Eclipse fans head to Quebec as clear-sky forecast promises dazzling view
CBC
Evan Zucker and his wife, Paula Eisenhart, are lugging 12 cameras, 10 tripods and three telescopes from their home in San Diego all the way up to Quebec to try to catch the best view of the total solar eclipse on April 8.
They changed their travel plans after seeing the weather forecast.
With just days leading up to Monday's phenomenon, Environment and Climate Change Canada is projecting a sunny day on Monday with highs of 13 C in both Montreal and much of the Eastern Townships.
Zucker and Eisenhart who are staying in Sherbrooke, Que., made the last-minute change days into their travels and have been averaging upward of five hours in the car for the past week
"We expected to drive only as far as Texas," said Zucker, speaking from his car as he approached the Canadian border.
"A year ago I did make reservations in five cities, San Antonio, Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis and Rochester, realizing that I didn't know where the clear skies are going to be and so I needed mobility just in case there were clouds in the South, and that's exactly what's happened."
Zucker, a self-proclaimed umbraphile or eclipse-chaser, says anyone who has ever seen an eclipse would understand why he's willing to travel such long distances.
"It's the most spectacular natural site you can see on earth," said Zucker. "Everybody finds it emotional. It's not unusual for people to cry, so once you've seen one ... The most common thing people say when the eclipse is over is 'When's the next one?'"
Philippe Moussette, an astronomy photographer based in Quebec City, also changed his travel plans to stay in the province after seeing the weather forecast.
The president of the Véga Cap-Rouge astronomy club had initially planned to travel thousands of kilometres south to Dallas because the eclipse will last 51 seconds longer there.
Now, he says, Quebec is shaping up to be one of the best places to watch.
'Bye-bye Texas," joked Moussette.
"All the people in Quebec and Montreal … After they saw the [forcecast], said 'oh no, cancel the trip and stay in Quebec.'"
He says meterologists are predicting cloudy skies and storms for Texas.
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