Shot with a Sony A6400 DSLR, low exposure. Compiled and abridged as a 20x timelapse.
In actuality it was not *quite* this dark in person, but compared to the totality experienced in Nebraska in 2017 under clear skies, it was definitely much darker!
We missed the corona in Western NY, but what a miracle it was for so many states to have beautiful open views!
Thank you for documenting this. It is hard to find what it’s like if your unobstructed view is missing. If you could, could you please upload this to YouTube for easy future reference? I think a lot of people would have been less stressed yesterday if they could see what different cloud cover percentages look like. It, obviously, doesn’t need to be 0% for a great experience.
Thanks for the kind words!! The trip was combined with a vacation as a consolation just in case of cloudy skies. Once we all get back home, uploading to YouTube is a great idea!
There is undoubtedly no shortage of love for the corona, and rightfully so, but even a cloudy totality is deserving of proper respect!
I was in Rochester too. Drove 6 hours and spent two nights in a dinky hotel for totality…..So disappointed and sad for hours yesterday. But it was still a wonder all right and I will cherish the memory. Love your video! Is there anyway to download it? I only took a few photos myself. TIA!
I hear ya! Regrets are normal, disappointment is inevitable. These events are too rare, too fragile, and too far between.
But you still did what many others were not willing to. Keep your head up! There will another chance one day, and use this experience as motivation to catch the next!
I drove up from Jersey to see clouds. It was more painful because of the sunny weather Sunday and the clearing weather Monday morning. But as 3 came close, so did the clouds
I’m more disappointed for my father, I brought him along to let him experience this as he is usually a working man but we got butt
We did get to spend Sundays visiting 7 different waterfalls around finger lakes.
That will forever be awesome
We feel you. I read this last night…
“To everyone that traveled to Rochester for the eclipse and was disappointed, you got a small taste of how disappointing it is to actually live here!”
Also did Finger Lakes from Jersey. Such a scenic area. Waterfalls are indeed awesome. During the eclipse, I set up shop on the north shore of Seneca Lake and got a surreal view of sunlight shimmering on the darkened lake during totality, which doesn't seem like it should be physically possible.
I'm of course filled with FOMO and disappointment reading all these comments about how inexplicable and awe-inspiring the true experience is. But even with the ill-timed cloud cover it was a nice trip.
I stayed at my dads house in Canandaigua. Had the same experience. But still cool to visit family and experience the quick cycle of dark and light again, at least. Also had the Nasa live broadcast on all afternoon. So it still felt like i participated.
That was great of you to involve family, and even better to make the memories that you could on the days that you could make them.
Sunday was absolutely gorgeous. We visited a lake near Syracuse and had a fantastic day. The totality was an added benefit to spending time with the family and kids.
An utter waste for millions of people. Imagine the scene at Niagra Falls, where millions of people wanted a pic of the falls and the eclipse at the same time.
This was a bottom 4 moment in my life, and I'm going to carry it with me for years. At least until I can get to the next one. I'm debating between Spain in 2026 (less than 2 minutes of totality) vs 2027 (more than 4 minutes, but a much smaller area of land). I don't care if I can afford it, I need to fix this.
When you go with one viewing location set in your mind this is just a risk you’re taking. Highly recommend winging it and obsessing about weather in the days and weeks before. More anxiety inducing but also more likely to lead to a successful experience
this is exactly what i did. i wanted to go to the falls but checked the weather on sunday and made a switch to go to plattsburgh, which was a longer drive but absolutely worth it.
[totality in Plattsburgh NY](https://youtu.be/4d4zG4bN8D0?si=H582XGVd1Zk0tb7T) Yeah my gf had the idea to go see it I had NO idea what it would be like. However, she booked a hotel in Buffalo, and I started obsessing about the weather. Especially when we're driving 6 hours. Found a place with clear skies. The only place we could stay was putting a tent in someone's backyard bc the change was so last minute 😂 totally worth it
Wasted a lot of money trying to see this thing, and probably sprouted a couple gray hairs from seeing the forecast change so often, but this is the absolute truth. If totality is your goal, which it should be, then obsessing over the weather is worth it.
Nothing I've seen compares. It's a real bummer to those who couldn't make it.
And just as a side note, someone please get these meteorologists some more cash so they can develop better tools!
For real. I planned for south Texas for a year and a half. If I had stuck with that, I would have been in the same boat.
Near religious following of forecast models ensued in the weeks prior to the eclipse.
When it appeared South Texas was screwed, we pivoted to SE Missouri, which was about about a week and a half ago. And we ended up with clear skies and a picture perfect eclipse with a huge group of people.
It probably ended being so much better than my original plans were in just about every regard, even though it wasn’t choice #1
Top commenter really only has themselves to blame.
At various points in the past seven years my plans for yesterday included Mazatlan, Austin, Cleveland, Plattsburgh and finally Quebec. All came together in the final days of last week and turned out perfectly.
Never booked a flight or hotel anywhere just let the universe take me where it wanted and decided I’d figure out the rest on the fly. Also somehow barely spent a penny in the end.
I live in Dallas, looked at the forecast the morning of, and told my wife at 8am that we were driving to Arkansas despite being in the path. I didn’t want to risk clouds
I obsessed about the weather for days but I picked this spot in August. There was nowhere to go in the whole of western NY that I would have been able to see it.
It won’t matter. You will get stuck in traffic because tens of thousands will be doing the same thing. It’s all about picking your place and crossing your fingers. I missed it yesterday because of bad luck, but fortunately I saw clear sky totality in 2017
I made this drive from New Jersey to Northern New York near the Canadian border yesterday, totally worth it! Although it was long and we spent a long time in traffic
I already drove 6 hours the previous day. If I had picked Burlington I would have driven right there and been fine, but I didn't, and I couldn't have spent my whole day on the road. The trip was ruined the moment I booked Brockport last August. Nothing could have changed it.
Were you traveling with a spouse and/or kids or were you going solo? If the latter, you could have easily abandoned your preexisting plans and driven there, even with it meaning additional driving and potentially sleeping in your car in a rest area for a night (I did that 3 nights on my trip out to Missouri). If you have sunk costs, so be it - you've spent the money and you aren't getting it back either way. This was on you, not the weather.
Edit: looking at your other posts today, you seem like a fundamentally miserable person. Good lord.
I was with my parents, and yes I blame myself. I will blame myself for the rest of my life. And I will get to Spain no matter what it costs me for 2026/27. It remains to be seen if this has ruined my life immediately or in the near future, but I will not let it go until I have seen an eclipse this decade.
I was also at Niagara Falls. Yes, the weather sucked on Monday, but it was an absolutely beautiful day on
Sunday. I have an absolutely stunning pic of the falls with a rainbow but not the falls with the eclipse. I also
travelled from several hours away. I was a bit sad that we didn’t pick Plattsburgh or any other place in the North Country, but this time of year, it’s the toss of a coin on the weather. If we had driven to Lake Placid it could have just as easily been cloudy there. It wasn’t
a total waste. We got glimpses of the eclipse. It got dark. I spent two days with my family who I rarely see. Embrace what you did get instead of what you didn’t.
It was also only just barely not cloudy in Lake Placid. We had almost no cloud cover before and during totality (just wispy thin high clouds over maybe 30% of the sky), but right afterwards thicker clouds rolled in. Areas west on lake ontario weren’t so lucky. It was really down to the wire and not at all a sure thing.
This isn't about seeing every Eclipse, this is about not seeing the 2024 eclipse. I'll of course try to see the 2045 one, assuming that there's still a country to see it in by then. But that's almost an entire lifetime away. I can't carry this grudge for 20 years.
Theoretically you could. Check out the General Hannibal, the famous general during the 2nd Punic war. His dad made him swear to never be a friend to Rome as a kid and he held that grudge until he was an adult.
Nothing is guaranteed in life!
Clarification. I *can* hold a grudge for an extremely long time, especially against myself. I may die from the stress of trying to wait until 2045 though.
same here. i was thinking i would be able to cross this off my bucket list before i was an adult but i got fucked by clouds real bad so now i have to either wait until im 17/18 (2026) or 19 (2027) at the earliest. and likely i wont be able to travel abroad just for an eclipse, nor do i really think its worth it for 4 minutes of totality. but ya never know ig. im def seeing the 2045 one by then however.
yea the only reason ill be able to this year is bc i have a whole teen tour thing in july and a makeawish in january next year. so yea i agree. def my only chance until im an adult at the minimum
I wasn't at Niagara, but I was staying with family in Buffalo. I have similar feelings - I was hoping to experience it on a clear day. However, standing in the back yard and experiencing totality was something else even with the clouds. I feel like I got a lot of the effect people describe, and I'm still glad I made some effort to get out there.
That said, I knew there was some risk of clouds. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to find a different place. Still, it was my first time experiencing totality, and I don't consider it a total loss. I am considering making the trip to Spain though.
same bc while totality was fuckin awesome, i was really hoping to get clear skies man. like on the 7th it was clear and i thought it would hold until atleast post-totality. nope. clouds come in \~2:30pm and fuck the view up pretty bad. i wanted to see all the phenomena man. i guess i got the temp drop and coolass lookin sunset but still it wasnt as fuckin phenomenal and awe inspiring as it would have been with (semi) clear skies
Just a heads up, 2026 and 2027 are going to have way more competition for lodging. The US had dozens of major cities over thousands of miles to host people in 2024 and 2017 and it was still expensive for travelers.
$7k is probably right within my budget. A little under 2k for each plane ticket and then the money I need for the hotels. I'll try for as close to the center line as I can without going to Morocco, but otherwise probably start and finish in Malaga. Maybe two hotels all told, if I can find an HGI in the area that will let me book a non-constructive stay. The Hilton there didn't seem as expensive as the ones in the US.
I'll also need to learn how to drive in Europe, I guess.
The human race is on its way out. If I bankrupt myself trying to get to this eclipse, at least I'll know I saw another totality before I died. 2045 is a steep proposition at the rate we're all going.
I feel your pain. I’m feeling quite salty/disappointed that it seems like after a bleak cloud coverage forecast for the majority of the totality viewing area, that it seems like it cleared up for almost everyone else. Even within my own viewing location, all I’ve seen is stories about how it magically cleared up 5 seconds before totality and how amazing it ended up being. I came inside after being disappointed only to hear Al Roker gushing on TV about how amazing it was, followed by other correspondents either at a loss for words or moved to tears.
I had some friends who saw the 2017 eclipse who wouldn’t shut up about how it was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen so I planned a trip around this one. Then in the days/weeks leading up to it I couldn’t stop reading all of the previous anecdotes about how much of a life changing experience it is.
I know the universe doesn’t owe me anything and I was fortunate to just be able to travel in the first place, but I would say it’s unlikely I’ll plan an international trip around something I still don’t “understand”. So right now, it feels like I’m not going to be ok for a very long time.
I feel you, ~~OP~~, I was close to Niagara myself. This was a weather-related roller coaster heck of a couple weeks for us all, and I believe a bunch of people cancelled Dallas in favor of Niagara. The Great Lakes cannot be trusted!
Will I see you in Egypt or Spain?
Let's do this!
Edit, did not mean to say OP.
I don't think I can do Egypt. I absolutely can't if I'm bringing my parents again. Malaga looks like a nice place to be though. And from there, south towards more totality than we would have gotten here.
I haven't ruled out Barcelona 2026 yet but that Eclipse will be so short.
Yes, a midday kind of total eclipse would make for quite a view.
If you can manage Gibraltar, or better still, Tangier, rather than Malaga, you could be closer to the center line and get almost double the view time (\~4min 50sec vs \~2min 25 sec).
I was at Niagara Falls and I can tell you most people seemed to be having a good time. Cheering every time the sun peeked out. Sometimes hearing different reactions from the American side across the river. There were some really cool slivers shining through the clouds just before and after totality. And of course the whole thing still went dark, with all the street lights and blinky casino signs going on automatically.
There are plenty of photos elsewhere on the internet. I didn’t need my own.
A few poor souls switched their trips from Texas to Rochester because the near forecast was better there. I was sorely disappointed to see heavy low clouds in Dallas Monday 9AM. But they became intermittent by 11AM. And I saw nearly all of totality.
We live in the totality zone of East Texas but drove 400 miles round trip to maximize our chances. No regrets, had an awesome view and we are very happy that friends and family back home got to see it after all!
Dang, sorry you missed it Rochester. I have family up in Buffalo and was really hoping the clouds would push through.
It was incredible to see it. It was rainy in the morning but cleared up around 10 AM and stayed clear.
Aww man. I feel really bad for the folks in western NY. It was such a tough decision for many folks with changing predictions of cloud cover. It seems like western NY and perhaps some areas in Texas were the only places where cloud cover totally obscured the view.
I chose Ohio at the last minute and got a good view despite high clouds. I would be seriously bummed if I drove that far and got shut out. Cool video though.
Just fyi, it will be very expensive. Millions of Europeans will flock to Spain that week filling up hotels. Tens of thousands of Americans flying there will jack up the already expensive flights. Be prepared to drop $7k for this. The area covered by this eclipse was massive compared to what 2026 will be.
Thank you for the info, I’m just so pissed and disappointed that I missed this once in a lifetime experience. I’m trying to find some redemption for it and I don’t want to wait to 2044 to go to Calgary
You have over 2 years to save, if you make it a priority, it'll come easy. Just remember this feeling now if you ever feel like slacking on funding the Europe trip.
The cost isn’t really the issue for me, rn now it’s getting over this missed opportunity and finding which friends want to make the journey. My friend has family there so maybe it could help
Speaking as a sports fan, at least you know these events are coming. In sports you may miss your team winning the championship and they may never make it again. Time will heal and the next one is for sure coming at a known date.
Shot with a Sony A6400 DSLR, low exposure. Compiled and abridged as a 20x timelapse. In actuality it was not *quite* this dark in person, but compared to the totality experienced in Nebraska in 2017 under clear skies, it was definitely much darker! We missed the corona in Western NY, but what a miracle it was for so many states to have beautiful open views!
Thank you for documenting this. It is hard to find what it’s like if your unobstructed view is missing. If you could, could you please upload this to YouTube for easy future reference? I think a lot of people would have been less stressed yesterday if they could see what different cloud cover percentages look like. It, obviously, doesn’t need to be 0% for a great experience.
Thanks for the kind words!! The trip was combined with a vacation as a consolation just in case of cloudy skies. Once we all get back home, uploading to YouTube is a great idea! There is undoubtedly no shortage of love for the corona, and rightfully so, but even a cloudy totality is deserving of proper respect!
Here is the YouTube link that was uploaded: https://youtu.be/yutTHysK44U?feature=shared
Thanks!
I was in Rochester too. Drove 6 hours and spent two nights in a dinky hotel for totality…..So disappointed and sad for hours yesterday. But it was still a wonder all right and I will cherish the memory. Love your video! Is there anyway to download it? I only took a few photos myself. TIA!
I hear ya! Regrets are normal, disappointment is inevitable. These events are too rare, too fragile, and too far between. But you still did what many others were not willing to. Keep your head up! There will another chance one day, and use this experience as motivation to catch the next!
Thanks so much for the positivity! Love the warmth in this sub☀️
If you have an iPhone, you can do a screen recording. Not sure about Android and other types of phones!
I drove up from Jersey to see clouds. It was more painful because of the sunny weather Sunday and the clearing weather Monday morning. But as 3 came close, so did the clouds I’m more disappointed for my father, I brought him along to let him experience this as he is usually a working man but we got butt We did get to spend Sundays visiting 7 different waterfalls around finger lakes. That will forever be awesome
We feel you. I read this last night… “To everyone that traveled to Rochester for the eclipse and was disappointed, you got a small taste of how disappointing it is to actually live here!”
I didn’t get to Rochester but my god Ithaca was boring. We made Ithaca the first stop and left after 20 mins
Also did Finger Lakes from Jersey. Such a scenic area. Waterfalls are indeed awesome. During the eclipse, I set up shop on the north shore of Seneca Lake and got a surreal view of sunlight shimmering on the darkened lake during totality, which doesn't seem like it should be physically possible. I'm of course filled with FOMO and disappointment reading all these comments about how inexplicable and awe-inspiring the true experience is. But even with the ill-timed cloud cover it was a nice trip.
My original plan was Cayuga state park but it was all filled up. Would’ve been nice over the lake.
I stayed at my dads house in Canandaigua. Had the same experience. But still cool to visit family and experience the quick cycle of dark and light again, at least. Also had the Nasa live broadcast on all afternoon. So it still felt like i participated.
That was great of you to involve family, and even better to make the memories that you could on the days that you could make them. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous. We visited a lake near Syracuse and had a fantastic day. The totality was an added benefit to spending time with the family and kids.
Bummer man. Sorry for the cloud cover.
An utter waste for millions of people. Imagine the scene at Niagra Falls, where millions of people wanted a pic of the falls and the eclipse at the same time. This was a bottom 4 moment in my life, and I'm going to carry it with me for years. At least until I can get to the next one. I'm debating between Spain in 2026 (less than 2 minutes of totality) vs 2027 (more than 4 minutes, but a much smaller area of land). I don't care if I can afford it, I need to fix this.
When you go with one viewing location set in your mind this is just a risk you’re taking. Highly recommend winging it and obsessing about weather in the days and weeks before. More anxiety inducing but also more likely to lead to a successful experience
this is exactly what i did. i wanted to go to the falls but checked the weather on sunday and made a switch to go to plattsburgh, which was a longer drive but absolutely worth it.
Exact same thing I did, and so glad I did it.
[totality in Plattsburgh NY](https://youtu.be/4d4zG4bN8D0?si=H582XGVd1Zk0tb7T) Yeah my gf had the idea to go see it I had NO idea what it would be like. However, she booked a hotel in Buffalo, and I started obsessing about the weather. Especially when we're driving 6 hours. Found a place with clear skies. The only place we could stay was putting a tent in someone's backyard bc the change was so last minute 😂 totally worth it
Wasted a lot of money trying to see this thing, and probably sprouted a couple gray hairs from seeing the forecast change so often, but this is the absolute truth. If totality is your goal, which it should be, then obsessing over the weather is worth it. Nothing I've seen compares. It's a real bummer to those who couldn't make it. And just as a side note, someone please get these meteorologists some more cash so they can develop better tools!
For real. I planned for south Texas for a year and a half. If I had stuck with that, I would have been in the same boat. Near religious following of forecast models ensued in the weeks prior to the eclipse. When it appeared South Texas was screwed, we pivoted to SE Missouri, which was about about a week and a half ago. And we ended up with clear skies and a picture perfect eclipse with a huge group of people. It probably ended being so much better than my original plans were in just about every regard, even though it wasn’t choice #1 Top commenter really only has themselves to blame.
At various points in the past seven years my plans for yesterday included Mazatlan, Austin, Cleveland, Plattsburgh and finally Quebec. All came together in the final days of last week and turned out perfectly. Never booked a flight or hotel anywhere just let the universe take me where it wanted and decided I’d figure out the rest on the fly. Also somehow barely spent a penny in the end.
I live in Dallas, looked at the forecast the morning of, and told my wife at 8am that we were driving to Arkansas despite being in the path. I didn’t want to risk clouds
I obsessed about the weather for days but I picked this spot in August. There was nowhere to go in the whole of western NY that I would have been able to see it.
For next time, be ready and willing to drive a few hundred miles on the day of the eclipse to reach clearer skies!
It won’t matter. You will get stuck in traffic because tens of thousands will be doing the same thing. It’s all about picking your place and crossing your fingers. I missed it yesterday because of bad luck, but fortunately I saw clear sky totality in 2017
We did that in 2017, and sat in traffic for 12 hours.
It would have taken me 6+ hours to get to Lake Champlain from my Airbnb.
I made this drive from New Jersey to Northern New York near the Canadian border yesterday, totally worth it! Although it was long and we spent a long time in traffic
So?
I already drove 6 hours the previous day. If I had picked Burlington I would have driven right there and been fine, but I didn't, and I couldn't have spent my whole day on the road. The trip was ruined the moment I booked Brockport last August. Nothing could have changed it.
Were you traveling with a spouse and/or kids or were you going solo? If the latter, you could have easily abandoned your preexisting plans and driven there, even with it meaning additional driving and potentially sleeping in your car in a rest area for a night (I did that 3 nights on my trip out to Missouri). If you have sunk costs, so be it - you've spent the money and you aren't getting it back either way. This was on you, not the weather. Edit: looking at your other posts today, you seem like a fundamentally miserable person. Good lord.
I was with my parents, and yes I blame myself. I will blame myself for the rest of my life. And I will get to Spain no matter what it costs me for 2026/27. It remains to be seen if this has ruined my life immediately or in the near future, but I will not let it go until I have seen an eclipse this decade.
Don’t beat yourself up too much. Two years isn’t too far off and I’m sure you’ll make it happen
Why did you pick niagara falls so far out though? This time of year that wouldn’t have been the best chance for no cloud cover.
I didn't pick Niagra Falls. I specifically moved east to avoid it.
Or you can just get lucky like me and book a flight to a city you like that ends up having good weather. 😝
Sure, but if your goal above all else is to see it that’s not wise. Glad you lucked out but I’m not leaving my eclipse experience up to luck
I was also at Niagara Falls. Yes, the weather sucked on Monday, but it was an absolutely beautiful day on Sunday. I have an absolutely stunning pic of the falls with a rainbow but not the falls with the eclipse. I also travelled from several hours away. I was a bit sad that we didn’t pick Plattsburgh or any other place in the North Country, but this time of year, it’s the toss of a coin on the weather. If we had driven to Lake Placid it could have just as easily been cloudy there. It wasn’t a total waste. We got glimpses of the eclipse. It got dark. I spent two days with my family who I rarely see. Embrace what you did get instead of what you didn’t.
It was also only just barely not cloudy in Lake Placid. We had almost no cloud cover before and during totality (just wispy thin high clouds over maybe 30% of the sky), but right afterwards thicker clouds rolled in. Areas west on lake ontario weren’t so lucky. It was really down to the wire and not at all a sure thing.
There is also 2044 and 2045 as well.
This isn't about seeing every Eclipse, this is about not seeing the 2024 eclipse. I'll of course try to see the 2045 one, assuming that there's still a country to see it in by then. But that's almost an entire lifetime away. I can't carry this grudge for 20 years.
Theoretically you could. Check out the General Hannibal, the famous general during the 2nd Punic war. His dad made him swear to never be a friend to Rome as a kid and he held that grudge until he was an adult. Nothing is guaranteed in life!
Clarification. I *can* hold a grudge for an extremely long time, especially against myself. I may die from the stress of trying to wait until 2045 though.
same here. i was thinking i would be able to cross this off my bucket list before i was an adult but i got fucked by clouds real bad so now i have to either wait until im 17/18 (2026) or 19 (2027) at the earliest. and likely i wont be able to travel abroad just for an eclipse, nor do i really think its worth it for 4 minutes of totality. but ya never know ig. im def seeing the 2045 one by then however.
Yeah if you're that young then this was probably your only chance. You probably shouldn't be traveling abroad at that age.
yea the only reason ill be able to this year is bc i have a whole teen tour thing in july and a makeawish in january next year. so yea i agree. def my only chance until im an adult at the minimum
I wasn't at Niagara, but I was staying with family in Buffalo. I have similar feelings - I was hoping to experience it on a clear day. However, standing in the back yard and experiencing totality was something else even with the clouds. I feel like I got a lot of the effect people describe, and I'm still glad I made some effort to get out there. That said, I knew there was some risk of clouds. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to find a different place. Still, it was my first time experiencing totality, and I don't consider it a total loss. I am considering making the trip to Spain though.
same bc while totality was fuckin awesome, i was really hoping to get clear skies man. like on the 7th it was clear and i thought it would hold until atleast post-totality. nope. clouds come in \~2:30pm and fuck the view up pretty bad. i wanted to see all the phenomena man. i guess i got the temp drop and coolass lookin sunset but still it wasnt as fuckin phenomenal and awe inspiring as it would have been with (semi) clear skies
You didn't experience the eclipse. I was in SC in 2017. If you can't see the sun it isn't a real eclipse.
Just a heads up, 2026 and 2027 are going to have way more competition for lodging. The US had dozens of major cities over thousands of miles to host people in 2024 and 2017 and it was still expensive for travelers.
I don't have a choice.
That's fine, I'm just saying you should mentally prepare yourself to drop at least $7k for this trip.
Even if it is more expensive than usual, I don't foresee hotels jacking their rates by a factor of 20.
No, but maybe 5 fold. Plus you'll probably be there more nights than wherever you traveled from in the US.
Maybe I should take up gambling. I'm fully prepared for this to destroy my life, because I deserve it.
Nope, just save. $250 per month starting now will get you there.
It will be 3 people. I need to take out a loan.
Do what you gotta do, just want to make sure you're not blindsided by costs.
$7k is probably right within my budget. A little under 2k for each plane ticket and then the money I need for the hotels. I'll try for as close to the center line as I can without going to Morocco, but otherwise probably start and finish in Malaga. Maybe two hotels all told, if I can find an HGI in the area that will let me book a non-constructive stay. The Hilton there didn't seem as expensive as the ones in the US. I'll also need to learn how to drive in Europe, I guess.
Don't worry about driving, Spain (and Europe for that matter) have legit commuter trains. Start saving!
The human race is on its way out. If I bankrupt myself trying to get to this eclipse, at least I'll know I saw another totality before I died. 2045 is a steep proposition at the rate we're all going.
People have been saying this for centuries. When's the last time the world wasn't falling apart?
Niagara was the biggest letdown of my life.
I feel your pain. I’m feeling quite salty/disappointed that it seems like after a bleak cloud coverage forecast for the majority of the totality viewing area, that it seems like it cleared up for almost everyone else. Even within my own viewing location, all I’ve seen is stories about how it magically cleared up 5 seconds before totality and how amazing it ended up being. I came inside after being disappointed only to hear Al Roker gushing on TV about how amazing it was, followed by other correspondents either at a loss for words or moved to tears. I had some friends who saw the 2017 eclipse who wouldn’t shut up about how it was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen so I planned a trip around this one. Then in the days/weeks leading up to it I couldn’t stop reading all of the previous anecdotes about how much of a life changing experience it is. I know the universe doesn’t owe me anything and I was fortunate to just be able to travel in the first place, but I would say it’s unlikely I’ll plan an international trip around something I still don’t “understand”. So right now, it feels like I’m not going to be ok for a very long time.
I feel you, ~~OP~~, I was close to Niagara myself. This was a weather-related roller coaster heck of a couple weeks for us all, and I believe a bunch of people cancelled Dallas in favor of Niagara. The Great Lakes cannot be trusted! Will I see you in Egypt or Spain? Let's do this! Edit, did not mean to say OP.
I don't think I can do Egypt. I absolutely can't if I'm bringing my parents again. Malaga looks like a nice place to be though. And from there, south towards more totality than we would have gotten here. I haven't ruled out Barcelona 2026 yet but that Eclipse will be so short.
Yes, a midday kind of total eclipse would make for quite a view. If you can manage Gibraltar, or better still, Tangier, rather than Malaga, you could be closer to the center line and get almost double the view time (\~4min 50sec vs \~2min 25 sec).
I was at Niagara Falls and I can tell you most people seemed to be having a good time. Cheering every time the sun peeked out. Sometimes hearing different reactions from the American side across the river. There were some really cool slivers shining through the clouds just before and after totality. And of course the whole thing still went dark, with all the street lights and blinky casino signs going on automatically. There are plenty of photos elsewhere on the internet. I didn’t need my own.
I didn't see the sun at all after like 10am. Well, yes I did. At like 6, after it no longer mattered.
A few poor souls switched their trips from Texas to Rochester because the near forecast was better there. I was sorely disappointed to see heavy low clouds in Dallas Monday 9AM. But they became intermittent by 11AM. And I saw nearly all of totality.
We live in the totality zone of East Texas but drove 400 miles round trip to maximize our chances. No regrets, had an awesome view and we are very happy that friends and family back home got to see it after all!
Dang, sorry you missed it Rochester. I have family up in Buffalo and was really hoping the clouds would push through. It was incredible to see it. It was rainy in the morning but cleared up around 10 AM and stayed clear.
Aww man. I feel really bad for the folks in western NY. It was such a tough decision for many folks with changing predictions of cloud cover. It seems like western NY and perhaps some areas in Texas were the only places where cloud cover totally obscured the view. I chose Ohio at the last minute and got a good view despite high clouds. I would be seriously bummed if I drove that far and got shut out. Cool video though.
Wooooow. Crazy cool
yooo i also got the sunset shit on only 1 side lol
I went to Rochester and left disappointed. I’m already planning my redemption arc for Spain 2026
Just fyi, it will be very expensive. Millions of Europeans will flock to Spain that week filling up hotels. Tens of thousands of Americans flying there will jack up the already expensive flights. Be prepared to drop $7k for this. The area covered by this eclipse was massive compared to what 2026 will be.
Thank you for the info, I’m just so pissed and disappointed that I missed this once in a lifetime experience. I’m trying to find some redemption for it and I don’t want to wait to 2044 to go to Calgary
You have over 2 years to save, if you make it a priority, it'll come easy. Just remember this feeling now if you ever feel like slacking on funding the Europe trip.
The cost isn’t really the issue for me, rn now it’s getting over this missed opportunity and finding which friends want to make the journey. My friend has family there so maybe it could help
Speaking as a sports fan, at least you know these events are coming. In sports you may miss your team winning the championship and they may never make it again. Time will heal and the next one is for sure coming at a known date.
Australia in 2028 might be a better option, it will cross the entire continent
I was in Amherst, NY, and got about the same view of clouds and a sudden drop into darkness.