We saw totality in Independence, Missouri. It was a pretty long car trip with the kids, all of whom are under school age (though just barely in the case of the eldest). We had a big fright because there was a massive thunderstorm in the morning…but it cleared out for a few hours. And that was when the total eclipse occurred.
Really words don’t do the experience justice.
Chase a total eclipse if you get a chance.
My mom and my siblings live in KC. So we drove from Chicago (stayed over night in Des Moines. I got to show my kids where I grew up in NWMO, too.
We watched from Lathrop, MO until a last minute storm showed up. With 15-20 minutes to spare, we drove south as fast as possible, reaching a break in the clouds right as totality started and watched from the side of the road (near Holt, MO). It was amazing.
Saw it in Sparta Tennessee. We got ourselves to an open field, tailgating with a fun crowd who had telescopes and posterboards etc. – much more prepared than we were:)- lots of fun and agree words can’t do it justice. Definitely worth the 28 hours of driving from NJ.
Saw it in St. Anthony Idaho. Perfectly clear skies, pretty incredible experience. Then it took 12 hours of traffic to drive to Salt Lake City.
Saw it in Torrington, WY. 4:30 hours to return to Boulder County. Because I planned ahead and went back through the open country in Nebraska, not back to the meat grinder that was (and often is) the WY85 and the I-25 with the morons.
I reckon that in Colorado, there’s an equation to be made between distance from the line of totality, the time taken to return, and the IQ of the navigator.