Immersed In Totality: Virtual Reality of the Solar Eclipse

Hundreds of people from around the world visited Moonshadow Festival to witness the 2017 Great American Eclipse in totality at our Central Oregon ranch, and many of them brought cameras and telescopes to record the experience. Our new friends at 360 Labs out of Portland took it a step forward and brought the most advanced 360-degree video cameras and technology to capture the total solar eclipse from the highest point on Wine Down Ranch, dubbed "Little Table Mountain."

From this vantage point, as well as the vista where our guided hike ended, you can look west to see the moon's shadow cross over the Cascade Range mountains, and follow its approach right over Wine Down Ranch. Next, you may choose to watch only the sun, as it darkens and shrinks in totality while cheers rise up spontaneously. One of our favorite views is over the back of the cliff (carefully look down and to the left), where you can really see how dark it was during totality, and watch the rocks lighten up as the sun reemerges as the moon passes over. Experiencing this again and again in virtual reality brings back the chills and adrenaline rush that we all felt together during Moonshadow Festival. 

Note: If you have a virtual reality headset, view this video on YouTube for the absolute best experience. 

This video is a sample of more 360 video footage captured across Moonshadow Festival during the August 21st solar eclipse, which is available for license for VR and 360* content producers. Please contact us or 360 Labs for more information.  

Hiking Trails for Moonshadow Festival Visitors

We're proud to share miles of trails for open hiking on our property for Moonshadow Festival visitors. Hikers will be required to sign out and in when leaving the main grounds, and take adequate water supply when going into the forests. Water is not provided on any of the trails. 
 

The Watertrough Loop is the designated route for Saturday's Poker Hike, which begins at 10:30am. This activity is free and open to all who can complete the easy-to-moderate hike (400 foot elevation climb). Hikers will embark on a self-led hike, starting out by picking up a poker scorecard and drawing the first of five cards that will make up their poker hand. Extra hands can be purchased in the festival grounds before starting the hike (we encourage all Poker Hike participants to start the hike by 12:30pm to ensure completion before 1:30pm when scorecards are due.)  

Across the 3.5 mile hike (moderate hike, 400 foot elevation gain), hikers will stop at four additional checkpoints along the way to draw additional cards for their hand. Once the hike ends, all cards will be turned in at the General Store and scored. Whoever has the best poker hand wins  first choice from the available prizes. Second best hand wins the 2nd choice, third best hand wins third choice, and so on.

Note: This loop will NOT be open outside of the poker hike, from 10:30am-1:30pm on Saturday. For additional questions about the event, please refer to the festival FAQs or contact us directly. 

Moonshadow Festival offers four days of recreation and entertainment on a family-run Central Oregon ranch, the ideal getaway spot for weekend campers and daytime visitors who wish to explore the rural ranch lifestyle within one hour of Madras, Redmond and Bend. Buy tickets today!

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Getting The Ranch Ready to Welcome Guests For Solar Eclipse

Our family continues the countdown to Moonshadow Festival by checking items off the to-do list. Among the work completed this week was improving and marking hiking trails, building cornhole boards and planning family-friendly activities, all to create a welcoming scene for guests far and near who wish to experience the rural ranching life and the rare opportunity to see a total solar eclipse. 

Between our stellar musical lineup, recreational activities and delicious foods and drinks to "wine down" with throughout the festival, we feel like our spot nestled near the Ochoco National Forest is the perfect getaway to escape the hype, traffic and crowds that many are associating with the Solar Eclipse weekend. We'll have activities and entertainment happening starting at 7 p.m. on Friday the 18th, and continuing daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday (19-21).  

Upon arrival at Moonshadow Festival, campers will receive a wristband and campground assignment, and instructions to pick up solar eclipse viewing glasses and commemorative Silipint wine glasses. Please be aware that our already limited cell-phone service (Verizon and US Cellular get the best reception) is expected to be impacted by the network overload from surrounding events (Madras SolarTown and Symbiosis Oregon Eclipse Festival). We also recommend bringing cash for any transactions over the weekend, including purchasing food and drinks, merchandise and artisan wares at the marketplace. 

We hope you'll take the opportunity to join us at Wine Down Ranch for the entire weekend as campers, or visit us for a day (and evening!) if you are going to be in Central Oregon August 18 to 22nd. Tickets and camping spaces are plentiful, though we recommend purchasing in advance to guarantee you don't miss out. We are still accepting Volunteer registrations for those who want to donate some time each day (four-hour shift) to help Moonshadow Festival run smoothly, and are happy to provide free camping and festival admission to all of our volunteers. 

For additional questions about the event, please refer to the festival FAQs or contact us directly. 

Moonshadow Festival offers four days of recreation and entertainment on a family-run Central Oregon ranch, the ideal getaway spot for weekend campers and daytime visitors who wish to explore the rural ranch lifestyle within one hour of Madras, Redmond and Bend. 

Change to the Festival Dog Policy

meet our ranch dogs:

Tex, Sparky, Ruger and Mickey are great dogs, BUT all four are over the new 20lb size limit! 

Effective immediately, due to several requests, Moonshadow Festival is modifying the no-dog policy. For the festival, we will only allow dogs that are 20lbs and under. We absolutely will not allow dogs over 20lbs. If you arrive with a bigger dog, you will be asked to leave the premises, with no refund.

• Dogs must be on leash at all times and are NOT allowed in the main festival grounds. 
• You are allowed to hike with your dog on the ranch, as long as it is leashed. 
• Picking up after your dogs is mandatory. Trash receptacles are provided in campgrounds and we ask that all dog waste is disposed of properly. 
• Licensed service dogs are an exception, please see the FAQs for more info. 

Please be sensitive to your dog's needs. Because of the high temperatures we expect during festival weekend, we ask that you only consider bringing your dog if absolutely necessary. Shade is considerably limited in camping areas. Unless you have a shade cover or air conditioner, we highly advise you do not bring your dog. Ensure you have enough water for your pet (along with your humans) to last the entire weekend, including the travel time.

We are dog lovers ourselves and have four of our own that will play hosts to all of our guests, so we have decided to change the No Dog Rule. However, we will strictly adhere to our 20lbs and under rule, so please be considerate and know that we will turn you away if you bring in a larger four-legged friend.

Soundtrack to Moonshadow Festival

The musical lineup for Moonshadow Festival is set, and we can't wait to kick back one month from today with a local brew in hand and listen to the incredible sounds of our featured artists and bands including Crow and the Canyon, The Talbott Brothers, There Is No Mountain (all playing Sunday, August 20th).

If you like to dance, we're all set with some fantastic cover bands like Fun with Jo (Friday) and Papa Smoke (Saturday), plus fun-for-all-ages with a Saturday afternoon hoedown dance with Bottom of the Barrel Band, following instruction from Prineville's own Ron Bell-Roemer. 

Following the total solar eclipse, once the moon's shadow passes over Wine Down Ranch on Monday, August 21st, we'll restart the music with sets from Ghost Towns and Dan Weber followed by an Open Mic for any visitors who want to take the stage. 

Day passes for Saturday and Sunday are $25 (children ten and under are free), while Monday's eclipse viewing pass (includes admission all day for music and recreation) is $50. (Don't forget your parking pass too!) Local food and beverages (coffee, beer, wine and cocktails) are available for purchase at the festival grounds, as well as artisan markets and a Sunday farmer's market. 

Learn more about all our artists and entertainment on the Activities page, and start listening to the Moonshadow Festival soundtrack with the playlist below!  

BANDS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR: 
FRIDAY:
Fun With Jo (classic rock covers)

SATURDAY:
Hoedown instruction followed by hoedown dance with Bottom of the Barrel Band
Wayward Soul (American Roots) 
Papa Smoke (classic rock / country) 

SUNDAY:
Jensen Graham
There is No Mountain (pop Americana)
The Talbott Brothers (folk country) 
Crow & The Canyon (bluegrass) 

MONDAY: 
Ghost Towns (folk rock / indie) 
Dan Weber (folk country) 
Open Mic Stage