In 2017 the solar eclipse made an appearance across the United States. So I hopped into a car with my buddies Scott and his daughter Lily, Jason and his girlfriend Erika, and we made the long drive up to Jackson Hole, stopping along the way to do a little side trip here and there and staying the night at a campground or two. We were not expecting just how much of a madhouse Jackson Hole was. Sooo many people. We got super lucky by claiming a virtually deserted side road out of town that Scott had cited before the cops came along and shut it down, but still allowing the handful of cars to stay put. Of course the eclipse was awesome to watch. Before the full occultation occurred, a guy named Michael from Germany (I think…somewhere in Europe) came sauntering past with some very expensive camera gear. Scott invited him to hang out and set up next to us, which was a great idea becasue he got some amazing photos. The main thumbnail photo is from him, Michael Noll photography ladies and gentlemen. So after all that was over we began the long drive back. Holy cow the traffic. Being from Los Angeles I am used to traffic, but this was next level. We weren’t going anywhere far anytime soon. Eventually I convinced Scott to take a dirt side road that skirted the highway. It ended up actually working and shaving off a few hours of time but getting his wife’s vehicle absolutely filthy in the process. We made it to the campground as it was getting dark, but Jason and Erika, who did not take the dirt road showed up several hours later. Still an awesome trip to a see a grand natural wonder, but that exit put a tiny damper on things, but at least makes for a good story.
