"This is exciting! We're off to chase a moon shadow!"

"Gosh Lunch, eclipse mania has sure taken over Oregon."

The cows spot a roadside vendor selling t-shirts commemorating the Great American Eclipse of 2017. It was one of hundreds of vendors selling a wide variety of solar souveniers.

The highway to Madras, Ore. -- the chosen spot to view the event -- took the bovines past Mount Hood, one of the tallest volcanoes in the Cascade Range.

The view of the Crooked River High Bridge along U.S. Highway 26 never ceases to amaze. The old bridge was replaced by a new one in 2000 and the original span became a pedestrian walkway, part of Peter Skene Ogden State Park.

After a provisioning stop in Bend to pick up supplies and to assemble with other eclipse watchers, Lunch checks the roof pack to make sure everything was in place for the jaunt to Madras.

Welcome to Solartown!

A farmer outside of Madras converted one of his fields into a giant campground to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors. The site was almost dead center in the path of totality.

Click to see a panoramic shot of the Solartown encampment. Zoom in to embiggen.

Base of operations for the next several days was a cluster of camper vans and tents with a central covered area for meals, games and libations.

The cow's group of fellow eclipse enthusiasts took delight in a daily game of kubb, a lawn contest involving thrown sticks and wooden blocks.

"Gosh Snack. I hope we're not too close to the action!"

As the sun went down, smoke from nearby wildfires gave the sky a gorgeous shade of red and orange.

"Do you think the smoke will interfere with seeing the eclipse?"

"Well Lunch, I sure hope not. All we can do is hope for the best."

As night descended, it was time for games and merriment in the Solartown camp.

"It sure is hot out here in the high desert!"

In an effort to cool off, the cows looked for relief with a cup of shaved ice, an offering from a host of food vendors in Solartown.

"Ice is good, but so is a refreshing beer!"

A variety of adult beverages were available in the beer tent.

The day gave the cows a chance to wander Solartown, where they encounted a decorated car in the tenting area.

"Hey Lunch, are you sure this isn't Burning Man?"

Solartown turned out to be a wonderful assembly of like-minded umbraphiles, all gathered for same purpose of viewing one of nature's grandest spectacles.

As the day before the eclipse came to a close, everyone was treated to a wonderful sunset silhouetting Mount Hood in the distance.