At first it was like any other morning at that altitude… chilly, but clear overhead.  Below we could see puffy white clouds in almost every direction, even toward the Kona side.  And while my heart ached for those expectant throngs whose view was likely to be obscured, I tingled with excitement in anticipation of the astronomical event of a lifetime.

At first the sky began to darken only slightly as the moon slowly began to take “cookie-bites” of the sun, as it progressed between the earth and our light giving source.  Once the eclipse was total, we experienced a “double diamond ring effect” with two bright flares of light on one side of the ring around the moon.  I could see several sun flares protruding out into the corona that shot wisps of light into the dark sky.  It was stunning!  And maybe the most amazing part was the fact that suddenly the sky was dark… kind of like a very ominous storm.  And the sun, normally the brightest part of the sky, was pitch black!  It was like everything was inside out.  And it was unusually quiet… except for the cries of others nearby that were as taken with the sight as I was.  And then six minutes later, it was over… and everything went back to normal.  It was as if it never happened… and I couldn’t wait to see another one!”