Many others have better photos of this spectacular event than I do, and I look forward to seeing them posted over the next few days.

Our group left the Vancouver Hilton at 5:35 am, headed to the REI store north of Salem, OR, about 50 miles away.  The organizers wanted to be sure that we arrived in plenty of time…mission accomplished, we arrived about 7:20 am, for an event scheduled at 10:19 am.  Note the long lines at the Starbucks, as many others had chosen this mall area to view the eclipse.

We did enjoy the wild blackberries during our wait.  With our special glasses, we began to see the moon moving across the sun shortly after 9 am.  We chose to stand on the top of the highway overpass, hoping for horizon views.  We were somewhat disappointed as the sunset effect was diminished when the street lights all came on.

Just with my Canon point & shoot at totality I took a few photos.

Within 15 minutes of totality, we were back on the buses.  The return trip took an hour longer, much better timing than was expected, but enough for a box lunch and a nice nap.

We were able to board the ship at 2 pm.  After the mandatory safety drill, we set off up the Columbia River into the Willamette River and onto Portland.

Along the Willamette, we passed under numerous bridges, once telescoped into a second tier, another raised only one side.  And we enjoyed sunset near the downtown area.

Sadly, I am having difficulty uploading photos, so text will have to suffice for now.