Eclipse day dawned gray and rainy. En route to our viewing destination in rural Missouri, my sister and I drove through thick, overcast skies and rain – our spirits dampening with each mile and minute that passed without a glimpse of the sun.

Over the next few hours, the rain came and went and came again. Clouds dispersed and then reformed. And we waited. We worried and we wondered. What were the odds of getting clear skies at the right moment?

Our watch party was at a vineyard that offered wine tasting and a barbecue lunch – nice ambiance and additions to the eclipse event itself. The wine and the barbecue were excellent. The view, not so much.

With less than an hour to go before totality, the clouds were thinning, but we faced a decision. Take our chances and stay or hit the road again and chase the sun? From our deck-top table, the umbrella soaked with rain, we pondered our options. In the distance we could see a spot of clear blue sky. But exactly how far was it? And would it stay clear? Would the clouds get there before we could?

We decided we couldn’t sit and wait. So we chugged the remainder of our wine, and set out to chase the sun! A good choice!! We made it to clear skies, and stopped along the road beside a corn field. Had the place all to ourselves.

It was awesome! We saw the entire movement from start to finish. Totality was very cool. It didn’t go night-time dark, but it cooled a little, and was something like dusk. To me, it actually felt like the calm before a tornado.

Didn’t get many good pictures with my basic camera, but I made sure to look at totality without the camera so that I have a good mental image of it. So glad I did this. Already looking forward to the next one! Planning to be in Dallas on April 8, 2024! 🙂

Did you get a chance to see the eclipse?