On Sunday the husband and I traveled to Hartswell, GA (about 7-8 hours from where we live) and stayed at a Hampton Inn (thanks Hilton Honors points!) to be in the band of totality for the solar eclipse. On Monday we waited in the parking lot for the eclipse to occur. Here are some pictures I took. If you look in the picture you can find a pinhole image of the stage of the eclipse as we went.

I had the special eclipse glasses, which allowed me to see the moon coming in front even as the sun continued to shine. As you can see by the pictures, if you actually looked up at the sun you would have no way to know what stage it was really in. The glasses are a necessity for the enjoyment of the eclipse as well as your safety.

This video was taken by my phone camera, but it’s pretty awesome. It’s the moment of totality and while it’s not as good as the videos you would see on the news or the Weather Channel, I’m glad I have it so I can remember how excited I was when it happened. Enjoy.