing, and taking pictures. We discovered how cool regular shadows look during an eclipse. We couldn’t find a new pair of eclipse glasses enroute, so we shared a pair that I still had in my glove box from the 2017 eclipse. I even tried to get a time lapse video of the changing in light. I don’t think there was quite enough light change to actually notice in the video, but I tried!
Still, we had a great time. I was able to see some cools plants and really awesome places along the way. Did you watch the 2023 eclipse?
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