Eclipse Chasing at Helen, GA

A few days before the August 21 total solar eclipse, Richard and I were still trying to decide if we should drive up to north Georgia to be in the path of totality or just stay where we are since the moon will still cover ~97% of the sun... Day before the eclipse, we decided to go. Neil can be released from school at 11AM, and it will take 1.5 hours (on normal days) to get there so we should have enough time to catch the eclipse at ~2:30PM.

In the morning of August 21 we decided to just let Neil skip school and drive as early as we can. We left the house around 8:30AM and it was surprisingly normal traffic. We walked around Helen, had lunch, then drove to Unicoi State Park to find a good viewing spot. We chose the beach area and were glad to see it wasn't too crowded. Even in the peak of the eclipse, it still felt like an intimate gathering.

If you haven't seen a total eclipse before, nothing prepares you for the actual experience. As it was nearing totality, people were all gazing up at the sky looking through their glasses and the cheering got louder and louder as the moon finally covered the sun. So surreal and amazing. One of the best experiences of my life, no doubt.

Missing school (Neil) and work (me) were totally worth it. I'm glad my parents were here to experience it as well. The drive back took more than 2x the time but all in all, it was a really good day.

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