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BASTROP — Necks craned upward in Bastrop County April 8 as the moon slowly encroached in front of the sun.
Families, friends and visitors showed up in waves for the total solar eclipse, setting up blankets and picnic baskets along the Bastrop Riverwalk.
Although the county rests just outside the lane of eclipse totality, and unfortunate cloud coverage passed overhead, gazers stated they preferred this to the hectic style of Austin’s eclipse parties.
“There’s no point in going to Austin, the suns right here, for now. Even with the clouds, you can still feel what’s happening. The darkening and cooling of the air,” said a Texas A&M student who skipped out on class for the day.
The pinnacle of the eclipse came around 1:37 p.m., blanketing Bastrop in a faux dusk for a few minutes.
“The idea that we’re so close to the path of totality, you have to take advantage and maximize these chances you get,” added Steven Mass, who was also out celebrating his wife’s birthday.
Attendees got to see the cosmic alignment in phases as the clouds shifted overhead, with communal applause echoing throughout the park when the moon centered itself over the Earth’s star.
