The Super Lunar Eclipse is on its way! To get ready, come canoe with me to the last eclipse -- the big Solar Eclipse in August. I'm headed down the Willamette River to the line of maximum totality!

There's a big lunar event happening in the wee hours of Wednesday morning! It's a Super Moon, where the moon is closer to the Earth than usual. So it will look much bigger. And it's a Blue Moon - the second full moon in a month. And -- And --- it's a Blood Moon! There's going to be a total lunar eclipse, so the Moon will appear blood red for awhile.

Of course, being winter, it could be completely overcast here in Oregon's Willamette Valley! So I'm going to celebrate a different eclipse -- the total solar eclipse that happened back in August. I got to see that eclipse really well! In a way that few people did. Let's go!

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Hatching A Plan - What Would You Do?

Here's a map that shows the path of the total eclipse. You can see it's going right over Oregon, where I live. I wanted to be on the center line of that swath, or as close as could be. That's the line where the eclipse would last the longest -- a whole 2 and a half minutes!

^{Source: NASA and Google - used under fair use doctrine}

Back in August, so many people were going to head out to see the eclipse! The roads were going to be jammed, anywhere close to major routes or towns. And it was hot, dry, and smoky from forest fires. Hiking into the mountains was a bad idea! And it was forecast to be cloudy over at the coast. Where should we go?

I took a look at these maps and then some satellite images from Google Earth. And it became all clear! Can you figure out my plan?

^{Sources: Bureau of Land Management and Google - used under public domain and fair use doctrine.}

I thought about going to the Ankeney National Wildlife Refuge (the big green area in the upper right image), to an elevated observation platform for watching birds. That would be great for the eclipse. And easy, so close to a major highway. Uh-oh. That means there will be lots and lots of people there. On the narrow dirt roads. Nope.

And then Plan B was staring me in the face in that satellite image! See it?

In Oregon, any land along a river, if it's lower than the average high water level, is all public land. Anybody can camp there, for free.

Yep! Let's head down the Willamette River and camp on the island closest to the line of maximum eclipse!

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On The River

My sister, my life-buddy "D", and I put onto the river at sunrise, the day before the eclipse.

What a beautiful August morning.

This ferry was the beginning of an unexpected part of our eclipse trip. To me, a ferry is an unusual mode of transportation. And note, there are no cars on it yet. Yes, this is foretelling!

The Willamette River looks calm, but there's a lot of water moving there! Only 18 rivers in the USA carry more water!¹

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Making A Home On The Island

We figured the island would be crowded with people. There was one couple on the island, with their tent mostly hidden away. We put our tent farther down the island, atop a small bluff.

In the hot August weather, it was nice to have a cold river to cool off in!

The sun was powerful so we rigged up some shade to lounge under -- where we ate a lot of snacks!

Our goal was to get to know what this area looked like at sundown. That way, we would have something to compare with, when the moon would block the light from the sun. Our campsite had great views of the river. We watched how swallows gathered at sunset, catching insects over the river.

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Getting To Know The Island - While We Wait

We had plenty of time to wander the island, too. The whole island floods regularly, so there weren't many large trees, except dead ones in big piles of flood debris. The forces of nature can be so strong!

Autumn comes early - even in August - on this island. Oregon has dry summers. Plants that can't get their roots down to the river level get stressed for water. Watch out for that big shrub on the right! Why?

Because it's all Poison Oak! Like Poison Ivy, it causes itchy skin rashes or blisters in 70% to 85% of people that touch it!²!

But there's good things on the island, too! Can you see them?

Wild garlic bulblets! I harvest these and use them like garlic, without disturbing the garlic cloves underground. And it's easier, too, especially in this dry ground! I used wild garlic bulblets in my Saffron Fingerlings and Wild Garlic Potato Puree with Chanterelle Mushrooms for @progressivechef's great Steemit Iron Chef contest.

Did you find all the garlic bulblets to forage? Did I miss any?

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Thanks for Walking - and Canoeing - With Me

There are still so many neat things to see on this eclipse canoe trip. The eclipse itself - and more! But that will be in Part 2. Until then, I hope you enjoyed spending time with me on this little adventure. Thanks for coming along!

And thanks to @lyndsaybowes for the #walkwithme tag!

• Have you ever gone canoeing on a river or camped on an island?
• Did you see the solar eclipse in August?
• Have you gotten a rash from Poison Oak or Poison Ivy?
• Have you foraged Wild Garlic?
• Are you watching the Super Lunar Eclipse?

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Plant and Animal List

• Poison Oak - Toxicodendron diversilobum
• Poison Ivy - Toxicodendron radicans
• Wild Garlic - Allium vineale

Sources:
¹Wikipedia
²US Forest Service Pub. 0767-2313P-MTDC

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Haphazard Homestead

foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land
All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead, except the maps and satellite photos.My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead