SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
S moke S ignals
13
'This is something that a lot of people don’t get to see'
ECLIPSE continued
from front page
ing the eclipse.
“As I was telling
her (10-year-old
witness the long-awaited celestial
daughter Tasi-
event.
na Bluehorse),
Dave Shrestha set up an Orion
this is the only
SkyQuest telescope on the sidewalk
time she is going
just south of the intersection so
to see this in her
that his wife, Anupma, and son and
lifetime,” Grant
daughter, Kavi and Devina, could
said.
watch the total solar eclipse safely.
“It’s pretty
“We decided not to risk it,” Dave
cool,”
Bluehorse,
Shrestha said of staying on the
who
knew
that
Oregon Coast.
the moon was
The corner near St. Michael’s
passing between
Catholic Church became an im-
the Earth and
promptu observatory for many
sun, said.
from Pacific City who hightailed
“I think it’s
it inland during the early morning
great,”
said Trib-
and also set up portable telescopes.
al Elder Marvin
In Tribal Elder Housing, Elder
Davis, who also
Herman Hudson sat in a lawn chair
saw a total solar
next to Gladys Bolton as the moon
eclipse that oc-
slowly encroached on the morning
curred over the
sun.
Pacific North-
“This is something that a lot of
Photo by Dean Rhodes
west in 1979.
people don’t get to see,” the 92-year-
“It was amazing
Tribal Elders, from front, Steve Hudson, Herman
old World War II veteran said.
… history being
Hudson
and
Gladys
Bolton
watch
the
total
solar
eclipse
Hudson said he had seen partial
made.”
unfold in Elder Housing at about 10 a.m. Monday,
eclipses before, but never a total
Spirit Moun-
solar eclipse. “This is totally differ-
Aug. 21. Also watching in reclining lawn chairs in the
tain
Casino held
ent,” he said.
background was Herman Hudson’s daughter, Kathryn
an
Eclipse
View-
Hudson shared the experience
Dunham, and her friends Patricia Love and Valerie
i
n
g
P
a
r
t
y on
with his daughter, Kathryn Dun-
Washington. Totality was reached in Grand Ronde at 10
Monday morning
ham, and son, Steve Hudson. Dun-
seconds before 10:17 a.m. and lasted 101 seconds.
in the parking lot
ham brought her friends Patricia
near PlayWorld.
Love and Valerie Washington with
In
addition,
the
casino’s
main park-
“The
main
reason
was
powwow,
her from Washington state, while
ing
lot
and
the
parking
lot
at Grand
but
this
came
in
second,”
Tammy
Steve Hudson was with his friend,
Ronde
Station
were
full
of
people
added.
Rick Whitney (Cherokee).
craning their heads at 45-degree
Tribal Elders Marcella Selwyn
Mike and Tammy Robison of
angles up at the disappearing sun.
and
Marilee
Norwest
sat
on
their
Springfield, who were staying with
“We had about 450 people with a
porch,
watching
the
eclipse
through
Tribal Elder Steve Rife for Contest
lot
of people standing by in cars,”
widely
distributed
safety
glasses.
Powwow weekend, used welding
Marketing
Manager Shawna Ridge-
“It’s
kind
of
exciting,”
Selwyn
masks to protect their eyes as
bear
said.
said. “I had seen one awhile back,
they watched the eclipse progress
At about 10 a.m. as totality drew
but I can’t remember when. It kind
toward totality.
closer, Tribal member Steve Hud-
of scared me because I had never
“We thought that since we’re
son observed that the sun looked
seen
it
before.
Now,
I
know.”
here, we’ll just take a look at this,”
“like a banana.” The temperature
Tessa
Grant
sat
in
her
driveway
Mike said while viewing the par-
was appreciably cooler five minutes
with
her
three
children,
watch-
tially consumed sun at 9:45 a.m.
later and Herman Hudson said that
the other side of the moon facing
the sun “must be hotter than Hell.”
At 10:17 a.m., people took off
their protective glasses and safely
The Tribal Veterans Special Event Board is recruiting younger
looked at the moon, which was sur-
veterans – Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans – to join.
rounded by the tendrils of the sun’s
“Our committee is getting older,” said Veterans SEB Chairman Steve
corona for what seemed mere mo-
Bobb Sr., who is a Vietnam War-era Marine Corps veteran.
ments. And then a sliver of sunlight
Members of the Special Event Board attend events as flag carriers
and represent the Tribe and their branch of service. Veterans interest-
ed in volunteering should contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia
Hernandez at 503-879-2304 or stacia.martin@grandronde.org.
Board seeking younger veterans
broke through, signifying the end of
totality, and everyone donned their
safety eyewear again.
Steven Hudson, a musician,
started singing The Beatles’ “Here
Comes the Sun.”
“That was so cool,” Dunham said.
“I got tired there for just a sec-
ond,” Whitney quipped about the
sudden darkness.
In anticipation of predicted heavy
traffic, the Oregon Department of
Transportation erected signs along
Highway 18 between Sheridan and
Grand Ronde, advising drivers not
to park on the shoulder to view the
eclipse.
Meanwhile, Tribal Facilities
staff erected a barricade to ensure
eclipse watchers stayed off the Gov-
ernance Center campus.
Tribal Security and Grand Ronde
Tribal Police Department personnel
patrolled the area, ensuring that
people did not trespass on Tribal
lands. A few people in a hayfield
south of the Women’s Transitional
Center were asked to move before
the eclipse occurred.
General Manager David Fuller-
ton said that eclipse aficionados
trespassing on Tribal lands was
the only problem he heard about
during the event.
“We also had to remove people
from the campus, medical, Light-
house Church and we turned people
away from the powwow grounds,”
Grand Ronde Police Department
Lt. Tim Hernandez said. “Some
people were parked on private
property, blocking driveways, and
the corner of Hebo highway and
Grand Ronde Road got quite busy.
We only asked two people to move
who were too close to the highway
fog line.”
Except for a skeleton crew at the
Health & Wellness Center, most
other Tribal employees were grant-
ed the day off so as not to contribute
to traffic congestion in the totality
zone.
According to NASA’s eclipse app,
a partial solar eclipse started at ap-
proximately 9:05 a.m. over Grand
Ronde and, after totality ended,
lasted until approximately 11:30
a.m.
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