In August 2017, my wife and I and two close friends drove from Minnesota to east-central Nebraska to blow our minds.
In the middle of the prairie trail of a campground, just above a crest of the Platte River and several miles from the railroad town of Grand Island, we set up as a solar eclipse approached total.
A 19th-century account of the eclipse experience by Mabel Loomis Todd comes close to describing what seemed to us too powerful for typical words: “A vast, palpable presence seems to overwhelm the world. »
I, too, was overcome with awe at the unusual twilight that filled the space around us in this Nebraska field. Day has not so much become night as something profoundly different. The calm was tangible as the moon moved directly between Earth and the sun. Bolted to the ground in amazement, we gazed upon a glowing “crown,” the outer atmosphere of the eclipsed sun. It can never be seen with the naked eye except for those few minutes of totality.
I will continue this experience on April 8, when our same group of four travels approximately 600 miles to southern Missouri. We'll be on the path of totality, near Eminence, a hill town that is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The eclipse will begin to form at 12:38 p.m. in Missouri, with a total duration of two minutes and 41 seconds, just before 2 p.m.
While a partial eclipse will be visible in the lower 48 states (weather permitting), the total eclipse will be visible in a swath several thousand miles long – dubbed the path of totality – including 13 states from Texas in Maine. More than 30 million people live in this area which includes several large cities. The closer to the middle of the band, the longer the eclipse. From the Twin Cities, nearly three-quarters of the sun will be hidden by the moon.
The pursuit of wholeness fills a fuller chapter in the life of a Minnesota woman and her family. Patti Isaacs of Stillwater colorfully written from a 2017 trip involving her, her husband Gauss, who was battling pancreatic cancer, and their two adult sons and grandchildren. What began the night before in Lincoln, Neb., ended 400 miles west in a field in Scottsbluff, near the Colorado border. It turns out they also had to look for clear skies.
On April 8, Isaacs will attempt to witness her fifth solar eclipse, and she will undoubtedly have Gauss in her heart. He died nine months after their trip in 2017. This time, she said, she plans to go to Austin, Texas, and said several friends “are finally interested enough to try to see him and m approached me to ask for advice.
“The first three (Gauss and I) went to were just eclipse enthusiasts, and now everyone is getting into it,” she added.
Here are some last-minute tips for joining the coronal mass exodus.
To find accommodation
My group opted for another camping trip, this time in Missouri, and we reserved a tent site for two nights on a family's private land through the Hipcamp app. My initial search several months ago included the Missouri State Parks System, which has around twenty parks and historic sites along its route. At that time, many locations were already reserved.
“Basically everything is booked,” said Vikki Cosner, state parks section chief.
She said Sam A. Baker and Lake Wappapello State Parks in southeast Missouri are two large, popular parks that have sold out quickly. Cosner and his colleagues said they learned a lot from 2017 and the rabid interest. This time, there are better plans when it comes to parking, astronomy programs at some sites, and even the availability of eclipse viewing glasses.
Cosner's suggestion for potential late-night camping visitors (advice that also applies to hotel seekers): Consider a destination just outside the path of totality, where a near-total eclipse could still be a spectacular sighting. Babler State Park west of St. Louis, for example, had sites available in mid-February, starting at $15 a night. “I highly recommend it, looking at places in partial eclipse,” Cosner said.
Hipcamp saw astronomical bookings. States like Ohio and Missouri are approaching 80% occupancy, said spokeswoman Lauren Bunde, who added that Arkansas currently has greater availability. Overall, the camping platform said warm states like Texas book up faster. Cabins, yurts and properties with RV sites have grown faster than tent sites.
Getting closer or entering into the whole
Indianapolis has billed itself as the eclipse capital of the Midwest. VisitIndy, the tourism board, said up to 100,000 people would visit the city for the event. The famous Motor Speedway hosts events and still had space to accommodate campers April 6-8 in three-day blocks. RV camping with electricity costs $450; a tent pass for all three days costs $125.
Indianapolis is used to attracting crowds, having just welcomed 190,000 for the NBA All-Star Game weekend. Clare Clark, VisitIndy's communications manager, expects many to arrive by car, but said the organization has partnered with Sun Country Airlines for a nonstop day trip from Minneapolis. A second flight has been added to accommodate interest, with round-trip tickets available for $303 beginning February 29.
Round-trip nonstop flights to other major cities along the route were already $543 to Dallas, $892 to Cleveland and $1,612 to Austin, as of February 29. To save money, you might also consider moving closer to cities along the way by flying to Houston, St. Louis, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, for example, and then flying closer.
Several airlines, including Delta, also offer special flights to view the eclipse. An Austin-Detroit flight sold out in 24 hours, and on Monday it added another eclipse flight from Dallas to Detroit.
Think about the weather
Are you heading somewhere based on the weather forecast? It's best to drive there or rent a car after you arrive, if you can. Isaacs remembers 2017, when his group rushed late to reach clear skies in western Nebraska. As for rental cars, be aware that hotels and campsites may not be the only scarce commodity around April 8.
Texas is one of the states on the path that has historically had the fewest cloud cover for the beginning of April. Unlike the 2017 eclipse, this event occurs in a transitional weather period for much of the country. According to NASA and National Weather Service maps, the percentage of cloud cover for the month of April generally increases from south to north along the way, making it important to pay attention to weather forecasts.
Stick around after the eclipse
Travelers should consider spending the day or even overnight rather than returning home afterwards – or at least consider alternative routes; The year 2017 was marked by notorious traffic jams, especially during our return from Nebraska to Minnesota. Isaacs remembers her son getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 35.
Cosner said she and her Missouri parks colleagues would be among the crowds of Americans on the move — in their case to support other parks in and near the path. Regardless, there is excitement for April 8th.
“It’s going to be an incredible show,” she said.
