We survived the eclipse—quit easily it turned out. We ended up being staged for the event at this beautiful vista. I planned on taking some wild panoramic picture, but when the event occurred, I couldn’t keep my phone straight enough to make it work—and I didn’t want to waste the two minutes trying to capture it. I decided to simply enjoy the gorgeous moment.
On the reservation, one of the Native Americans firefighters told us how the Navajo, traditionally at least, don't directly view the eclipse. It is supposed to be an intimate moment between the moon and sun—and humans shouldn’t peep. I watched it, but perhaps this affected how comfortable I was with taking photos of it.
With the eclipse behind us, we were demobilized from the reservation, but not before they threw us a barbeque as a way of saying thanks. Salmon, hot dogs and eel were all on the menu. Salmon on the reservation is dime bright and prime, so I happily dished that up. I also tried the eel. I was curious, because I have had unagi before, but I didn’t quite understand how the tribe had access to it, as they were deep in the interior of the continent.
I bit into the barbequed flesh. The gray meat was unique—earthy and fatty with an almost prehistoric kind of taste. The bones of the vertebrae were fused together in an almost archaic way. I asked the cook what type of eel it was. “Lamprey,” he said. I don’t think I would have tried it had I known this—but it was an experience. If you haven’t seen a lamprey before, I won’t shock you with a picture of it--but it looks like something Rigly Scott would dream up. I later looked up some information on it, and apparently, it is one of the oldest animal species on earth—in fact, it is one of the first vertebrae. No wonder it tasted old. Old food for an old man!
