2016 INDONESIA

Record distance traveled for me Boulder to Ternate is 8087 miles! Oy what a trip too — Denver, Tokyo, Jakarta, Ternate, speedboat, car with driver in one travel day. Arrived night before, met German & Austrian, forged ad hoc Eclipse Team 2015 and crashed in my sparse room dreaming of clear skies tomorrow.

An incredible week arranged by my couchsurfer host Indra Gunadijaya!!!!!

Maba, halamahera island

 

Mission: Lots of logistics! Getting to Ternate Island on time! 

Posse: Michael Aisner, host Indra Gunadijaya, Wolfgang Schweitzer, Markus Bütikofer, awesome Driver Iwan Dort Molluccas

Contact: March 9, 2016

Path: Ocean to Indo

Eclipse Base: Mountainside near Maba, East Halamahera Island, Indonesia 

Weather: Totality thru thin overcast 

yikes!  awoke to a shelf of eastern clouds -- abandon beach -- plan b - head west.  Iwan drove us up this mountain road -- oh no - DEAD-ENDED at gaping WASHOUT.

iwan, WOLFGANG, Markus and I Hiked up -- staked out ECLIPSE base with an island to ocean vista & bloppy eastern clouds to track the passing moon shadow cone...never seen that before! (time-lapse below)  

PERFECT DAY                      What a CREW!  

There were only a few options for landfall on this eclipse. You study weather and access and just make a choice!  I found the perfect couchsurder host, so TERNATE was my destination.  

There were only a few options for landfall on this eclipse. You study weather and access and just make a choice!  I found the perfect couchsurder host, so TERNATE was my destination.  

Landed on the little volcanic island of Ternate on left and then speedboated (pink line) to a car and driver (orange) Indra arranged, to drive for HOURS on a twisty, pothole dirt road to Maba in the east for a quick sleep -- eclipse was tomorrow!!!!…

Landed on the little volcanic island of Ternate on left and then speedboated (pink line) to a car and driver (orange) Indra arranged, to drive for HOURS on a twisty, pothole dirt road to Maba in the east for a quick sleep -- eclipse was tomorrow!!!!  PHEW!!!!

 

luckily, Every prior eclipse has been mostly clear skies.  Having some clouds this time was a huge bonus, so I time-lapsed the changing cloud light as the 1000mph shadow swept in and out over us!  

WATCH!

Photo Credits: Wolfgang Schweitzer, Markus Bütikofer and Michael Aisner