After traveling for 24 hours, I reached Beijing in the early evening and began the first day of the
Astronomy magazine-MWT Associates Eclipse Tour to see the
July 22 total solar eclipse. We flew from Milwaukee to Chicago and then Chicago to Beijing, in daylight the entire way, passing over the Arctic Ocean between the northern coast of Alaska and the North Pole. We scooted southward over Siberia and then over Mongolia and finally the dry, desert region of north-central China before turning eastward to land at the world’s largest airport.
Senior Editor Rich Talcott, his wife Evelyn, sister Rebecca, Rebecca’s friend Mary Robinson, and several others took the same flight over to Asia. We arrived at the Sheraton Great Wall Hotel tonight with just enough energy to pass out for a big day of tourism tomorrow. It’s supposed to be near 100° Fahrenheit by afternoon, and I’ll give you a full report on the day’s activities tomorrow evening as we enjoy a magnificent country and culture in countdown to a terrific, long eclipse July 22.