On April 8, 2024 there was a total eclipse of the sun that was visible from Mexico in the west, crossing the US and into Canada in the east. I made plans to travel to a campground near Bend Texas. Although the weather forecast was not very good leading up to the eclipse, long time residents in central Texas claimed the weather is highly variable and often changes from the forecast. So we decided to take our chances and make the long journey to Barefoot Fishing Camp & RV Park. As it turned out, we had partly cloudy skies for the eclipse and as fate would have it, the partial phases were mostly clear and the total phase was mostly cloudy. Still, we managed to see and photograph the beginning, middle and end of totality in brief moments between the clouds.

The camping site was very nice with good facilities (including showers), cut grass, and great views of the adjoining river and cliff. We also enjoyed the company of other campers and eclipse chasers. In addition to the great show in the sky, central Texas was experiencing a superbloom of flowers which put on a dazzling display of color.

My solar imaging system was a Pentax K5IIs DSLR, Tamron SP (55B) 500mm F8 Mirror lens, and a Baader Solar Filter riding on an Ioptron Skytracker with counterweight kit.