2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657

2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657

Seeing a full solar eclipse is an amazing experience. This was not an easy trip. It was not a short trip. There will be two parts to the eclipse podcast. The night before. The Day Of. We’ll start with the night before the solar eclipse in 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657.

Long Wait For This One

A long time ago my best friend Steve and I set up telescopes and special projection devices in his back yard for an annular solar eclipse. We decided to recreate that experience in 2017 for this very nearly one-of-kind eclipse. Traveling down Illinois 1 all the way south to the Carbondale, Illinois area.

Searching For Totality

We’d heard this was the point of totality. That is, a line across the US where the eclipse would be total. We didn’t realize how lucky we were until we discovered we had landed in Makanda, Illinois. Find out why this is important in 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657.

Sometimes You Luck Out

Two guys in an ambulance. Not really an RV. Primitive sleeping arrangements. A tent for Steve. Hammock inside Mobile Podcast Command for me. We rolled into a camping area. Asked some questions. Learned it was a specific place, which cost a lot more than what we thought initially.

Travel and Adventure Means Meeting Great Random People

Traveling you meet random people. Sometimes it’s good. In this case we meet Bud, who arranged for this park, in this town, for this eclipse. He turns out to be an historian, a businessman and a good guy. He joins us for 2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657.

Part II On The Way

Heading back to the Chicago area as I write this. Part II will be up as soon as possible. As a teaser to that podcast I will simply say I have heard a lot of people say, “I’ll watch the eclipse on TV”. With all my equipment and all of Steve’s telescopes and cameras, ham radios and special glasses, this is something you just have to experience. It was amazing. More on that later.

See You in 2024

The good news? Another eclipse goes right through Makanda in 2024.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

2017 Solar Eclipse Point of Totality Part 1-Podcast 657

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Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642

Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642

After so many road trips I get a lot of questions. Why do you do it? What are the three best things that happened on the trip? In Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642.

Long Road Trips Are The Best

Road Trips have been a part of my life since I was a kid. As an adult I would often drive pell mell to reach a location. Since acquiring Mobile Podcast Command I’ve spent more time on the road, taking my office and studio with me. Road Trips are an escape both positive and negative. For me, happiness is a clean windshield and a full tank of fuel.

Goals Are Good…And Bad

These days each trip has an objective or two. It‘s best though, not to fill your road trip with objectives even if you are a type A goal setter. You have to leave time to change your mind, turn around or stop in that town. In Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642.

Is Life Real?

Travel is like a dream. Especially road tripping. The more you do it the less specific your memory is. I’ll be doing something and think about an experience and wonder, “Where was that?”. Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. The longer the road trip, the more surreal the experience. From Truck Stops and Wal Mart parking lots to State Parks and small towns. In Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642.

Back Roads Are Better

This Bob Davis Podcasts Road Trip to me through Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas (twice), Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Pretty much all on backroads. The first takeaway is stick to state roads, and US highways, even county roads. In Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642.

Ready To Go Again

Meeting interesting people, visiting prosperous and not so prosperous towns and villages, seeing family and taking a dream-walk through the town I grew up in are some of best things that happened on this road trip. In conclusion, most of this country is flat out empty, and it’s going to be just fine.

Sponsored by X Government Cars

Summer Solstice Walk and Talk-Road Trip Takeaways-Podcast 642

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Podcast 542-Music

Podcast 542-Music. I’ve been threatening to do a podcast about music, so here it is. Finally. It turned out better than I thought it would, although I learned right away that I have entirely too many tunes on my computer for one podcast to do it justice. Music has the power to transport us from one place to another. I don’t think I am unique in suggesting that sometimes the best thing to do is to crank your ‘stereo’ (meaning computer, iPod, iPhone or whatever) to top volume and sit on the deck, just listening. This is an activity I don’t engage in often though. In producing this podcast, I had such a good time, I’ll have to spend more time listening to music in general. Of course, when the headlines and the political news, and the day to day crap – and that is what it is – gets to me, I can do more music podcasts. Don’t want to overdo it, but then again, it’s not done ’til it’s overdone, right? For the purposes of Podcast 542-Music, we’re gonna take a little journey from Soundtracks and Blues music, mid sixties pop to soul music and memories of sitting on the steps on summer nights listening to the radio, to the FM Rock or “Classic Rock” era, through the 80’s to some Trance and Dance music from today. Yeah. I forgot the 90’s even though a lot of tunes on my computer are from the 90’s. I could have done a podcast about each one of those eras, and had tunes left over. Finally, the only disclaimer here is that my experience of music is almost wholly inside the radio, that is working in radio, from the time I was about 12 all the way through to now. I think about music in terms of my podcasts, so I am a little weird. Also, these are not full versions of the songs, so you won’t be ripping music I paid for. Plus, I talk over a lot of it. But, it still flows pretty good. Sponsored by Hydrus Performance and X Government Cars.

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