If we can skip the Big Bang and the planets forming and black holes and stuff, then our big eclipse adventure started a year ago minus a day when Jen booked a hotel suite for us in Bangor.  Actually, it started a little earlier, sometime between when Jen read the Wendy Mass book Every Soul a Star and when she heard there would be a solar eclipse whose zone of totality would be within driving distance of home.

Jen perceived the astrological signs and realized we could stay in Bangor near Zoe on the night before the eclipse, and then we (minus Nadia) could all drive the hour or so north to totality. The plan was outlined. In the year following the hotel room booking a few relevant detail emerged:

1. We talked the Halls (minus Emma) into joining us for the trip.
2. Interest in the eclipse gradually rose – but we all managed to get our requests for personal days approved before the school system ran out of substitutes.
3. We discovered that the timing of our trip allowed us to see Zoe’s last UMO Orchestra concert, and, with a little ride sharing, Jen could stick around an extra day to watch Zoe’s honors thesis defense.

You can see how the stars were aligning.

We drove to Maine on Sunday morning.  Two quick stops in Bangor awaited us.

First, we swung by Stephen King’s house.  As usual, had a few other cars worth of tourists lingering around the spider-strewn front gate.  It was a predictable, yet satisfying eight-minute detour.

Second, we motored across town to Bangor Police Department HQ.  This was likely the place we wanted.  Confusingly, though, they don’t have a sign on the building for the Duck of Justice, so Jen had to somewhat awkwardly press the call button out front and ask the attendant if the famous taxidermized bird was actually inside.  We got buzzed in and then had to wait for an officer to meet us in the lobby to unlock the special Bangor Police Museum.  Here we found the Duck, which Krissy has been urging us to visit since forever.  We took our selfie wearing eclipse glasses (hopefully soon to be displayed on the BPD website) and enjoyed a few minutes browsing the small, but not un-interesting museum.

Even with those two stops, and lunch at the Family Dog in Orono, we made it to campus in plenty of time to walk through campus before Zoe’s concert.  The performance itself was moving and well attended.  Highlights included the New World Symphony and Copland’s Hoedown.  Zoe was one of only four cellos in this year’s orchestra.

Parents’ and kids’ paths diverged for a while at this point.  One group took a more in-depth campus tour that solidly featured bouldering action in the Maine Bound Adventure Center.  Eliza is interested in a college experience that includes lots of outdoor exploration and Zoe tried to give her an idea of the kinds of opportunities that would be available at U Maine.  They also saw a very large plant through the window of a greenhouse.

Meanwhile, those of us who already hold at least one college degree moved off campus to watch the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championships. The staff at the Orono Brewing Company was happy to put the game on all of their TVs, even though we only needed to watch one.  While we were watching South Carolina defeat Iowa, we got to have some popcorn and pretzels, and we also had a beer or two.

It should be noted that some of us had more than a passing interest in the game. South Carolina’s win netted Trisha $75 and Iowa’s loss prevented Chris from winning any money whatsoever.

After the game, we regrouped and headed into Bangor for dinner.  It was a Sunday night, and the post-Covid restaurant scene can be difficult to predict.  Our first stop, Bangor’s Market Square, had a good concentration of restaurants, but only one was open, and it had an hour-and-a-half wait.  A two-block drive revealed an open Thai restaurant that ended up serving our purposes quite well.

Throughout the day, there was speculation, anticipation, and last-minute preparation.  With none of us having experienced a total eclipse before, it was difficult to know for certain what was in store for us.  Some clues had presented themselves:

• A week or so before the event, Maine State Police started suggesting that we bring paper maps because there was fear that the cellular network would not be able to accommodate the masses of people traveling north and east for the spectacle.
• Many road signs along Rt. 95 urged us to be patient in traffic and avoid parking in snowy or muddy fields (apparently, there are not very many tow trucks in Aroostook County).
• The predicted weather for the area seemed perfect.
• The main event in the area, Houlton’s Maine Eclipse Festival was expecting as many as 40,000 visitors.
• There was general speculation that some places might not have enough sanitation facilities to accommodate the crowds.
• Other towns in the area were advertising eclipse watching events, but they did not seem as coordinated as Houlton’s, though Houlton was farther away from Bangor (and home) than most of the other towns.

Based on this intelligence, we made tentative plans.  Then we were hit one more piece of information:  Zoe had to take an exam tomorrow!  She could take it remotely, but she needed to be logged in for the exam around 9 am.  How would it all come together?  Keep reading to find out.