Area man travels to S.C. to view total eclipse

Eric Lorgus saw the totality of the eclipse in Columbia, S.C.

Eric Lorgus of West Chester traveled 600 miles to Columbia, South Carolina to view the total solar eclipse.

Eric Lorgus of West Chester traveled 600 miles to Columbia, South Carolina just to view a total solar eclipse and he said the hype was definitely worth it.

“An hour before the brief phase of totality, viewing the sun using filtered glasses revealed a steadily growing bite out of the apple,” Lorgus said. “Nothing else was obvious until 10 minutes before totality, when the daylight took on an unusual hue. It was different from a cloud blocking the sun. The light became pale. A few minutes before totality, the gradual dimming of light changed the afternoon into an eerie glow of twilight. Clouds took on the pastel hues of a sunset. The sky turned pale blue.”

Lorgus was wondering if total darkness would envelop the area.

“It never became as totally dark as night time,” he said. “The distant horizon retained the glow of twilight, but with distinctly sharper shadows. Looking at the sun through the filtered glasses showed nothing. Removing them revealed the bright outline of the sun, with a darkened center. A spontaneous applause arose from the assembled throng. “

Lorgus said Columbia promoted itself as a perfect spot for viewing, and opened the state fairgrounds for the occasion. By Monday morning, thousands of eclipse viewers had converged on the fairgrounds for a giant tailgating party.

He said as he was driving down I-85 on Sunday night, bound for the thin line of totality, the number of northern license plates was surprising. “Many cars passed us from Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia,” he said.

Lorgus said aside from the existential experience of daylight briefly becoming twilight, what was most stunning was the reality of our poetic moon showing its form as one of the many celestial objects that dots the heavens.

“It reminded me of the sultry night in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon,” he said. “My pickup truck was parked on the banks of the Octoraro Creek. The truck radio crackled with voices coming from the bright spot in the sky above. Could those voices really be coming from so far away? Could that dot that darkened the sun be that same moon?”

Lorgus, who is, president of Great Valley Industries, Inc. in Downingtown, said the view of the total eclipse was “well worth” the long trip.