The Sun shall be blotted from the sky!
 

The Sun shall be blotted from the sky ... for about two minutes, in North Queensland, on the 14th of November.

I leave tomorrow morning. I will spend four days driving to Cairns, a mere 3,000 km or so.

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After a logistics day in Cairns, I'll head another 250 kms or so to a campground prepared on centre line. I'll be there for several days, there's a bit of a gathering going on.

I really hope for clear weather for the eclipse!

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Afterwards, I will investigate going to The Tip of Cape York Peninsula, but that cannot be done in a mere Subaru Outback.
There are also lots of amazing parks and forest reserves and such in the general area. If the weather is good I could spend a week or two up there.

I am considering returning by a different route, involving the Birdsville Track and the Oodnadatta Track.

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Yeah that does go through the middle of a great big desert. On unsealed roads. At the very end of spring. She'll be right, eh?

So I won't be cellaring much for the next few weeks.

Lots of pictures, though, to share? Pretty please?

And a nice travel blog, you're one of the best. :)

Road trip!

Exciting.

Looks like a fantastic trip.

PDX had a total eclipse several years back.
It was weird, and it seemed to last for a long time.
... maybe because the dimming light came on slowly.

Have a great time and take lots of pics for us.
Even when it comes to total eclipses, without pics it didn't happen.

Man, does that sound like and epic trip. Let the FAWET begin!!

http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=1...t=fawet&page=2

Come on, show us how you don't get eaten by all those creepy crawlies and how you battle your way out of quicksand. I know you're doing it, teach us (or at least me) along the way.

Don't forget your gear.

:lol2:

All that you touch
And All that you see
All that you taste
All you feel.
And All that you love
And All that you hate
And All you distrust
All you save.
And All that you give
And All that you deal
And All that you buy
Beg borrow or steal.
And All you create
And All you destroy
And All that you do
And All that you say.
And All that you eat
And everyone you meet
And All that you slight
And everyone you fight.
And All that is now
And All that is gone
And All that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
And the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark.

;)

I am now listening to Dark Side of the Moon in my earbuds at work. It's been ages!

remember to be careful of the clocks

Later I'll say:

I was really drunk at the time.

(Vacation day tomorrow! Celebration tonight!)

Ooh, Zen, sounds fun! i went to cairns/port douglas for a week or so when I was in like 3rd/4th grade and remember it was a great time.
and i'm so jealous of your eclipseing! I've only ever seen one solar eclipse and now I want to see them as often as I can. It's surreal.

It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!


more later*, with some pics that turned out okay but not great.

*like, a week or two. I'm still 3,200 km from home.

Can't wait!

And I just figured/found out what fawet is. I
also am a victim/enthusiast ... love that thread. Love this place ...

Bring on the pics and travelogue (as soon as you can - safe trip home through that desert)!!!

Bring on the pics!

Zen is back to posting, but there's no pics. :(

No pics, it didn't happen... he, like the astronauts, never even left home.

:lol:

Hang on, guys, I've got a car full of crap to sort and clean, before I even get the pics from the camera to the computer.

welcome back dr zengum.

Time to start!

Well, the first 1,000 km was exactly the same as the last trip, so you can look at the first two photos in this thread. For ten hours. I was stingy with photos because I wanted to conserve the camera battery for the Main Event.

I stopped for the night, camping in a roadside rest area. Just on dawn, there was a thunderstorm, and a radio tower about 200 metres away got struck. I was fine in my tent, but in the morning the car was in a puddle about an inch deep.

Unlike my previous trip, from this point I went north, through Bourke, Cunamulla and Blackall, and, as with country driving, began seeing the same few vehicles several times, as we alternately stopped for fuel and passed each other.

Towards evening I saw a small kangaroo bounding along beside the road. Knowing how stupid they are, I went hard on the brakes, and of course the silly bugger swerved across the road just as I got to him, but I "chucked out the anchors" as we say down here, and avoided him with a full panic stop. I took this as time to stop for the night, so at the next area I made camp, and was soon joined by other traveler/campers, who I had seen at a fuel stop earlier in the day, driving from Melbourne also to the eclipse. There were three humans and George. George is quite well known, having been to more than 50 festivals in Southern Australia and spending the entire time on the dance floor at every one. We had our own mini-festival, and these kids hit the :bong: pretty hard. We took this photo of George.

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Next day was more northwards. The roads got worse, since there is no direct Adelaide-Cairns route. I took the Muttaburrasaurus Byway ... really ... which looks like this:

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When two cars approach, we each put two wheels in the dirt and cruise past at about 80 kph (keeps flying stones down) and give each other a wave (it gets lonely out here); but when a truck is approaching the procedure is:

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Get off the road and let them by. You don't want the back end of a road train fishtailing around in the gravel and kicking up stones all over.
And when I say road train I mean one of these.

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Yeah, that's a fuel tanker, I figure 72,000 litres, with 82 wheels, does 100 kph, and has one person in charge. Yes, that is my car behind it, but yes, there is a *bit* of forced perspective. I had passed a few triples earlier, but when I saw this, I decided to stop for the night!

I'll also say I chose not to pass trucks a few times. In one case I was behind a triple with standard shipping containers on it, and the back was getting blown about by cross winds pretty badly. I wanted to do 110, the truck was doing about 100 - but it was barely 20km to a town where I was going to stop for fuel and food anyway. I sat behind it and lost maybe two minutes.

Latish on day three I had to do about 30 kms of dirt road.

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It was pretty corrugated and dusty, and the shaking seemed to cause an electrical fault.
When I push the brake pedal the brake lights come on, but so do the left indicators, steady not flashing.
There was a bit more than that but nevermind.

The fourth day got me to Cairns, about 3100km so far.
As I went north, roadhouse meals got bigger.
Day two, in Cobar, the request for "eggs on toast" got me two fried eggs on two pieces of toast.
Day three saw breakfast in Auguthella, and the eggs were joined by some fried tomato.
Day four was in the tropics, near Charters Towers, and "eggs on toast" produced three eggs, two toast, tomatoes, bacon and a hash brown. :yum:
Coming back, in Townsville, you got all this plus chips.

I spent a whole day in Cairns, shopping, washing, etc.

Then I went North again.
This is the tropics, but only a tiny amount is rainforest.
Most is tropical savannah, of which this is a not-too-well executed panorama shot.
As far as I could tell, the road is the only man-made structure visible from this point.

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The we left the main road for 25 kms of winding dirt, gravel and dust.

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And I finally made it to the festival site.
I found a likely looking spot, but it was just past midday and pretty hot and humid,
so I went and visited the neighbours and hung out in the shade of their domes, as I will mention later.
As things cooled off a little, I made my camp:

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The tarp over the top was because the mid-day sun passes two degrees south of
directly overhead, and this makes the tent much more liveable.

Great travelogue so far, Zen! Love the detail about kangaroo stupidity. Opossums tend to swerve at cars, too, but then they're only about as big as house cats. I imagine if you hit a kangaroo it'd do some serious damage to your car.

Thanks, Zen! Really appreciate the time you've taken to get the photos and post the travelogue, and especially the detail about road trains, the need for tarps over the tents, kangaroos, etc. Looking forward to the next installment, whenever you're able.

Excellent travelogue!

When you pass a road train on one of those single lane paved roads, you have to get off of the paved surface and pass in the gravel? That's amazing!

I don't mind dirt roads so much, but when they get that washboard, or as you say "corrugated," surface, they are terrible. You can try going different speeds to find one where the vibrations don't resonate so much, but that really doesn't work so well. You just have to either slow down to walking speed, which isn't going to happen, or else put up with letting the fillings vibrate out of your teeth. I'm not surprised you had an electrical problem. It's probably about the worst abuse you can give a car. Get me a grader, STAT!

I love it that you just camp by the side of the road. We used to do that all the time when I was a kid, but people in the US don't do that any more. You'll get the cops called on you if you try that here now.

Great pic's and commentary and scenery.

But no pic's with Z, himself
... must have or didn't happen. :rolleyes:

Z is reclusive AND he doesn't show up on film or camera sensors either for some reason.


Zen, you are just adding fuel to my antipodal fire.

He's a wampire.

Good job documenting, and explaining for those of us unfamiliar with Australia, your trip. Thank you. :thumb:

Those road trains should carry a bumper sticker I saw recently...

IF MY BLINKER IS ON, I'M NOT ASKING PERMISSION, I'M TELLING YOU WHERE I'M GOING

:D

Zen, tis marvelly-ous.
I appreciate you were saving your camera but hey, next time can we have photos of meals?

Then again if you did I'd have cravings for aigs. I fry them to Aliantha's recipe now, with a lid on top of the pan. It's solved the problem of runny whites/ hard yolks but when someone else is cooking I still love a crispy bottom.

Lamp, you must have missed the photo of the tent.
That's actually Zen's shadow. That's how he's so Zen.

Moar plz...

Generally, I pull over and STOP. The shoulder is often pretty dodgy.

Keep this part of the story in mind, okay? It has a sequel.


There may be something. ;)

Although, if a truckie sees you're looking to pass, and can see the road ahead is clear, they'll give you a few flashes on their right hand indicator to say "clear to pass". As I begin the overtake, I flash my spotlights twice then leave them on as I pass, firstly so the truckie knows I'm passing, and also so any oncoming traffic can see something is going on. I ALWAYS have the headlights on on country roads, so oncoming traffic can see ME.

On the rare occasions when you get passed by a truck, when the back of the truck is clear of the front of the car, flash your headlights. It is a bit hard for the truckie to judge this in the mirrors, and this lets them know it is safe to pull back in. Most will indicate right-left-right, to say thank you. Actually slowing a bit and flashing your indicator so a truck can pass where there is an overtaking lane will get a r-l-r-l-r "thank you very much".

I suspect all of this isn't really necessary, but it gives us something to do amongst the boredom!

Took one just for you, Sundae, it'll come.

Road train, wow just wow.

Recreational math? Nope, survival math. good man!

do you know what a singularity is? such a picture would be one less.

Does it involve a fire extinguisher?

Lol. nope.

Mind you, the car has been having issues with oil seeping through some old tired gaskets and seals and smoking away when things get hot after a few hours of freeway cruising. I had a few leaks fixed before I left, but there were still a few moments when I stopped after a long haul and had smallish amounts of smoke from the engine bay. After a while I decided to consider this "normal" and stop worrying.

I did have a couple of "fire extinguishers" in the form of two cans of mediocre beer. In the event of an engine fire, crack the top, shake hard, use the foam. No worries, eh?

Here are some sights around the festival. There was quite a bit more awesome psychedelic stuff, but that got taken down shortly after the Main Event and I missed the chance to photograph it.

Anyway, here is the dam/lake, with a fairly minimal camp beside it.

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Some folks take "minimal" camping a bit further. Someone lived here for several days.

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Then there were the old-school hippies. Not extinct yet!

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And this was the shade domes of the crew I met and hung out with.

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These folks - six or seven people, it varied - were mostly adults like me, but further from mainstream. The structure in the middle of the domes is a hippie-trap. It is made using coloured wool, twigs, and any shiny or interesting objects that can be found. Wandering hippies get lost in it for hours. Note the sound system on the left.

I'm sure there is evidence of misbehaviour in this picture. How can I put this... I had brought a stash box, a small piece of tupperware, the contents of which would have kept Hunter S Thompson amused for maybe 36 hours. This crew had brought a stash box, a footlocker big enough for two people to use as a chair (not that anyone did, that would have blocked access) that would have had Hunter S Thompson asking them to slow down so he could take notes. Nothing that went up the nose or in a vein, but apart from that ... pretty much everything.

It was pretty warm - 30 to 35 each day - so swimming was necessary.

In Far North Queensland (or FNQ, pronounced Effen' Queue) there are crocs in most waters, but this far inland, almost certainly only freshwater crocs, and they're small(ish) and timid and are not considered dangerous.

Just in case, my neighbours set up this tribal mermaid goddess to warn them off.

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And the day before the eclipse, I got attacked by a wild animal!!!

Possibly NSFW, so look here.

Dammit, get the tweezers. At least it was only on my belly this time.

That genie must have been hard of hearing. I'm pretty sure I said CHICK magnet. :rolleyes:

Meanwhile, where I had chosen a small gathering of maybe 300, George TheCow was off at a large (10,000 peeps) rave/doof festival nearby, helping DJ a few sets, then getting funky on the dance floor.

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Here they flash all their rear lights off and on... I had a button in my van to do that without affecting the headlights.

Large or small, methinks I'd rather avoid crocks. :unsure:

I love the fact that crocs in Oz are one of the few animals you don't have to worry about. Freshwater ones at least.

Crazy hippy people.
Glad you avoided the trap.

Is that you holding that green hippo, Zen?

:lol:

Well, no one has ever seen Zen, have they?

In my mind he has as James Franco thing going on. But who knows? ;)

The mullet/mohawk combo with the extensive tattoos on the arm we not what I pictured.

I also kind of pictured James Franco.

But you know what? I bet that IS him!

(do you think this will make him post himself? That's what I'm trying to do.)

I'd always kinda pictured Zen as looking glatt-ish but sounding like Hugh Jackman.

:rolleyes:

Pay attention, people.

Okay, getting close to the Main Event.

Totality was due at 6.37 am.

It was obviously necessary to pull an all nighter. I had strategic naps the day before, then at 11pm had an energy drink, then around midnight started a carefully planned session of recreational pharmaceuticals. I had some :luv: and some :rainbo: and then some :flower: and even some :nuts:, spread out over six hours, so that by dawn, my altitude was at a personal best and may have given Felix Baumgartener a run for his money. :D PM if you want full details..

So, I dressed warm - temp in the mid teens, I think, but it gets COLD during an eclipse - and went down by the lake side. I found a nice little spot about ten feet back from the shore, with the sky brightening in the east across the lake, and set up.

I had my camera on a tripod about four feet to my left, set to take a picture on automatic every 30 seconds.

Dawn twilight:

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First peep of sunrise:

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The eclipse was already underway by this time, with the moon moving from the top left part of the sun, as shown in this excellent shot by Ben Cooper:

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Soon the sun was little more than a crescent, but alas my little camera wasn't really up to the job:

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Soon, the sun became a slim crescent, a sickle, a sliver :

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Then one last peek of light...

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Then ...

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BBAAANNNGGGGGG!!!!!!
As Someone - my campmates deny everything ;) - let off a 2&1/2 inch firework mortar shell to salute the moment, and this instant was burned into my memory.

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My camera really didn't do too well, here are some other people's photos.

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You can clearly see the pale grey disc of the moon with the fleecy corona streaming out. There was a planet - looked like Venus - above and to the right. The light is strange, soft and silvery.

Words just don't cut it. See one for yourselves.

Back to my camera:

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I was a tad to the right of my camera, so for me the eclipse was perfectly framed between those two dead trees.

After barely two minutes:

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The fire returns!

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Gradually, the sun came back, the warmth returned.

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I sat meditating for a while, then, under the waxing gibbous sun, did the obvious thing.

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Yeah, that's me, enjoy it.

I swam, came ashore, meditated until the eclipse was fully over. I did a fair bit of psycho-magic head work during this time.

Eventually, I took all my gear back to my tent, and wandered through the festival to the beach area, not speaking a word. One chap tried to talk with me "wasn't that great?" etc, but I used signs to show I wasn't in speaking mode due to my mind being totally BLOWN. Another guy saw this and trotted over to give me a hug and a pat on the back. :) He understood. :lol:

I wore bathers this time, and went for a long swim, resting on a platform on the lake made of shipping pallets fixed in dead trees. Clear light, beautiful location, rippling water ... heavenly.

Eventually I swam back to shore and wandered back to my tent, had some fruit, and - having not spoken for about three hours post-eclipse - rejoined my camp mates.

We spent the rest of that day chilling out in the shade, having the occasional swim, and enjoying ourselves. There was :bong: and champagne and scotch-and-coke. They had a watermelon that had bourbon in it, but the bourbon had about 5% hash oil in it! Did I mention one of these crew buys whippits five cartons at a time? (That's 1,800 bulbs, lazybrain :p: ). There was some more :rainbo: and towards dusk four of us went for a stroll up the hill with a cocktail, that was mostly champagne.

Shortly after sunset I went to bed, slipped off into trippy dreams with trance-techno from the sound stage leaking in.

One of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I'm buzzed just writing about it.

You did well, Z, in planning, documenting, and having a memorable trip.

I've only been in one total eclipse, many years ago, but still vividly remembered.
Ours was also in the early morning.
(Do all total eclipses happen at that time of day ?)

We had previously heard that birds stop singing.
But not ours. They seemed to be calling one another even more.
As you say, the lighting is quite unusual, and totality doesn't last long.


So.... Hooray for Z, and with Pic's too ! It really did happen.

Eclipses can happen anytime during daylight hours. I saw one in 2002 that was about an hour before sunset.

giggles ;)

Zen... :haha:

wow. just- wow.

so cool, all of it-worthy of a DeadHead----actually BEYOND worthy as you had to face actual wildlife (chuh-"timid" or not, I am NOT getting into ANY water with ANY sort of croc or gator anywhere near it. Example: I might take a chance and swim in a lake in Maine but no way am I swimming in any Florida puddle) but I digress----

that was awesome and it seems life affirming for you. Isn't nice when the Universe gives presents like that? and I'm so glad to see the back of your, well....back. But again, I would NEVER get in that water. It looks like it has a very squishy bottom like you're walking on raw eggs. I can only stand sugary-white sands in my lakes. No muck. But see, I"m a wuss. I also would've required an outlet for my blowdryer. ;)

Beautiful country-so wild looking. Now: come on. Let's see your eyes!

PS ---- just to expand on my muck obsession: when I go to maine my uncle dumps a huge truckload of pure white sand into the water around their dock for me. Aren't I the little princess?



PPS - that was also years ago when we actually spent 99% of our time IN the water. What can I say? I just don't like muck.

Zen, you are the gummiest!

wait...Zen, you are the Zenniest!

Just. Wow. Dude.

Told ya! James Franco! :D

I'm with Tribly on this one. I can deal with muck if I have to, but that's not a lake you are swimming in, that's a swamp. You need a machete to swim through that stuff.

Of course, if it's really hot, you don't have much choice.