The whole sky is cloudy, but as clouds drift in front of the sun, there are times when we can make out sun’s disk (before the partial eclipse has started) and a little later, we catch glimpses of the crescent sun, partially blocked by the moon. We take some pictures through the dark #14 welder’s glass. If we are totally clouded during totality, we will still have a few souvenir photos of a partial eclipse.
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This morning we woke to overcast conditions and flashes of lightning in the distance. A couple of hours before the eclipse, it started raining.

We sat down with a cup of coffee and checked the weather forecast. Not promising. Basically, a wide swath of clouds from Shanghai in the east to Wuhan and Chengdu in the west. Not favorable for eclipse viewing.

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The apartment we are staying in, the Moganshan Loft is in a beautiful setting overlooking Laoling Lake and a view of Mogan mountain. We have a top floor unit with an open view of the southeastern sky where the sun will be during the eclipse.

With less than 24 hours to go before eclipse time, we are seeing increasing cloudiness, a mixture of high cirrus and incoming lower stratus.

The forecast for Hangzhou, a city about 25 miles from here for tomorrow is:

Isolated thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 92F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

So it all depends upon how those thunderstorms play out.

I am reminded of the time several months ago when a group of school kids came up to visit the observatory on Whidbey Island. Just before they set out, the sky was clear, but when they arrived, a thick fog had settled in. It was impossible to see anything in the sky. I explained to the kids that all we could see was the fog. But they were undeterred. They shouted excitedly, “Can we see the fog through the telescope?! Can we? Can we? Please, please?!!!”

I had never before tried to look at fog through the telescope, but I invited them into the observatory nonetheless.

Looking through the eyepiece, there was nothing but darkness to be seen. But the kids exclaimed, “Cool!” And they all wanted to take a look in turn.

So there was a good lesson there, probably one we will have an opportunity to apply tomorrow morning.

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Our flight arrived on time early Friday evening. We hired a taxi to take us to our hotel in the city.

The concept of freeway driving here is quite different than in Seattle. Everyone is free to weave in and out of lanes without ever signaling. Any gap in traffic is free for the taking– the first driver there wins, and if you don’t seize the spot, the nearest driver will. Amazing that the system works as well as it does. In the U.S., this style would be considered rude; here, it’s just the way things are.

The Astor House Hotel is listed as a “Budget Hotel” in Lonely Planet. Built in 1846, it is the oldest hotel in Shanghai. According to the welcome book, the first electric light in China was lit here and the first telephone was installed here. It turns out that Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Charlie Chaplin and Scott Joplin have all stayed here.

Our room is HUGE, about 25′ square, with 12′ high ceilings. Quite comfortable.

We visited the Jade Buddha Temple on foot and had lunch at the vegetarian restaurant there. Tasty noodles with lots of different kinds of mushrooms.

Tomorrow we’re off to Moganshan, a mountain from where we hope to see the eclipse on Wednesday. The weather forecast for mid-week is calling for clouds and rain, but things could change before then. Stay tuned.

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Kyosan comes to the San Francisco Airport to see us off. We take BART to 16th and Mission where we get off to visit the Gratitude Cafe, a perfect venue for a last meal before boarding our flight to Shanghai.

I have a really tasty Bhutanese red rice dish and Cynthia orders a stuffed avacado dish called a Celebration Special. Kyosan sticks with granola and fruit on the side.

Did our gratitude draw us to this cafe? Or did the cafe instill in us the gratitude? It defies logic.
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Here we are leaving Whidbey Island on the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry. We are incredibly fortunate to have found Susanne to be our house sitter while we’re away.
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The day of our departure, July 16 seems auspicious. This is Mumon Roshi’s birthday. He was born in 1900 so this would be his 109th birthday. I met him in 1973 when I visited the Zen monastery, Shofukuji in Kobe, Japan. I would have to say that having tea with Mumon Roshi was a key event in my life, and his influence continues to this day. He passed away in 1988.
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Gamow bags are airtight nylon bags, invented a few years ago, that have become popular among mountain rescue organizations, as they have proven to be effective in alleviating altitude sickness. When a person starts to feel symptoms of altitude sickness, they can be placed inside the bag. The bag is then pressurized using a foot pump to about 2 psi, and the person breathes the pressurized air for a few hours, usually finding that their symptoms subside. There is evidence that Gamow bags can be effective in the prevention or treatment of pulmonary edema, which can be fatal.

A close friend of ours has given me a tiger eye amulet to keep for the purpose of warding off misfortune. It’s a beautiful small polished stone with a shimmery cast to it, and it’s pleasant to hold.

Our friend says she has always kept this stone with her, while traveling to uncountable numbers of places and it has served her well, protecting her and keeping her safe. So she wants me to have it on this trip so we can draw upon its magic. I am so grateful to her.

On the subject of Gamow bags, the trekking agency we will be working with does provide these and bottled oxygen as options. Their availability is a relatively new development. Altitude sickness has always been a risk in mountain travel; the rule has been that a person suffering from headache, nausea, shortness of breath, a dry hacking cough or dizziness should descend to a lower elevation as soon as possible. Of course, circumstances can sometimes make this an untenable option. So there is a definite risk. And the Gamow bag and bottled oxygen can reduce the risk.

If I think about a scenario in which one of us is coming down with acute symptoms of mountain sickness and thinking that if only I had ordered a Gamow bag but chose not to, then I know there would be some deep regret. In fact, thinking about the possible outcomes gives me a sense of dread.

So the question arises as to whether I want to spend $500 to rent these devices and have them carried by our porters, or leave them behind. They are considerably bulky and add extra weight. I’ve never had a Gamow bag with me before on a high altitude trip, and so far I have never needed one.

And then there’s the amulet.

I’m certain that this stone is not going to provide more oxygen to my blood if and when I experience symptoms of altitude sickness. And I’m equally certain that it is not going to kill microbes in my gut if and when I come down with an intestinal infection. And it’s obvious that this little rock is not going to have an effect on local weather conditions or divert storms.

But perhaps it can help with my worries. While the Gamow bag clearly provides an objective benefit under specific circumstances, it doesn’t do much about the tendency to weave endless what-if scenarios. On the other hand, the tiger eye has no objective benefit, but it sure feels good to know that a close friend, for whom this object has been so special for so long, cares enough about our well-being on this trip she has loaned it to me.

So I haven’t decided for sure about the Gamow bag, but I’m definitely going to take along the tiger eye amulet.

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It’s really interesting how our minds can launch into worrisome thoughts so quickly and weave such a complex tapestry of “what if” scenarios related to one’s health.

Within minutes of hearing the doctor’s concerns about my heart, I was remembering the stories of Enso House guests who only 18 months prior to admittance had been in apparently perfect health. Then all of a sudden … BAM! They’ve been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

It would have been difficult to have had to wait weeks for my follow-up appointment with a cardiologist. We’re incredibly grateful that I was able to get an appointment the following day.

Getting the “all clear” from him meant that after only about 30 hours of mental spinning, our concerns suddenly went POOF!

Now if I could just use this awareness of mortality as reminder of the preciousness of these moments, without getting stuck in fearful thoughts. It’s good to get these reminders from time to time.

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Going on a long trip like this was a good motivation to get a physical exam and deal with scheduling that long overdue appointment for a colonoscopy. So I had the physical, scheduled the appointment and purchased the “prep” medication — 10 ounces of magnesium citrate and 4 liters of polyethelene glycol solution. To drink in big glasses at 15 minute intervals for two hours.

Yuk! But I found that by not eating any solid food for two days before the procedure, I was able to completely clean myself out after drinking only 2 liters of the solution. Interesting. Liquids flow right on through.

So everything was moving smoothly along for having the colonoscopy on Monday morning. I had my blood pressure and pulse taken and an IV inserted in my left hand. My pulse was typical — 44 beats per minute. It’s always been low, as long as I can remember.

When the doctor came by to explain the procedure, he asked about the low heart rate. He was a little concerned about it, because sometimes a person’s body will have a response to the procedure that lowers their heart rate by 10-20 bpm. And that would be dangerously low. He thought it would be prudent to do a quick electrocardiogram before starting. So they rolled over a compact device and attached half a dozen electrodes to my chest. They ran the monitor for a couple of minutes and the device then spit out a graph of the electrical signals from various parts of my heart.

The doctor looked at the graph, paused a few moments, then briefly placed his hand on Cynthia’s shoulder as he walked around to discuss the results with me. Cynthia knew immediately that he had some concerns.

The signal from my left ventricle was much stronger than from any other parts of the heart. The machine had automatically applied some algorithms to the data and printed out some diagnoses. The doctor explained that there was some indication that my left ventricle was thicker or larger than normal, and there was some question as to whether the artery serving it was able to provide enough blood. He decided that this was enough to cancel the colonoscopy and recommended that I see a cardiologist as soon as possible.

Well. That was unexpected. I haven’t felt any symptoms of anything amiss with my heart. I climbed Mt Rainier last summer, Kilimanjaro the previous year and Longs Peak before that. I’ve been confident that doing the kora around Mt Kailash will not be too difficult for me. So it seems really puzzling.

In any case, I was very fortunate to be able to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist in Everett this afternoon.

Stay tuned.