We decided some months ago to take a trip from Los Angeles to Columbia, MO. Why you ask? I determined that it the place where there was the longest totality during the eclipse and was not one of the more popular venues so I was able to get hotel accommodations. What I didn't count on was Midwest summer storms. Arriving on Sunday, we were greeted by torrential rains and lightning but we made it to the hotel and had a very nice St. Louis BBQ dinner.
Waking up on Monday, the skies were as if by some miracle clear and blue. We headed out to Cosmo Park for the viewing -- a nice crowd had assembled and we listened to music and visited.
A side story here is that a friend of my wife who lives in Wisconsin and who she hadn't seen since high school (they have corresponded over the years) came down to MO for the eclipse and we connected on Facebook and ended up meeting for a renuion.
The morning brought high clouds and we were worried that we would be blocked (although we heard that KC and St. Joe had rain). We could see the progression of the eclipse through our glasses but watched the growing clouds with concern.
As the moment approached, the park got dark, the crowd got quiet, and cicadas started buzzing, and, amazingly, at the moment of totality the clouds parted and we were given a display that I have to say was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life (my poor picture above does it no justice). At that moment, we were all brought together under the celestial majesty of this event.
The whole time was fantastic, the people in Columbia were so friendly and welcoming, I tasted frozen custard for the first time, and all in all it was a memorable experience.
I really didn't have the right equipment for this and had to estimate settings on the fly so the above was not as clear as I would like, but the image in my mind's eye memory is unforgettable.
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Looking to return in 2023
After a three year hiatus (and three previous years on project without a miss) I am...
My office was just 7-8 miles from the path of totality, We had a great show, but missed the corona you caught. Next time (2024) we'll be sure to make that extra effort!
