Driving home from the Moran Station 4 training last night (Moran sits at the north end of the valley, Hoback sits at the south end; the drive is about 47 miles through Grand Teton National Park and the Town of Jackson), I pondered the black dark sky. Days are getting shorter, the mornings are cool, and fall is in the air.
The stars pinned light holes through the black velour skyscape. How will the two minutes of darkness on Monday differ from the darkness of the night? This morning, I looked up to the sun's position at 10:30 after a morning briefing with the Forest Service. Brightly shining in a clear, blue sky, I tried to attach the sun's position on my internal compass for Monday bearings.
This once-in-a-lifetime event brings up all kinds of deep emotions. A once-in-a-lifetime event stirs up thoughts of mortality and brings a layer of depth and real meaning to the event. Looking up to the sky rustles up the wonder of the universe and how stupidly small we ego-bound, self righteous humans can be under a galaxy of planets, stars, comets, and this eclipse. Like our concerns mean anything! We are mere molecules in the vastness of it all!
Today is a day of agency briefings for me. Finishing up one, preparing for the next. The Forest Service facilitator noted 100,000 people are expected to descend upon our mountain town. Everyone is planning. Patience is the key word as we watch our streets and highways condense their lanes with traffic. A gas station ran out of fuel yesterday. The grocery stores are a mess. I have heard that gas, ice and booze will be the commodity items as this continues to intensify. I have a bet with a friend about grid lock. She doesn't think we will grid lock. I say we will. We are not sure how to put rules on this bet, but we both are sure we will know who the winner is by next Tuesday. I win a eggplant Parmesan meal. She gets to pick the meal of her choice, should I lose. Both meals will be graced with ample bottles of big, red wine and we will look back on the Great American Eclipse.
You can watch in live time how busy the downtown intersection is getting and how many people are walking around the square by checking out Jackson's Web Cam (just click on the words and it will take you right to the web cam).
Tomorrow will be one day closer. Close to the eclipse, closer to the eclipse being over, and closer to the things we don't yet know of what is coming.
May the Universe be With Us!!
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