Since the park was out of the path of totality, we studied Google Maps to select the place where we wanted to view the eclipse. Being in a sparsely populated area, we did not have to get into any traffic or crowds. We drove south about an hour to a country church yard near Mexico, Mo. (Not many can say they viewed the eclipse from Mexico!)
Jane packed a picnic lunch and I added a few beers. We set up our lawn chairs and enjoyed the picnic and the show. We were the only ones in sight at first. Then three men arrived from Jacksonville, Illinois. Bill, an 86 year old man from Jacksonville came with his son and his son’s friend who was visiting from the Philippines. Two men and a woman came out of a house across the road and set up their chairs in their front yard. A motorcyclist arrived just after the eclipse started.
There were some clouds but we were on the edge of the cloud cover and had a good view most of the time. When the light began to fade the cicadas made their evening sounds. We had about two minutes of darkness. The lights around the church came on. When the sun reemerged, we heard a rooster crow. I gave Bill a beer. Everyone left before the end but Jane and I watched all of it. It was a wonderful day.
It was a fun day! Such an exciting event.
So happy you got to see the eclipse in its totality. Maybe I’ll do that in my next life. Peg and I went to a winery and had a great time. What a great excuse to drink wine while watching the eclipse.