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Discussion Thread: Field Trip Eclipse Episode is up! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-04-11 18:02:15
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Alright, we worked as fast as possible after Monday's eclipse and got the "Field Trip: I Chased the 2024 Solar Eclipse with Umbraphiles" episode up late yesterday! It's hot and sloppy, but it's fresh.

What a ride.

So, as you heard/will hear in this ride-along to totality, I decided to see this phenomenon after getting the all-clear from docs and ... things did not go as planned. Did I see it? Did I cry? Did I talk to strangers?

I hope you enjoy the trip with me; it was so fun to bring y'all along. Anyone try to see totality? Or just a partial? How far did you travel for it? Thank you all for making this trip possible.

Marveling at a moonbow,

Alie BucketFuckit List DadWard

Ps: if you have eclipse glasses, here is some info from Astronomers Without Borders on where you can donate them:

https://my.astronomerswithoutborders.org/programs/solar-glasses-distribution

Files

FIELD TRIP: I Chase the 2024 Eclipse with Umbraphiles - alie ward

Come along like a frog in my pocket for an adventure to see an eclipse. After last week's Heliology episode on the Sun, I rushed out of state to see what the fuss was about and to witness my first ever total eclipse of the Sun. Did it go as planned?

Comments

Stephanie Broertjes

I live in Dallas/Fort Worth, so I just went out on my apartment balcony :) Partly cloudy, but it did cooperate. Just wow at how accurate the timing of the totality was!! Like what. That's so cool.

Raja

Congrats!! Had clouds where I was in Prince Edward County, but wouldn't change a thing. Spring Peepers were like, whoa, it's dark. Time to peep!!

Oscar Courchaine

I was in Buffalo but chose to wait and see if it cleared up. It wasn't totally clear but got some good glimpses!

April Carter

I watched totality from my front yard. It was really amazing. Then, I went back to my home office and back to work.

Emily Krieger

also did i hallucinate that you said you rode in a cop car at one point or maybe you explained it and i missed it?

Kristen Fuller

I traveled from Charlotte, NC to see the eclipse in my Dad’s driveway in Painesville, OH- about 30 miles from where Alie was in Ashtabula. It makes my heart happy that she ended up viewing it just a stone’s throw away!

Alie Ward

I heard that Dallas surprised everyone! So happy for you!

Alie Ward

Me toooooo! Jarrett was like "sure, I'll see it" and then freaked out

Raja

Also, when I woke up this morning and had to drag myself out of bed, I was like, "it's Thursday! I wonder if Alie and team had time to get a podcast up?". Lo and behold, you did!! It was the best way to wake up and get me moving for my day! Thank you from the bottom of my total eclipse of the heart!

Alie Ward

I hear Eerie cleared up a little! Poor Buffalo! Those clouds were so temperamental.

Alie Ward

If you listen to the ep, we talk to a few folks like you. Just casually in exactly the right place.

Oscar Courchaine

And the sky was the clearest I'd ever seen for the preceding 2 days, RIP

Val Lucas

I drove from MD to a cute little park outside of Cleveland, and had a front row seat at a beaver pond with peepers and blackbirds and it was the most amazing spot to view my second eclipse! So magical.

Hope J 🏳️‍🌈

This was an amazing episode! The first part of the interview with the Ologies fan with the young children was so funny and made me laugh out loud. As a kid who would regularly take the 8hr drive up to Ohio to visit family, I understand the kids’ energy and simple want for snacks. Here in Philly, we sadly didn’t get to see much thanks to the clouds, but it was still cool! Thanks for sharing your raw emotions with all of us, it sounded incredible!

Alie Ward

No, I teased that as a possibility in the intro but I was not arrested at any point. Yet. I mean, I'm in DC now so I'm sure I could make it happen pretty quick depending on what kind of things I shout at the Capitol?

Helen Langille

We were lucky enough to have clear skies in a Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick (which was very statistically unlikely for April in Atlantic Canada). We drove from Halifax a few days early and made a weekend of it with some family and friends. I’m still struggling with how to accurately capture it with words. The closest I’ve come so far is that it was kind of like experiencing a time lapse video but in real life?

Alie Ward

Hw does one pronounce AshtaBUla? AshTABula?

Rachael Lemont

I saw the totality from my backyard in Indiana & I totally nerded out. I think I said oh my God 50 times. Did a time lapse video so I’ll always have the memory. I don’t think I’ll ever see another totality in my lifetime & I was so grateful to see this one!!

Raja

I edited my comment probably after you sent your question. I was in Ontari-ario! Two hours east of Toronto.

Alie Ward

We wanted to get it up Tuesday but were like "holy shit this is 3 hours of audio to cut down" and because I wasn't sure what I'd use, some of it was on my phone and the audio quality was NOT ideal. I have learned my lesson for future Field Trips

Diane Heise

Like the lady from Delaware, I was a little iffy about traveling to see the eclipse but your episode concerning eclipses pumped me back up. So we journeyed to Cairo Illinois at the corner of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Minimal traffic and great blue skies. It was a great awesome one of a kind experience. Except it was my second eclipse 2017 Southern Kentucky.

Raja

And of course, blue skies half an hour later!

Alie Ward

WOOOOWWW. A beaver pond! We have a Castorology episode coming up this summer, if all goes according to plan

Raja

SO much work!! Thank you for doing it! I want to stay on this eclipse high for as long as I can!

Alie Ward

Thanks for listening! And yeah that encounter made me so happy. she was hilarious and then happened to have been coerced my our episode! If you hear some teenage girls watchign right behind us, it turns out they are listeners, too! So I got to meet some great Ologites in the wild that day, which was lovely.

Michelle Cabrera

So my husband's plan A for Texas became a Plan B to Missouri, which merged into Plan C to southern Illinois, where he found a nice campsite near a lake and clear skies!!

Alie Ward

That's a great way to put it! Time speeds up as totality hits and then those 3 minutes seem so long and so short. That shirt moment of totality took our fucking breath away. Listening to it back, but Jarrett and I started crying again. I just have had goosebumps for days

Jen Rigney

Alie, I'm so so so happy for you! When I heard you say you were changing your flight to Buffalo, I let out a long "Noooooo!". Can you guess where I was that day?. The darkness and gull freakout were still pretty cool, and seeing the lights of downtown Buffalo come on, but I've now had two close calls with totality (just outside the path in 2017). I really want to see that corona, and the stars, and all the other effects - I nearly cried just from your descriptions. Thanks for taking us along; I'm already emailing hotels in Spain seeing when they will take reservations for August 2016 :)

Alie Ward

Listening to the audio I was amazing at how all anyone could say was "oh my god, oh my god, this is so WEIRD" over and over.

Alie Ward

I'm glad you got to see another one! Did you take anyone with you [coerce] who was a first timer?

Alie Ward

Ahahaha! thank you for the second-hand cringe at those travel changes! So thankful that Teagan and her fam were such weather watchers to get us to a clear patch in Ohio!

Val Lucas

Yesssss! also we almost ended up in Ashtabula but the weather looked better towards Cleveland!

Jeremy Hakes

We planned it a year ago! We went to Paris, Arkansas (yes, they have an Eiffel Tower). It was SO MUCH MORE than I ever dreamed or hoped. My family (wife, daughter & I) had booked an AirBnB in rural/agricultural area, and we had perfectly clear skies and solitude. It was MORE GLORIOUS than ever imagined. And I am now officially an Umbraphile. I cried, I exclaimed, I laughed, I cheered, I celebrated, I hugged my family. I cried again while listening to the episode while everyone in your audio was doing the same. Thanks for sharing it all!

Lara Ayres

Alie, I CRIED listening to your joy. Like actual tears of joy. Husband and I are now prepping for the next one. Thank you for this big dose of genuine joy, gratitude, and excitement!

Jesse

I saw the partial eclipse from my kids school in northern Michigan. Although not totality seeing the sun get “eaten by the moon” and whole sky dim was incredible. My eight year old and four year old really enjoyed it.

Michelle Butcher

I’m so glad y’all pivoted and went up north! I hear it was good in Kerrville, but what a crazy, memorable adventure for you guys!! We got to see most of it from our front yard near Austin, but the clouds came in right as totality hit. We got a couple of glimpses of the full eclipse through the clouds, but it was still really cool how quickly it got dark & how quiet the birds got! My kid saw a squirrel come out of a tree and stumble along the lawn “slowly, like a zombie!” I also accidentally left my Merlin Bird app sound recording throughout the eclipse. We couldn’t hear it during the eclipse, but on playback, we could hear a weird series of clicks and see them on the sound visualization. I have no idea what they came from but they only happened during totality and they were very cyclical. I noticed a similar series of clicks at one point during your podcast and wondered if it had anything to do with the clicks I recorded? It seemed like electrical static or something? I don’t know but it was a little bit strange!

Kate Arnold

We traveled from Chicago area (94%) to north of Indianapolis for totality. Sunday night packing up, we wondered if it was really worth getting up a stupid early o’clock to drive 4 hours to a field outside of Yorktown, IN. We did it and 100% vs 94% is soooo different for an eclipse than it is in statistics! Very very cool experience and worth the long drive—and lack of sleep Monday night. We have a Winnebago Revel and with three bodies (my husband, me & our dog) in a tiny space, it was crazy hot. No one slept!

Jade O.

I live in Indy and was super lucky to be able to see totality from my backyard! It was insane feeling it get colder and then darker and darker... and then the birds went completely silent - it felt very otherworldly for those moments!

Alie Ward

Oh I'm so glad you saw it! Isn't it WEEEIRD? I think seeing it in a big group is really magical -- like seeing your favorite movie in a jam-packed theater, but x100.

Jen Rigney

The serious photographer in our group took off and made it to Erie, PA and got some good shots!

Jessica Rudd

So exciting that you got to experience that!! A big cloud came through right during totality where I was in the Niagara region of Ontario 🤦🏼‍♀️ But we saw parts of the 360 sunset, noticed a huge drop in temperature, and the bird behaviour was so interesting to observe! And got some good views of the partial phases. So while I was sad that I didn’t get to see totality (plus I had some stuff damaged or go missing that day, and that was also quite disappointing), those moments under the umbra (+ cloud lol) were still quite special! Now, I am absolutely set on going to Spain in 2026 and Australia in 2028. Hope to see you there!

Alie Ward

Thank you so so much for coming along. I was NOT expecting the audio levels to peak like that at totality., and thankfully Jarrett + our audio team made it listen-able. I have never felt emotion like that.

Keegan Newman

Listening to this episode was a roller coaster for me. For a little background I am from Pittsburgh but have been grateful enough to have grown up with a CABOOSE on Lake Erie in Conneaut Ohio. That is where I went to see this amazing event and to hear that Alie was driving to get to a better location and ended up randomly 15 minutes from where I was, at a park I have been to many times before. Incredible. It was so awesome to hear this field trip episode be randomly made from a place in my heart. P.S I was screaming hearing Alie pronounce Astabula 😂😂😂 P.P.S yinz are invited to my caboose and back to that random part of Ohio anytime 😂

Alie Ward

Did they have a lot of pinhole activities? I bet seeing it with so many kids was a total joy

Molly December

Listening to you guys watching the eclipse made me cry tears of existential joy multiple times at work 😅 was not prepared to be hit so hard in the feels haha. Like your iconic eclipse mum fan, you've inspired me to fulfil my umbraphilic (?) destiny so ive pencilled in my trip to Spain for the 2026 eclipse!! Best we will get from the UK. A new fave episode!

Jessica Rudd

I forgot to also say that it was so moving hearing about your totality experience, so thank you for sharing that! I felt a bit like I was there seeing the corona and all the other amazing phenomena. ❤️

Jesse

Maybe the older kids did. I wish they had for my oldest but the school provided glasses. It was fantastic to see the kids. So much excitement

Audrey Hudak

Oh Alie! Had I know you would consider coming to Ohio for a eclipse I would have invited you to my rooftop Eclipse 35th Birthday party in sunny Cleveland! We had PERFECT and astounding views. I am humbled that the moon and sun celebrated my birthday 🎊

Diane Heise

I did take my youngest daughter and youngest granddaughter but since we live in Southern Kentucky it was all of ours second. The granddaughter was more impressed watching the barges going down the rivers and all the dogs. She really loves dogs. But she did get some good pictures of the eclipse.

Margaret Downs

Am I currently sitting in a study carrel tearing up as I listen to you experience the eclipse? I can neither confirm nor deny. It didn't quite shake out for us to travel to the path of totality this year (I got 90ish percent, which was very cool and I had a great time rigging up a pinhole projector). Hoping I can make it happen in 2026!

Diane Heise

And I did hear the family

Lizzy Martinez

Sooo happy for you Alie! Started my morning crying with you. Also LOVED podmom's commentary throughout it lol such a funny guy. And shout out to the listener who you talked to. If I were approached by you for an interview at an eclipse watch spot I wouldn't be able to say which was my favorite part of the whole event TBH cuz it'd be a strong tie given that Alie and total solar eclipses are both fucking rad in my book!!!

Diane Heise

Next to me talking about you and the podcast. We joined up to look for crescent shaped shadows

Alie Ward

Oh wow! I wonder what your clicks were! The ones you heard right as we arrived in Ashtabula were my mistake! I was holding my audio equipment in the same hand as my iPhone and the XLR mic cables are well insulated, but if you touch another electronic (my phone) right up to them, you'll get staticky artifacts like that. We were in a rush to get to the park, which is why I had to stop and "recombobulate" myself so those wires wouldn't touch each other!

Mal

This simultaneously triggered AND cured my FOMO all in one episode!

Jeri Webb

After watching the weather forecast for Austin TX for 45 days, the 17 of us in the Ex-Adler Planetarium Eclipse group hummed a deep ohm, and trusted that we would see something despite the clouds and rain that seemed likely. Group members flew in from Chicago, Tucson, D.C., and Great Britain and we all checked into the Mystic Quarry in Canyon Lake. We scouted out a great spot in nearby Comal Park that had a sweeping view of the lake and surrounding hills. The clouds came and went, and we were delighted to keep seeing partial phases and then the sweeping darkness. Everyone was elated. And then Mother Nature pulled a fast one and stopped showing off at about 90% totality. So close! But we were so happy to be together for the experience, and toasted with some bubbles. 2028 in Australia?? Meanwhile, Alie, so glad you changed your plans and got to see the whole show—it is truly a stunning experience!

Jeremy Hakes

It was the coolest weird thing ever! Totally hear you on sharing such a powerful thing with a crowd - we'll do that next time. :)

Michelle Cabrera

If I weren’t on the wrong side of an ocean, I’d have been there with him! We saw 2017 together and are now planning for 2026

Chrysalis Ashton

Wow, this was amazing! I cried right along with you Alie! And now I regret not making the trip to see it.

Brad Morgan

Traveled about 2 hours to the Moeller Brew Barn, Maria Stein, Ohio, and got just under 4 minutes of totality. Truly an awesome sight to view it without glasses. I wish I would've traveled for the 2017 eclipse. The drop in temperature was crazy too!

Christine Hurley

SO GOOD. We drove over to family in Leander (north of austin) from Houston to be in the path of totality. IT WAS AMAZING! I told my friend TOTALITY IS MY NEW RELIGION. i worship at the altar of eclipse. Glad you got to see it! lol what a journey.

Emily Krieger

I would love it if you could shout at the Capitol's inhabitants to be more curious, listen to Ologies, and stop being so damn mean

Scott Hanley

Great adventure play by play super congrats on making your eclipse viewing moment a smashing success. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

rita mnxo4

Haven't listened to thw episode yet, but I traveled w my 23yo son to Chicago, picked up my sister and a neice, then hightailed it to Stilesville, Indiana. 1200 miles RT. Weather was predicted partly cloudy, we had clear skies and 360° vistas from an abandoned farmstead we squatted on for the afternoon. Absolutely amazing!!

Gina Greeder

I’m so happy you got to see it! I live in Chicago and travelled with some friends to Mount Vernon, IL. It was their first eclipse, but I managed to see the 2017 one. We didn’t plan a backup and decided to just enjoy the experience. The weather in Mount Vernon was perfect! We were worried the night before since there were storms in the distance. We all cried at totality. I took my dog with us. She woke up briefly for totality and then went back to sleeping 😂 We are already thinking about Spain in 2 years.

rita mnxo4

Side note, I found out the ne t day, after returning to Chicago, that my college roomie, who lives in Pittsburgh and who I see maybe every 7 years, had been less than 20 miles from me in suburban Indianapolis for the eclipse. Gaaaah!!!

Shannon Patterson

Our friends have a farm under the path of totality so there was an eclipse party there. Watched while splayed out on a trampoline from ganonoque, Ontario. Ten stars

Dave Miller, PhD

we traveled to Dallas and it was cloudy right up until the moment before totality, and then nothing but clear skies. we were in TN for the 2017 event but it was just as amazing and i was glad to share with family members who had never seen a total eclipse before. who wants to meet in majorca in 2026??? or new zealand 2028??? ✌🏻♥️🍸

Avren Keating

Same weather happened to us a bit south of Austin. Disappointing somewhat but still pretty cool?

Jeri Webb

Very cool indeed! I saw my first total eclipse from a ship loaded with astronomy folks in the Caribbean in 1998– a definite highlight of my life! This was less spectacular, but still very worth the effort to get there and share it with a great bunch.

Colby Evans

My heart was in my throat hoping to all get out that you'd get a good view... then the awestruck sounds were so rewarding. Glad you made it.

Chris Mears

I'm visiting friends in Austin and had the same cloudy experience. We got to see ~4 seconds of totality through a break in clouds, which was amazing. But I'm also bummed we didn't get the full experience and all the science observations. The temperature drop was very cool (heh), and the darkness and then almost sudden lightness were great, too. All in all, I was with great friends, and it was worth it! 😊❤️

Jeri Webb

And hopefully now you’re hooked and will get to see the next one in totality!

jennacide :D

Drove 7ish hours each way from New Mexico to San Antonio. We got peeks of the crescent sun but by the time totality rolled around it was solid clouds. Still, the darkness in the middle of the day and stillness in the heart of a huge city was really incredible! I'm hooked. I saw the annular eclipse at Chaco Culture (Puebloan ruins in NW New Mexico) and now this one. I desperately need to see a total solar eclipse in clear skies now!!!

Matt Hirschl

Great episode! I actually ended up going to Texas (Fredericksburg) with my wife and another couple and we did end up seeing the eclipse! I’m also originally from Ohio and loved the shout out to Ashtabula!

Check Uout

Way to go Daddy-Sugar!!

Nicole D-G

What a great episode! We drove 6.5 hours to Niagara Falls, Ontario, and ended up with completely overcast skies (that cleared up just 4 hours later! Grrr). We did get to see a bit of the eclipse though -- some peeks through the clouds. And totality was a trip. Plus, it was my birthday! So it felt a little like everyone was celebrating with me, including the sun and moon. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Nicole D-G

It was also my 35th birthday, Audrey! We certainly couldn't have asked for a cooler event to celebrate

Rick T

I was terrible for you as you said you were flying to Buffalo because I know they had clouds there, then super happy for you that you decided to go to Ohio instead of staying put. I had planned on flying north to Rochester to see it with friends but couldn’t afford the airfare, even a year out. Turned out to be good money saved as clouds severely hampered their experience. I can’t imagine what you paid for last minute flights to

Audrey Hudak

Happy Birthday Birthday Buddy 🎉🎁

Meghan

I saw my first total eclipse in 2017 and while I was just transported by the otherworldliness and crying and awestruck, my partner at the time was pretty unfazed. I remember feeling a little embarrassed, like I had overreacted. It's been such a a joy to learn that I was not alone. I love hearing about every unique experience and our collective awe. I couldn't make it to totality this time, but I'm eyeing Morocco in 2027! Thank you Alie for taking us on the wild ride of totality or bust ❤️✨👏

Kate E

I was wondering if you and PodMom were able to see it and so glad you made it! It’s hard to describe what a magical experience it is, and you did a great job. So happy for you guys!

Mouse Paxton

Thanks for the episode, I nearly cried again listening to how moved you were by the experience. Glad you were able to see it after all the trials and tribulations with your travel plans!! This was also my first total eclipse (caught the partial one in 2017) and am so glad my girlfriend convinced me to go. We had an extremely long day (3:30am departure and got home at 11:30pm, plus a 10km hike in the middle) since we had to round up our polycule and a friend in the space industry and get to Point Pelee National Park in Ontario. Absolutely worth it, it was the most amazing experience of our lives and I def cried. Now we're all planning a trip to Spain or Iceland for the 2026 eclipse lol

Nancy Weber

I watched at a farm in Panton, Vermont. (It's run by an Italian couple who raises an Italian heritage breed of pigs, as well as lambs and ducks. They take amazing care of their animals, and the land, and I buy almost all of my meat there <3) The farm had a BBQ /potluck (they supplied the meats and veggies and we all brought sides and dessert. I brought chocolate brownie cookies made with Venezuelan chocolate, served with whipped jersey cream.) Friends came from Boston with their 96 yo mother, who entertained us with hilarious tales of her remarkable life as we gazed through our glasses. One of the Bostonians is a profesh film guy, and he made this: https://vimeo.com/933054370 What a day! Incidentally, they are telling us that 60,000 cars came in from out of state over that weekend, with an estimated 160,000 visitors. We only have around 600,000 to begin with. It took some folks 12 hours just to drive home to New Hampster! Jesum Crow. (That's what we say 'round here)

Cecily Templeton

I did not cry during the eclipse but I was teary-eyed this whole episode. I am so glad you got to see the eclipse! I was worried about you watching in Texas!

Daniel Fields

Thank you for taking us on this journey with you! It was pretty cloudy just South of Dallas, but it cleared up just enough right before.

Joyclyn Vincent

I cried on the bus (!) at the raw emotion in this episode and I’m SO looking forward to a chance to see total solar eclipse in Brisbane in the 2030s (or something like that).

Rineil Mandre

In Toledo, OH we had 40s-1min of totality. Great experience.

Christine Marrese

Solidarity from someone who was in Rochester! Sunday and Tuesday were the sunniest days we’ve had all spring!

Christine Marrese

I saw the one in 2017 with my dad and aunt in South Carolina. We started in Charleston but it was cloudy so we drove inland. We ended up at South Carolina State University, an HBCU, and watched from their football stadium. It was an incredible experience, just as Alie described so well. And now the three of us have a random connection to this small school in another state! This year, I dragged my husband and 2 kids (8yo and 5yo) to Rochester. It was about a 5.5 hour drive from where we live but I had such an amazing experience in 2017 and I wanted to share it with them. We thought about Burlington, VT, but I’ve lived in the northeast all my life and knew the possibility of a blizzard in Vermont was not zero even in April! Plus Rochester has a great science museum and a whole festival planned. It was really well done and my kids had a blast. I’m still super disappointed to have gotten completely overcast skies. But we definitely noticed as it got dark and cold, and the difference between the full dark of totality and the few seconds before or after was striking. And we got to take a moment (between trying not to lose the kids in the crowd in the dark!) to appreciate the moment. (This is super long but apparently I have a lot of feelings about this!) This episode reminded me of seeing it in 2017 and helped me get over my last bit of FOMO from this year. Thanks for rushing it out for us!

Zoe

The raw emotions and feeling the joy and excitement of the people around you really made this episode so special -- and makes me want to go chase the next one in my vicinity! Thank you Alie! Also thought it was so sweet of evreyone to really make sure you got to see the eclipse

Lisa DJ

Thanks so much for a really enjoyable episode. I’m down under in New Zealand and had to experience the eclipse through the eyes of others. your commentary and story was gripping, thrilling, exciting, and emotional, it was a blast going on the ride with you and I’m seriously keen on being an berphile myself, possibly Spain, but definitely the Australian Outback.

Robin C Pike

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Akron, OH where we had over 2 mins of totality. I cried and jumped around a lot it was so beautiful. This was my first totality. One of the people nearby brought their dog who completely freaked out in the seconds before totality, not understanding why the humans weren't bothered. After totality, I noticed he was under the bench his owners were sitting on and he wasn't coming out, poor guy!

Jenn Macgillivray

We packed up the 5 and 8 year old and drove about 3 hours to New Brunswick. We stayed two nights which made the whole thing pretty chill and fun. (We even went to a cat cafe that morning!) We had almost clear skies and pretty warm weather for April in eastern Canada. I wouldn’t say it was a spiritual experience or anything but it was super, super cool seeing it turn into a chilly night within minutes and I think my kids will remember it for a long time. Definitely worth pulling them out of school and taking a few day’s vacation.

Pearl Ramone

It was cloudy in Kerrville, but about 10min north in Mountain Home the skies were clear and the total eclipse was the most spectacular sight to see! It so so amazing to see the protrusions!

Dylan V

I has 89% of totality and the shadows were very cool, but I'm so excited to see totality some day. Also shout out to PodMom on the black belt. I'm starting the BJJ journey and just got my blue belt after a year and a half!

Jen Rigney

The weekend was so gorgeous!

dances with burritos, original recipe

Loved the episode and really loved that I heard someone from Dover, DE. I’m originally from that area and that made me surprisingly. We saw 90% here in CT but it was still pretty awesome.

LZ

What a sweet episode! So glad you made it to the path of (clear skies) totality! From where we live in Canada, we only had to drive 45 minutes to be in the path, and it was TRULY MAGICAL! I saw the partial with a homemade pinhole camera in 2017, and this was way more powerful. We were in a nature area, on a boardwalk/viewing platform overlooking a marsh. As it got dark, the wood frogs quieted down and the spring peepers got louder and louder. I turned on my voice memo app to capture the minutes leading up to and including totality, including hearing me cry and my kid asking why... It's on the "Field Recordings" podcast: https://fieldrecordings.xyz/2024/04/10/in-the-path-of-totality-limerick-forest-north-grenville-ontario-canada-on-8th-april-2024-by-laura-nerenberg/

Daniella Napolitano

I flew into Arkansas to see it with my family. Everyone kept saying "it's going to be cloudy," "it's going to be rainy..." but the clouds and rain held off and we had a beautiful mostly clear day with only wisps of clouds and watched the totality from my parent's backyard. The rain and clouds came that night! So happy for everyone who got to see it. I was a little skeptical that it would be worth the price of the trip but my friends who say the 2017 eclipse convinced me it that I HAD to go. So glad I did! I took a lot of audio recordings to note the bird sounds but I wish I got a timelapse video. Oh well! It was nice to be in the moment.

Hannah Gorrie

I saw the 2017 eclipse in totality, and one of my fav things was experiencing it with so many people - clapping, cheering, laughing, and crying. Even listening to the audio of people cheering and crying on this episode had me in happy tears!

Raelee Grimm

Loved this episode so much. I hauled my kiddos into the ADKs to watch and it was amazing. I’m so glad you recorded this field trip epi. I, out loud, shouted ‘noooooo’ when you switched to Buffalo!

Zoe Litton

I convinced my family to drive 4 hours to see the total eclipse. It was totally magical and the diamond ring was amazing!

Jeanette-o-saur

So pumped that you and podmom got to see totality on it's full glory! What a cool experience! I was spoiled by a mere 2.5h drive and a lakeside park seeing. So glad I have nerdy friends who suggested the road trip ☀️💜

Elisabeth Westner

I flew to TX with my parents but after one night there during which I was super cranky (on top of the weather forecast, my dad is a pita), I abandoned TX, flew back to Boston, and drove up to Quebec with some friends. Got an amazing experience in Magog at a wonderful waterfront park. My parents didn't get to see totality where they were (somewhere near Kerrville, just like you'd planned) and I feel slightly bad but they've seen two totals before and this was only my 2nd so I don't feel too bad. I should've made the decision before flying down, though, because it sure was a waste of a ticket. Oh, and it took us 4 hours to drive north from Boston early Sunday but 8 hours to drive home Monday night. Oops. Should've stayed overnight like we'd originally planned, but it was still WORTH IT.

Kait

Listening right now and I have chills!!! Honestly almost crying just hearing how moved everyone is in the audio! Can you believe all the wonder we get to experience on our planet????!!! 🤩😍🥹✨

Borzmatic

This was so delightful! Fun side-story: I used the phrase “total eclipse in the park” to describe the episode to a friend… and now Bonnie Tyler will be stuck in our heads for at least a week. Thanks for that… But TRULY thanks for letting us hitch a ride on your hilarious and poignantly human umbral caper!

6-1-49er-Joe

Wow! New member here - was expecting to hear some sadness knowing your plans to go to TX (actually had a relative who was in San Antonio for a conference and got sadly overcasted during totality) but was incredibly happy to hear you made it out this way. My spouse and I were treated to 3 1/2 minutes in NW Ohio at her parents’ house and it was a far better show than our 2017 eclipse encounter in Nebraska.

Aleksandra Romanowicz

Thank you so much for this one Alie and for inspiring curiosity! After listening I've decided to take a trip to Spain 2026 and experience totality with my own eyes on my birthday.

Max G

I’m only 16 minutes into this but I LOVE that 3 out of 3 ✨guest stars✨ so far have been so good to you and weren’t afraid to be like HEY STOP THAT YOU DO DESERVE GOOD THINGS

Robroy

Fantastic episode! I live in a state where it was not visible. I was kind of bummed and then your commentary brought me back to 2017 in Oregon with my siblings and our kids - yes I cried again listening to you! Thanks for taking me along.

Rik

Fantastic job! You did great!Listening to yours I was tearing up just as I had at my first totality in a Mayan community in Mexico 199(?). Here in Boston we had partial and shared our glasses with school kids, it grew dark, birds called it quits, grew cold. That settled it - I'm going to the next totality!

Daniel Osherowitz

I just listened to this episode on the eclipse and unfortunately it was a very bittersweet episode for me. I’m a life long star gazer I’ve never seen a total eclipse of the sun and I currently live in Ithaca New York, the home of Cornell University, Carl Sagan and Rod Serling amongst many other things. Ithaca was also about an hour’s drive from the totality band. Unfortunately my body betrayed me again. Exactly one week before the eclipse Monday morning I woke up with severe pains in my left side. I endured it for several hours but eventually went to the hospital. After being there all day being tested and CT scans they determined that I had a kidney stone, prescribed me some medication and told me to take Tylenol. The stone will pass on its own. The next day I tried to go back to work but the pain came back and intensified. I finally got in to see my doctor and was told the same thing. It’ll pass on its own but this time he prescribed oxycodone. The oxy helped to deaden the pain but not eliminate it. I was either in severe pain or on oxy which left me so dizzy and nauseous I couldn’t leave the bed for 10 to 12 hours at a time. Each day I had a short window in with i could get out of bed to shower, feed myself, my pets and clean around the house. The. The pain would comeback and the cycle would start over again. This went on for a week. The Sunday night before the eclipse the pain got so intense that the oxy didn’t make a dent. It’s a pain that is an unrelenting pulsing & stabbing. It’s what I imagine having your side sawed open on a civil war battlefield would be like. This time the hospital gave me morphine and retested everything again. They were going to release me again but luckily urologist happened to look at my test results and CT scans and finally took some action. Turns out the stone had become lodged in my ureter and was boring a hole through it. It was also completely blocking my kidney so much that its function was down 70%. The urologist told that that if I didn’t have surgery within the next 24 hours I was in danger of losing the kidney. All this was happening at the same time as the eclipse. I had the surgery the next morning. I feel so much better not normal yet. I’m having a Lithotripsy procedure in two weeks and then another surgery to remove the stent they put in the during the first surgery. I’m sorry to info dump all of this on you but having listed to you for a while now I think you can understand some of what I am going through. I’m glad you got to fulfill a life long dream on Monday but really disappointed that this one slipped through my fingers when it was so close. I really wanted to see it and I cried a few tears of self pity listening to this, but as always, thank you for sharing your experience.

Domino Cohn

Gah!! We too planned to head west of San Antonio and we too made a game time decision to drive three states- in our case up to Ozark National Forest in Arkansas in a rented RV. 1300 miles round trip with my husband and five year old, and worth every anxious check of the radar. It was absolutely indescribable. Of course I cried. Loved reliving my own journey by listening to yours.

Guido

That family that recognized you and said hi made my day

Zuleika Pevec

17 hour drive East to Winona, MO and we had clear skies and just a few other folks in a church field. We saw the 2017 totality in WY, and it was profound. This one left me wanting more in a way that I’m a little embarrassed about…like, why can’t I be happy with what I got? It was magical and I am so glad we made the drive….Spain 2026, Egypt 2027, Alaska 2033…I’ve got some travel plans!

Alie Ward

Oooooh, so glad you saw it! That 4 hours in the RV was worth it for a lifetime mem

Alie Ward

Backyard! Zero dollars or hours traveling. So lucky. And it won't happen again on that piece of land for another 400 or so years!

Alie Ward

Well, I mean statistically -- but I'm not sure!

Alie Ward

I'm so sorry for those clouds! Poor meteorlogists, too. I bet none of them slept

Alie Ward

Is it Ash TAB ula? Also, how did you get a CABOOSE?!? That is a dream!

Alie Ward

Awww, thank you so so much! I'm glad I could bring y'all there virtually

Alie Ward

Birthday twins! And I hope it was a great birthday! Cleveland got great weather

Alie Ward

Awww, thank you! I hope it didn't distract from your homework or test prep!

Alie Ward

Roadtrips with him go by in a flash because it's always entertaining...

Alie Ward

AAAHHAH, I'm glad it was a smooth resolution

Alie Ward

I hope we all see the next one with a little less weather stress!

Alie Ward

Luckily, there are a few in the next couple of years, but they are a trek overseas from the US

Alie Ward

Ohio was the place to be apparently

Alie Ward

Ha! I definitely have a whole new sun obsession after the last two episodes. You migth say I'm... starry-eyed, just mooning over it.

Alie Ward

Thank you so so much! It was looking grim there for a bit!

Alie Ward

Ooooh, what a setting! Glad you made it and I hope you dug the ride-along with us

Alie Ward

Isn't it just WEIRD and chilling? It's like living in a sci-fi movie for a few minutes

Alie Ward

No waaaaay! What are the odds??

Alie Ward

A trampoline?! That's perfection. How were all the critters on the farm when it happened?

Alie Ward

Dallas sounds like such a nail-biter with a happy ending! My friends there said it cleared up JUST in time

Alie Ward

Mine was in mine as well -- from the journey and the chase to the actual lump in the throat during totality...

Alie Ward

Yes! those are two great experiences though! But I hope some of the upcoming ones in the next few years can work out!

Keegan Newman

That is more like how I’ve always said it! My Pittsburgh accent sometimes makes it “Aster-bula” for me 😂 and honestly my great grandfather bought it forever ago and the caboose has been on Lake Erie now for over 80 years. It really is a dream. When I post the time lapse I took I will be sure to tag you!

Alie Ward

Why thanks so so much. So glad it worked out

Alie Ward

Haaaaappppy birthday!!! This year's gotta be good if it starts with a massive solar event, right?

Alie Ward

Luckily, it was just a change fee for Southwest, but don't even ASK me about the rental car from Toronto. Luckily, because it was all used in an episode, it's a tax write off and a business expense, but honestly I have Patrons to thank for making these decisions possible in the name of science!

Alie Ward

Don't be embarrassed! Some of us just get hit in the feels differently! I am team Cry At Beauty, too

Alie Ward

Thank you for listening! It was such a fun episode to make, truly

Alie Ward

Oh that's so amazing that you made it. Totality is so different from a partial, and even I wasn't sure how I would feel about it.

Alie Ward

Did the animals make any weird calls during it?

Alie Ward

Aww, thank you so so much! It was so nice to have so many of you rooting for us to see it!

Alie Ward

Dallas REALY lucked out -- what an about face with those clouds!

Alie Ward

Thank you so much! I didn't realize how many times we screamed "OH MY GAWD" as it happened, ha! Truly no words.

Alie Ward

Nice! Glad you didn't have to thick of clouds for it!

Alie Ward

I'm so so sorry about those Rochester clouds! We thought the night before we'd be driving East from Buffalo to beat the clouds but it was truly minute by minute, Thankfully, Teagan's family knew the area and are weather buffs, otherwise we would have been clouded out too! Glad we could take you along though!

Shannon Patterson

It was a retired farm so no data to report. The birds were certainly confused sounding

Alie Ward

It was so super sweet how much work went into tracking it down -- I am so lucky I got to see it and glad I could transport y'all with me even virtually!

Alie Ward

Australia is getting some good ones in the next decade!

Alie Ward

That must have been a TRIP for that pup! I wonder if it felt 7x longer in dog minutes. Glad you got to see it!

Alie Ward

Oh those kiddos will never forget it! Good move!

Alie Ward

I was wondering about Kerrville! Thank you for the update on it! Was it jammed packed to get 10 minutes away? Or did most people not know?

Alie Ward

Oh thank you so so so much. He said it was one of the best weeks of his life. I am so proud of him -- he has worked so hard and overcome so much physically and mentally to keep at it. As they say, "just keep showing up to the mat." :)

Alie Ward

Aw, nice! I hope you had clear skies for that 90%!

Alie Ward

Thank you so much for this link!! I'll listen!

Alie Ward

SO great that you got to see it! A lifetime memory, I'm sure

Alie Ward

I really loved seeing it in such a large group -- I think that was one reason I was overwhelmed. We just aren't all synced up like that often and it was so sweet and cool

Alie Ward

AAahahaha! I mean, we were on the edge of our airplane seats the whole time

Alie Ward

YESSS, way to go! I hope they loved it too!

Alie Ward

Ooooh, 2.5 hours is such a treat! It can take us 1.5 hours just to get to LAX with LA traffic!

Alie Ward

AHA! Another weather-shifter! I mean, those last minute pivots are such hard decisions. I hate a gamble but I'm glad we both got a jackpot

Alie Ward

It really really is so chilling and cool. I still get goosebumps just remembering it

Alie Ward

Total eclipse in the park, aaahahahah! Oh man I love that.

Alie Ward

Ohio for the win this time, eh? Thank you for being a Patreon and helping make these episodes possible!

Alie Ward

Aaaah, thank you so so much for this!

Alie Ward

Niiiice! And on your birthday!!

Alie Ward

I am really lucky to have such amazing friends xoxox

Alie Ward

Aww, I'm glad we were able to give you a slice of the 24 spectacle!

Alie Ward

Nice! I hear Spain is likely to have clear skies!

Nancy Weber

It's funny, I wrote a lot more than that, but it wouldn't stay when I tried to save it. There was more to my story.. Yes! The rooster crowed, and a bat flew out of the barn!! Also a friend down the street said a Barred owl started tooting. We were joined by a friends 96 yo mom, very eccentric and filled with wacky stories. She couldn't get over how bright it was when there was the tiniest sliver of sun peaking out. So amazing. I was in love with the weird lighting. So glad you landed someplace nice, and had a great viewing! How sad it would've been to miss, I kept thinking of everyone with the clouds. Funny that Vermont pulled through. The early projections for us was a 12% chance that there WOULDN'T be clouds! <3

Alie Ward

Oh, I am so so sorry you went thought all of that -- what a painful nightmare on so many levels. I hope you make a swift recovery and have a smooth litho procedure. You know, having that surgery gave me the impetus to go see this one, so I hope when you come through it healthy, you can make plans to see another on in the future. Sending my best wishes to you and those kidneys!

Alie Ward

Also VERY rude for your kidney stone to obscure things -- what does it think it is, a moon rock?!

Alie Ward

Oh I'm glad you got to see it! What a nail biter of a week!

Alie Ward

It was so sweet! There are some teenage girls you can hear in the background and after the eclipse they come and said hi and that they listen to the show! It was so sweet to have found such a big, sweet gaggle of nerds!

Alie Ward

Nice! It's a great way to see the world, Umbraphilia...

Margaret Downs

Eh, I'm a million kinds of distracted right now anyway and some of those distractions are why I'm inclined to cry at the drop of a hat. (Not bad, just weird uncertain life stuff that I want some answers about.) Totally out-of-left-field question, that you don't have to answer if you don't want to: I thought I heard some popping in the background of the audio that sounded like fireworks. Was it? Seems like it would be a weird move to light fireworks during a celestial event, but I ask because I have people in my life who I love that wouldn't be able to go to a future eclipse if there were fireworks due to PTSD. (Am I now extra attuned to any time there could possibly be fireworks anywhere?? YES.)

Domino Cohn

Nail biter is exactly right!! Drove through grape-sized hail on our way back through Texas. All for the cause! Umbraphiles, mount up! Haha

Matt Hirschl

It was cloudy but there were periods of clear so it gave us hope throughout the day. It was can’t-see-the-sun cloudy when totality started so we were nervous; however, after a minute into totality, one cloud moved and gave us a clear view of totality for about a minute. So lucky.

Alan Gross

From NJ, I flew to the Austin area on Saturday. I was in Bee Cave, just west and a little south of Austin, sitting on my friends' driveway. The partial eclipse lead-up was visible intermittently as the clouds passed by, but as totality approached, the clouds dissipated as I'd heard they sometimes do. At totality we could see both Jupiter to the left and Venus to the right and, of course, the eclipsed sun. For me, the event was not as awe-inspiring as I'd heard it might be. No tears. The corona was not as large as I expected, probably because my eye can't take a long exposure showing the full extent of the corona like a camera can. We had a little breeze and lots of birds were flying around. And it wasn't as dark as I was expecting. All-in-all, I'm grateful I got to experience it, but I don't have an urge to see more. I'm retired and I've been a science/astronomy nerd my whole life, so I had expectations, and my experience fell just a little short of being transcendental. I have friends who were in Kerrville, but I haven't gotten a report, yet.

Carolin Humpal

Listened to Heliology episode on drive from northern MN to Shawnee National Forest in southern IL. Amazing experience with fellow campers on the Landing Strip. Field Trip episode really captured the experience!

Alie Ward

As a long time space nerd, I'm glad you got to see it! And perhaps with so much context loving the cosmos, it's hard for anything Earth-bound to compare to nebulas and moons and what else is out there. Glad the clouds parted!

Alie Ward

Ah, camping during an eclipse is a cool combo

Jeanette-o-saur

Oh gosh yeah. All highway driving too. Easy peasey

Adam Foote

I live in Rochester! It was wild to hear you almost came this way. It was certainly cloudy though so good choice. I got a few great pictures by setting up a tripod for my camera and taking pictures every 15-20 seconds from second to third contact

Liz Sinclair

I drove to Indiana to see it (from Wisconsin) and I cried and then I cried again listening to this episode. I’m so glad you recorded this experience. See you all in Spain in 2026?!?

Alexander Kidd

I'm so glad your journey ended in such a roaring success! My partner, some friends, and I drove down to the Toledo Zoo for totality from the Metro Detroit area (only like, 98%). Figured even if it was cloudy, it was our first time visiting the Toledo Zoo and that's cool too! :) (it was beautifully clear though - my first total eclipse too!)

Elisabeth Westner

It was a crazy few days, that's for sure! My one regret is going to TX in the first place! 🤣 But oh, what a beautiful few minutes that eclipse was!

Elisabeth Westner

Also, congrats to Podmom on his black belt, that's freakin awesome!

Amy Sue Hayes

I really enjoyed your odyssey to see the eclipse-we also pivoted from Texas to Sherbrooke (Quebec) at the last minute! Your description of the eclipse (and your conversations with the heliologists) brought my similar experiences to mind as well and inspired me to join your supporters.I am so glad you got to see your first eclipse-Spain 2026?

cash.ruska

The missed opportunity that I could have been that random Ologies listener who ran into you during the eclipse is still haunting my dreams. I was merely two hours southwest!

Daniel J McDonald

I just got around to listening to this and I love your presentation. It took me right back to the moment and all of the wonder and emotion. And I am unnecessarily pleased that you ended up not far up the Erie coast from my hometown to see it. Ohio is always where it's at lol.

Spencer Parks

I'm pleased as pickles that this worked out for you! Sounds like it was worth it but I don't know if I could've gone through all that hassle to get there! Haha! ;) I'm really hoping I can convince my wife to go to Iceland for the next one. It sounds truly spectacular and I'm bummed I had to work during this one. We got partial in Chicago but virtually nothing happened. I forgot to bring my glasses too! We did see some cool curved shadows though. Thanks for sharing this epic adventure and congrats to JS on the black belt!

Sara Swank

my sister decided we be umbraphiles after she listened to the heliology episode and then her and i listened to the heliology episode on the way to texas from iowa ♡

Erin R.

Listen to this one on my drive to work. I felt like I was on that emotional roller-coaster with you! So glad this worked out for you!

remi

i loved this adventure so much! hearing everyone yell when it happened was so sweet. i was nervous because the weather all week had said it was going to be cloudy but on the day it was miraculously clear, so i called in sick to work and watched from my backyard in upstate new york :) im so glad we all could experience it! i did absolutely give in to my urge to look at the sun with my bare eyes both on purpose and by accident lol

Tammy White

Listening to this episode made me so stressed out thinking you were going to miss the eclipse 😭 then you seen it and I cried with you I felt your joy through the speakers in my semi. Thank you Podfather for being you and making the world a better place.

Mouse Paxton

Yeah, the partial eclipse was still cool to see but totality was just so surreal and beautiful!

Marianne Thomas

This episode made me so happy. It's one of those big coming together moments. I'm glad so many people got to see it!

Eli Huisman

I really enjoyed this episode! It may have been because of period hormones, but hearing you cry and be so in awe, made me cry also. It was beautiful and so very human and wonderful! Living vicariously through you from Europe (and yes, I have already started preparing my trip to Spain in 2026)