The Riverton Regional Airport welcomed hundreds of tourists and over one hundred private airplanes Monday for the solar eclipse.

After speaking with dozens of eclipse-seekers on the runway, a very rough estimate would suggest that around 1/3 of them were visiting were from Colorado, another large percentage from Montana, and many others scattered across the world.

I had the opportunity to chat with folks from California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Missouri. While most were from the lower 48, I did speak with a least one family from Alaska as well as international travelers from Canada, Poland, and Switzerland.

Despite a thin cloud cover through most of the morning, the sky opened right before the moment of tranquility and suddenly central Wyoming became one of the best spots in the country for viewing the celestial event.

Venus and Mars were immediately pointed out by many amateur astronomers during the darkness-phase. "Ooo's and ahhhh's" echoed throughout the airport runway while many cheered. One woman shouted "I love you all!" Which was followed by another shout of "God Bless America!"

 

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