Niagara Falls solar eclipse

Niagara Falls was a two-fer for me. Not only was it my first trip to Niagara Falls I saw it during a total solar eclipse. I wasn't actually planning on being in Niagara Falls when the eclipse occurred. I planned to view it from a farm in Pennsylvania. What I failed to consider was that in order to see the total eclipse I would need to be in the path of the totality. So while I was on my way to the farm my GPS directed me through Niagara Falls and I suddenly realized that the falls would be right in the middle of the totality path. I stopped the car and called my wife in the car behind me and told her to meet me at the falls. I thought we might be able to get a glimpse of the eclipse between the trees.
When I arrived at the park the place was packed. It was already getting close to the time of the eclipse so we immediately headed for the viewing area. By that time the moon had already taken a huge bite out of the sun and everywhere you looked people were holding up eclipse glasses. The area was packed with thousands of people and it was a very festive atmosphere with kids yelling and people talking excitedly about what they were seeing. I had never seen an eclipse before so I didn't know what to expect. Just as I thought to myself that this is not so very impressive the remaining sliver of the sun disappeared and we were plunged into sudden darkness. People around me started yelling and I looked up and there it was — a black hole in the sky surrounded by a corona of light. It was a truly amazing sight and I was so glad I had made a detour to see it. Within a few minutes the second bite started glowing and the sun started to reappear. Within minutes it was back to being the bright orb it had been before.
The crowd started to disperse but I took my time wandering along the river and enjoying the cool spray of the water that floated through the air. I had been there several hours but it seemed like a few minutes. After the crowds left I was able to take a few pictures of the falls. I wanted to savor this moment for as long as possible because I knew it would be a long time before I would see anything like it again.