April 8, 2005by Fred BruenjesIntroductionTwo and a half weeks off from work... checkPlane tickets... checkTwo week supply of seasickness medicine... checkSatellite phone... checkQuest for adventure... check ... and so begins another one of my crazy vacations to fascinating and desolate corners of the globe. My goal is to observe a total solar eclipse in the middle of the ocean. This area happens to be ground zero for El Niqo. The nearest land will be 900 miles (1500 km) away, and even that is just an uninhabited French coral atoll off the Mexican coast, named Clipperton Island. The journey is most of the fun, so I'll be going through Ecuador and touring the Galapagos Islands before heading out to sea for the eclipse. I won't be doing this alone, the trip was arranged by Astronomical Tours on board the Galapagos Legend and a hundred or so friends will be along.