Eclipse!

The 2017 Solar Eclipse is over.  And we went.  We weren't going to.  Perhaps it was not the responsible thing to do.  But I don't regret it one bit.

On Wednesday I texted my cousin that I was having serious eclipse fomo (fear of missing out).  Side note--I may in fact suffer from datt (doing all the things).  Thursday afternoon we decided to go for it.

Lincoln Nebraska was our original destination.  With hotel rooms at $900 apiece, we found rooms in Omaha instead (and were even able to use hotel points).  Two moms and five kids made for a full minivan, and thankfully, two drivers.  Dads were both out of town for work.

Beatrice, Nebraska (pronounced Bee-AT-ris) was as our goal, Homestead national monument more specifically.

We had smooth sailing from Minnesota more or less through Iowa, stopping at a particularly welcoming wayside rest just over the Iowa border.  Summer sausage sandwiches assembled at a picnic table made a good lunch.  I had to do my best to keep Nova from swinging from the rafters of the picnic shelter, but that was hardly surprising.  She's always liked to explore her environment in a physical way.

In Omaha we checked into a hotel with a swim-thru pool, which was a hit with the kids.  Aria (age 5) swam by herself for the first time.  She was thrilled!  Needless to say, she did it again and again and again until it was too dark to swim.

The trip to Beatrice started with every sign of disaster.  There were six weather warnings out when we left, thundering, lightning, pouring rain.  The time was 6:45.  The kids slept in the car on the way.

The kids playing pickle in the middle with our picnic blanket while we waited for the shuttle to Homestead Nat'l Monument

It cleared up, and we went on to Beatrice.  Surprisingly, there was not much traffic.   We got breakfast at a gas station along the way.  The event was very well organized.  Ample parking at the county fairgrounds and shuttle service allowed an unbelievable number of people at Homestead National Monument.  I need not have worried about eclipse glasses--there were more than enough free pairs waiting for us when we got off the bus.



We staked out a patch of grass near the pond at the far end of the parking lot and waited.  Around us was a fair-like atmosphere with food stands and entertainment.  Bill Nye The Science Guy was giving talks and (occasionally) appearing in the crowd.  Sprinkles came and went.  Clouds came and went.  The older kids made an epic trek to the gift visitors center & gift shop to stamp my cousin's National Parks Passport Book.  The younger two girls and I followed later to find the store almost entirely emptied of merchandise.  Baseball caps would have to do for souvenirs.  Most T-shirts were gone.





Before the eclipse even got going, a bunch of people left because of the rain.  They missed out.  At the critical moment, the sky cleared!  The crowd was pleased.  The eclipse was a spectacle, as promised.  But it was more that you could see.  This total eclipse of the sun was about what you could feel.  The temperature dropped, noticeably.  Solomon (my keen-eared child) heard the birds and crickets chirping, just like at dusk.  I hear that flowers close too, but I was too busy looking up to notice.  Next time, because there will be a next time!  April 8th, 2024, to be exact.





Below is a 2:01 minute video of totality.  Be forewarned, it is really just audio after the first couple seconds.  We were too busy looking to bother with the camera. 



Because I've had trouble with blogger videos failing in the past,  I also included a link to the same video stored on YouTube.