Path of totality: Eclipse draws sky watchers to Erie State Game Area
ERIE — Armed with empty cereal boxes, aluminum foil, tape, paper and a nail, Clarkston residents Kristen and Robert Miner and their grandsons created their own pinhole viewing cameras for Monday’s eclipse.
“We also have glasses,” said Kristen Miner. “Having the pinhole camera helps to watch the sun and check it more often.”
As Lars Wilson, 13, and his grandfather demonstrated how the viewer worked, Liam Wilson, 11, and his grandmother, a retired science teacher, carefully used a nail to pierce a small hole in some aluminum foil. Soon, they would each have homemade viewing cameras ready for the sky’s most awaited show — a total solar eclipse.
“The fancy name for it is a camera obscura and they’ve been using it since the Renaissance,” Miner said. “It was used by artists to transfer images when they drew.”
The family of four joined spectators gathered at the corner of Dean and Bay Creek Roads. Cars were parked along the route. Many came prepared with folding chairs, blankets and picnic-style lunches.
The Monroe County Convention and Tourism Bureau and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources hosted the eclipse viewing party on the Dusseau Tract. The Erie State Game Area was listed as one of the state’s top eclipse viewing locations.
Brian Tatro, his wife, Nicole, and daughters, Evelyn, 10, and Claire, 4, parked on Bay Creek Road to view the eclipse.
On Sunday night, they drove three hours from their home in Freemont, Michigan and spent the night in Dundee. They left at 10 a.m. Monday to find the perfect viewing spot.
Nicole was a bit more excited than her husband to view the eclipse. She came prepared with glasses for the entire family and a lens protector for her cellphone.
The Tarto family extended Evelyn’s spring break from school by one day so they could witness history.
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Jackson Kelly of Lansing stood by the car with his stepfather, Jeff Wilson. His mother, Lauri Kelly, sat inside.
“We left about 11 a.m. and traveled the back roads to avoid traffic,” Jackson Kelly said. “This is my first time seeing a total eclipse. I’m a little disappointed with the cloud coverage. I like space science, I read about it all the time.”
At the end of Dean Road, another group gathered at the Erie Marsh Preserve. Staff from The Nature Conservancy passed out information about the preserve and free eclipse glasses.
Kim Steinberger, restoration project manager, said the preserve is one of the largest in lower Michigan spanning more than 2,200 acres. The preserve is open for the public to visit from January to the end of August.
“A lot of the people here are TNC staff, donors and the public,” Kim Steinberger said. “We’ve had people travel from the west side of the state along with many supporters of the nature conservancy.”
Wearing matching T-shirts with the saying, “Hello Darkness My Old Friend – April 8, 2024,” Kyle and Kenya Coviak and their daughter, Brenna, left their Warren home at 10 a.m. to head south.
“I was originally going to go to Luna Pier but I saw how busy the traffic was getting so I started searching for the best spot closest to the border and came to the preserve,” Kyle Coviak said.
This wasn’t Coviak's first time seeing an eclipse. In 2017, he witnessed an eclipse with about 70% coverage while working in Detroit.
“We wanted to come down and see the totality. From Luna Pier south, we are at 100% and totality will be at 3:15 p.m.” he said. “I’m look forward to seeing everything turn dark.”
As the moon blocked the light of the sun, the temperature began to drop and conversations quickly turned into whispers. Within seconds, daylight disappeared to a round of applause as skywatchers stared in amazement.
“The dusk on the horizon all the way around was awesome,” Coviak said. “I love that you could see the diamond ring.”
“It was almost scary to witness the sudden darkness but I’m hooked,” Alexis Hamilton said. “I’m so glad we decided to make the drive.”
The Plymouth resident and her husband, Mark, took the day off from work to travel to Monroe County.
“I just told my husband he’d better start saving. The next total solar eclipse will be in August 2044 in three states: Montana, North and South Dakota and I want to go. I’ll let him choose where.”
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Path of totality: Eclipse draws sky watchers to Erie State Game Area
