The Sun shall be blotted from the sky!

[BigV]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

snip--

Keep this part of the story in mind, okay? It has a sequel.

--snip

Does it involve a fire extinguisher?

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by BigV

Does it involve a fire extinguisher?

Lol. nope.

Mind you, the car has been having issues with oil seeping through some old tired gaskets and seals and smoking away when things get hot after a few hours of freeway cruising. I had a few leaks fixed before I left, but there were still a few moments when I stopped after a long haul and had smallish amounts of smoke from the engine bay. After a while I decided to consider this "normal" and stop worrying.

I did have a couple of "fire extinguishers" in the form of two cans of mediocre beer. In the event of an engine fire, crack the top, shake hard, use the foam. No worries, eh?

[ZenGum]

Here are some sights around the festival. There was quite a bit more awesome psychedelic stuff, but that got taken down shortly after the Main Event and I missed the chance to photograph it.

Anyway, here is the dam/lake, with a fairly minimal camp beside it.



Some folks take "minimal" camping a bit further. Someone lived here for several days.



Then there were the old-school hippies. Not extinct yet!



And this was the shade domes of the crew I met and hung out with.



These folks - six or seven people, it varied - were mostly adults like me, but further from mainstream. The structure in the middle of the domes is a hippie-trap. It is made using coloured wool, twigs, and any shiny or interesting objects that can be found. Wandering hippies get lost in it for hours. Note the sound system on the left.

I'm sure there is evidence of misbehaviour in this picture. How can I put this... I had brought a stash box, a small piece of tupperware, the contents of which would have kept Hunter S Thompson amused for maybe 36 hours. This crew had brought a stash box, a footlocker big enough for two people to use as a chair (not that anyone did, that would have blocked access) that would have had Hunter S Thompson asking them to slow down so he could take notes. Nothing that went up the nose or in a vein, but apart from that ... pretty much everything.

[ZenGum]

It was pretty warm - 30 to 35 each day - so swimming was necessary.

In Far North Queensland (or FNQ, pronounced Effen' Queue) there are crocs in most waters, but this far inland, almost certainly only freshwater crocs, and they're small(ish) and timid and are not considered dangerous.

Just in case, my neighbours set up this tribal mermaid goddess to warn them off.



And the day before the eclipse, I got attacked by a wild animal!!!

Possibly NSFW, so look here.

Dammit, get the tweezers. At least it was only on my belly this time.

That genie must have been hard of hearing. I'm pretty sure I said CHICK magnet.

Meanwhile, where I had chosen a small gathering of maybe 300, George TheCow was off at a large (10,000 peeps) rave/doof festival nearby, helping DJ a few sets, then getting funky on the dance floor.

[xoxoxoBruce]

a r-l-r-l-r "thank you very much".

Here they flash all their rear lights off and on... I had a button in my van to do that without affecting the headlights.

Large or small, methinks I'd rather avoid crocks.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Meanwhile, where I had chosen a small gathering of maybe 300, George TheCow was off at a large (10,000 peeps) rave/doof festival nearby, helping DJ a few sets, then getting funky on the dance floor.

Pay attention, people.

[ZenGum]

Okay, getting close to the Main Event.

Totality was due at 6.37 am.

It was obviously necessary to pull an all nighter. I had strategic naps the day before, then at 11pm had an energy drink, then around midnight started a carefully planned session of recreational pharmaceuticals. I had some and some and then some and even some , spread out over six hours, so that by dawn, my altitude was at a personal best and may have given Felix Baumgartener a run for his money. PM if you want full details..

So, I dressed warm - temp in the mid teens, I think, but it gets COLD during an eclipse - and went down by the lake side. I found a nice little spot about ten feet back from the shore, with the sky brightening in the east across the lake, and set up.

I had my camera on a tripod about four feet to my left, set to take a picture on automatic every 30 seconds.

Dawn twilight:



First peep of sunrise:



The eclipse was already underway by this time, with the moon moving from the top left part of the sun, as shown in this excellent shot by Ben Cooper:



Soon the sun was little more than a crescent, but alas my little camera wasn't really up to the job:

[ZenGum]

Soon, the sun became a slim crescent, a sickle, a sliver :



Then one last peek of light...



Then ...



BBAAANNNGGGGGG!!!!!!
As Someone - my campmates deny everything - let off a 2&1/2 inch firework mortar shell to salute the moment, and this instant was burned into my memory.