Feel free to check out Part I and Part II.

Finally the day of the eclipse.  We had shared the top of the butte with two other groups and as the sun started to rise more people started to meander up to the top.  By the time the eclipse started there were probably about 50 people.  We got to chat with others, but didn’t feel like we were in a city.  Most people were surprised we lugged up a tripod and DSLR camera, though one person did bring up a telescope.

The Eclipse

For those that have never been in path of totality for solar eclipse, I highly encourage you to seek one out.  The next one crossing the United States will be April 8, 2024.

Our semi-intimate gathering was friendly and encouraged each new arrival as they finished their journey to the top of the butte.  A ranger from Deschutes National Forest came up to the top to enjoy the eclipse with us and get some promotional material (we made it onto their facebook page, yay we’re famous).

The lead up to totality takes quite a long time and we’d glance up with eclipse glasses (or welding glass) and see the moon slowly crossing in front of the sun.

When totality begins everything happens quickly.  The temperature starts to drop (about 20º F for us) and the shadow of the moon races across the surface at over 2000mph.

The sky goes dark and we got 60-90 seconds of totality, being able to look directly at the sun with no eye protection and seeing the bright corona peeking out from behind the moon.  It was an amazing experience and hopefully it won’t be a once in a lifetime one for me.

The End

After those all too brief moments the sun began to reappear and we got to see the diamond ring effect before having to turn away or don eclipses glasses again.  From here it was downhill (only literally though) and it marked the ending of adventure in Oregon.

Getting back to Silicon Valley was difficult because once the show had ended everyone else was also participating in the mass exodus of Oregon.  The drive took us about 12 hours and one upset Oregonian had put a sign on their property stating “We hope you enjoyed your visit please don’t come back.”

As I said in Part I the eclipse changed my life.  I’m not sure it was the eclipse itself, but the entire trip.  For the past 8 years I had been working full time including overtime and extending work travel away from home.  Lady Kit and I hadn’t been living together for previous 5 years while she was in Vet School and at her internship.

This trip gave a moment to relax, unplug from the frenzied work environment where there was a new figurative fire to put out every day.  I only used my phone this trip for directions and to take pictures, no e-mail, no texting, no phone calls.  Lady Kit and I got to spend a week in the outdoors, something we had both missed doing with our hectic schedules.  I had a chance to refocus and think about what I wanted.

I realized that while I am a competitive person that was really the only driver for me to push so hard at my job.  I wanted to be the best, get the next promotion, tackle the next challenge, but only because it was a way to keep score.  It wasn’t making me happy.

My Why of FI

Instead what I want to do is spend more time with my wife and our pets, hike more frequently, camp more often, try new things, go on new adventures, and take the time to enjoy those things and what I have around me.

This revelation led me finding Financial Independence and the path to FIRE.  I have my reason for FIRE and now it is just a matter of executing a plan to get there (and of course enjoying ourselves on the way).