What To Know On Eclipse Viewing

Above, eclipse watchers setting up near Roberts, Idaho in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During the 2017 solar eclipse, I stayed at a KOA Kampground in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, but I went early in the morning to Roberts, Idaho (100 miles) to view it.

I got up early (around 4:00 in the morning) and drove to Roberts and went to an area where others were set up for eclipse viewing off Interstate 15.

Above, The Beast at the eclipse viewing area in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I got to Roberts around 7:00 and made myself breakfast in my motorhome. 

The eclipse in totality was spectacular and I took many photographs of it. 

After it was over, I got on Interstate 15 to head back to Lava Hot Springs. Well, the traffic heading south was the worst I ever experienced. It took me over four hours to reach Lava Hot Springs. It seemed like half of Utah was on the Interstate heading back to Utah. Still, despite that, it was a worthwhile experience.

Above, eclipse viewers near Roberts, Idaho in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

More people are expected to hit this roads for Monday's eclipse. It is taking a different path than the one that took place in 2017. It will be over more populated areas. 

Friends from L.A. are now in Gallup resting while they head to Dallas, Texas to view the eclipse. We may be meeting up this morning.

MPR News has some tips for eclipse viewing and what to expect.

They begin with:

NASA says that roughly 31.6 million people live in the path of this year's total solar eclipse, and a little under half of the U.S. population lives within 200 miles driving distance of the path of totality.

That could mean many millions of Americans will hit the road to get a better view on Monday. If you're still pondering whether or not you want to make the journey, here's what to consider.

 To read more, go here.

Grand Canyon and Tribes Mark Centennial

Above, the Desert View Watchtower at the eastern part of the South Rim. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This year, Grand Canyon National Park is celebrating its centennial. Prior to the park's formation, it was home to Native Americans. It still is, and while relations between the park and tribes have improved, there is still some tension.

MPR News posted an article on the complicated relationship between Native Americans and the park.

They begin with:

Over the last century the geologic wonder of the Grand Canyon has inspired poets, painters, archaeologists and biologists. This week — on Tuesday, Feb. 26 — the Grand Canyon celebrates its 100 years as a National Park. But long before it became a national park, the Grand Canyon was a place many Native Americans called home. 

That's what Carletta Tilousi still calls it. 

"Most Americans think Native Americans are gone but we're still here," Tilousi says. Tilousi is a Havasupai council member and grew up in the Grand Canyon. 

"This is the home of Native Americans and our stories need to be told," Tilousi says. "I think Havasupai we've been ignored for a long time." 

In the late 1800s the federal government sequestered the Havasupai to a side canyon. It wasn't until 1975 that the tribe was given back some of their ancestral land.

To read more, go here.