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Visitors flocked to Oregon in August 2017 to watch the first total solar eclipse viewable from the contiguous United States in 38 years.The path of totality ran all the way across North America, but started near Lincoln City. Totality began on the Oregon Coast on August 21 at 10:16 a.m. PDT.And eclipse watchers were ready.

Eclipse Revelers In Oregon Whoop And Holler As Sun Fades Away

Rajah Bose
Hundreds of people gathered at the Atlas Obscura Eclipse Festival in Durkee, Oregon, to witnesss the total solar eclipse.

Eclipse revelers whooped and hollered as the sun went black at a major encampment in the remote town of Durkee on the Burnt River Ranch in eastern Oregon.

As the sun slipped more and more behind the moon, the revelers whooped and screamed. A black shadow zoomed across the deep valley and people exclaimed as they took off their glasses.

Then the hundreds of people here went silent for a few moments.

When totality just happened, it was just spectacular. As the sun blacked out, there was a massive shadow that came across the valley near the Burnt River. The hundreds of people who were camping here were crying, hugging and dancing, lighting up joints, and drinking champagne.

And as quick as the sun had gone away, it came back and flooded with light again. The cow meadow was filled with the sounds of a band and everyone was just screaming again and hugging and kissing.

It was just an amazing experience in the totality.

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.