We just returned from our 10-day road trip to Nebraska to see the total solar eclipse. Yes, we know totality was on view closer to home - like ninety miles up the road in north Georgia. But as with everything related to astronomy it is all about clear skies and the weather. After studying the weather historical data and forecasts, we felt western Nebraska or Wyoming were the nearest best-bet for clear skies. Besides, neither of us had ever been to Nebraska.
We decided to drive because we were planning on camping-out for the nights around the eclipse since all hotels were sold out long before we decided where we were headed. We also wanted to take the Lunt Hydrogen Alpha solar telescope - after all this WAS all about the sun. And our 5.5 inch Vixen refractor so we could enjoy what we hoped would be the dark Nebraska sky at night and the cameras and... well you get the picture.
After some internet research, we located the Wells Ranch in Alliance, Nebraska. They were opening up their place to visitors for camping and eclipse viewing. We made our reservation and the trip was on! Kathy Wells described the event as a “low key family style activity” - but more on that later.
We left our home with our minivan loaded to the gills on a bright sunny day and turned north. We planned to drive in approximately 1 hour shifts to share the driving (and being a passenger) burden. We had Daniel Silva’s new book House of Spies as an audio-book so we could both listen as we drove and lots of music on the stereo’s hard drive.
Since we had to be in Nebraska 4 days later we didn’t dawdle along the way. We decided that we could stop and look at things one the way back when we weren’t on such a time crunch. Our first day we traveled from the Atlanta area through Chattanooga and Nashville, TN to our hotel in Paducah, KY.
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Driving through Nashville
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When we approached the Georgia - Tennesse State Line just south of Chattanooga, we encountered the first of many signs we saw warning of the heavy traffic expected for the eclipse. We didn't know it at the time - but these would be posted along the interstates all the way to Nebraska. Our favorite warning was in Missouri where it read "Drive Carefully or We will make the Sun Disappear!
We encountered no eclipse traffic, but we did leave the Wednesday prior (Aug. 16). However, the traffic in Nashville was a nightmare both going and coming. On the way out the big Nashville sinkhole in I-24 had opened up the day before and traffic was still being rerouted as they worked to repair it. On the way back, unfortunately we hit Nashville at afternoon rush-hour and there were multiple wrecks! Both times it took us almost 2 hours to get through!
Warning of Traffic for Eclipse Day
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On Day 2 of our grand adventure, we drove from Paducah, Ky, north through southern Illinois to Saint Louis and on to Kansas City where we spent our second night. It was a pretty long day for us - typically we like to drive 4-5 hours maximum - essentially less than one tank of gas but things were going pretty well.
Going through Saint Louis, it was particularly exciting to see the Arch for the first time in person! We just drove by on the freeway, though, as we wouldn’t stop to see it until our return trip when we had reservations in the downtown area and were also going to take in a Saint Louis Cardinals versus San Diego Padres game in Busch Stadium.
Then we drove on to Kansas City. Along the way, we saw the turn-off for the Harry Truman Presidential Library - a possible stop on the way back, and, of course, Kaufmann Stadium - home to the Kansas City Royals. We had tickets to the Royals versus Colorado Rockies for our trip home and we were looking forward to that!
Our hotel was out by the airport - for an easy get-away the next morning, avoiding KC rush-hour traffic.
First View of the Saint Louis Arch
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Day 3 found us heading north and into the lower west corner of Iowa then on to Nebraska. We started seeing fields of corn and soybeans. We had seen some the day before but now it was beginning to dawn on us how much corn grows in the midwest. It was a pretty drive - mostly flat, very green and light traffic. This was the first day we left the interstate highways when we cut across from I-29 on Highway 2 to Lincoln, Nebraska. There we picked up I-80 and arrived in Grand Island, Nebraska in the late afternoon and checked in.
Interesting thing about Nebraska roads is that they have seams every couple of car lengths and, probably as a result of the winter weather, these buckle ever so slightly. When one drives at highway speeds it has the effect of riding on a train with a very rhythmic cadence, which can be alternately annoying and hypnotic.
The weather was really encouraging because the skies had been lightly cloudy and sunny since we left Saint Louis and a beautiful rich blue. Unfortunately the forecast for Nebraska for Monday was waffling between partly cloudy and mostly cloudy even though Saturday and Sunday promised clear skies.
An Iowa Corn Field - the First of Many Corn Fields
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It was really interesting to see the midwest, an area that neither Barry nor I had ever visited. You realize how vast the land is and how important the crops of this region are to feeding not only the U.S. but the world. As we drove, we discussed the plan for the Eclipse. We really hoped we could countinue to the Wells' Ranch in Alliance, but if it wasn't going to be clear, that would not be a good choice.
Grand Island was the decision point - we either went on to Alliance or turned back to somewhere else that promised clear skies. We decided (and not for the last time) to continue on to Alliance the next day.
An Iowa Soybean Field - what wasn't corn was soybeans!
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After dinner at a Buffalo Wild Wings while Barry worked out, I went for a walk and caught this beautiful sunset in Grand Island at our hotel.
Sunset View - Grand Island, NE
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Day 4, our final day of driving before the eclipse, found us heading from Grand Island to Alliance and we decided to leave the interstate and drive across Nebraska 2 and get an up close look at the Nebraska Sandhills. We had heard about them on the BBC show Aerial America: Nebraska . What I found interesting, being from Amarillo, TX where the Olgallala aquifer plays such an important role in making life even possible, is that geologists have finally determined that the sandhills serve as a basin to collect and filter the water into the aquifer.
It was beautiful rolling country with mostly cattle ranches and little farming and many wildflowers. The road was parallel with a railroad track for much of the distance and we saw many trains full of coal heading east and many empty coal trains headed west. We also saw some intriguing abandond concrete structures which turned out to have been from potash manufacture for World War I.
I recommend this drive for its beauty, but be sure you have gas and keep in mind it is off the beaten path so restaurants are few and far in between.
The Sandhills of Nebraska
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While we were driving through Nebraska (and a few of the other mid-western states), we started seeing Sinclair gas stations. I hadn't seen one since I was growing up in the sixties, when having the inflatable Sinclair dinosaur made you the coolest kid on the block (I never had one...). And when occasionally a Sinclair station had the signature green dinosaur statue out front. I remarked about this to Barry and he, too remembered the big dinosaur. So we started carefully looking each time we passed a station and we were rewarded at a number of them! But I did go in and look and there were no inflatables...:(
The Sinclair Dinosaur!
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As we approached Alliance we considered whether or not we should go visit Carhenge before we went to the Wells' Ranch. We decided that with the unknown of how many folks would descend on Alliance for the eclipse (and, of course the internet predicted doom), that it would be a good idea.
Carhenge was built by a local citizen, Jim Reinders, out of automobiles but it is fashioned on Stonehenge. He became interested in Stonehenge while he worked as a petroleum engineer in England.
There was a large group of people watching the eclipse from Carhenge and they allowed camping on site. On that Saturday, it was starting to get pretty busy.
Carhenge: Alliance, Nebraska
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We really liked Alliance. It is a small town with a population of around 9000 people. It had the vibe of our home in north Georgia, when we first moved there in 2000. According to our hosts, the Wells Family, the town started planning for the eclipse visitors a year or more ago. There were multiple host sites all around the area.
It really paid off - the few time we drove into town, they didn't seem too overwhelmed and everyone was very friendly!
Alliance, Nebraska
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We arrived at the Wells Ranch mid-afternoon and set up our tent. It was a warm day and the sun was shining brightly. But there was a nice breeze in the shade of the canopy. That evening the Wells and their neighbors offered a pulled pork potluck dinner. We brought home-made brownies, made fresh just before leaving Georgia, and we had carefully made sure they never got overheated in the car. I am sure more than one restaurant wonder why we were carrying a foil wrapped package in for dinner! We also brought different Georgia Bar-B-Que sauces and peach salsa. This was the first of many shared-dinner activities offered by the Wells Ranch and their neighbors.
Enough cannot be said about the Wells family and friends and how comfortable they made it for the out-of-towners. Food, hayrides, animal petting, souveniers, you name it and they offered it.
Sunset on the Wells Ranch
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To see images of Eclipse Day, please visit our Eclipse Day Page
Everyone wants to see the Eclipse!
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On Tuesday morning (Day 7), August 22, we left the Wells' Ranch and Alliance behind and headed home. We decided to drive south that first day and get down to Kansas and then take I-70 into Kansas City. We chose this route, because we wanted to try to avoid a lot of the predicted post-eclipse traffic. There wasn't any.
So our first night would be in Colby, KS. We drove down US 385 and in not too long we saw Scotts Bluff in the distance. It was used as a landmark on both the Oregon and Mormon trails by the wagon trains headed west. It supposedly still has ruts from some of the wagons that passed by there.
Scotts Bluff
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On Day 8, we had tickets to a Kansas City Royals Game in Kauffmann Stadium and had hotel reservations at a nearby hotel. Our task was to cross the state of Kansas. I was disappointed that we did not see any wheat fields. We did see some interesting old stone fence posts. And more corn.
Stone Fence Posts in Kansas
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We also found a huge wind farm in eastern Kansas. According to Google (Barry was driving and I had cell phone coverage...) it was the Smoky Hills Wind Farm and it produces enough electricity to power 37000 homes (as of 2008). More turbines were planned so the power output now may be significantly more! It covers 20000 acres. It was amazing to see that many wind turbines on the horizon.
Part of the Smoky Hills Wind Farm
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We arrived in Kansas City, took a nap and then walked to Kaufmann Stadium to watch the Royals play the Colorado Rockies. It was fun experiencing the very different energy at Kauffmann stadium as compared to the Ted or the new Barves Suntrust park. This is a very loud stadium in that the announcer is playing music tracks or the organ between just about every pitch! The fans were not as energized, though, as you would see at the Ted. The Royals won 6-4.
From our seats in Kauffmann Stadium, Home of the Kansas City Royals
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The next day we drove from Kansas City to St. Louis where we had tickets to Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals play the San Diego Padres. There are several places we'd like to go back and visit that are in this area - a World War I museum in Kansas City, Eisenhower's Presidential Library in Abilene, KS; the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, MO which is a suburb of Kansas City; and, believe it or not, a National Churchill Museum in Fulton, MO where he delivered his famous Iron Curtain speech.
We stayed in a Hilton hotel near the St Louis Arch which was formerly a bank and which was within walking distance of both the Arch and Busch Stadium.
Seems like they put a pretty high value on Snickers bars and sundries in St. Louis!
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We walked to the ball park and stopped to visit the Arch along the way.
Lori and Barry in front of the St. Louis Arch
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We liked Busch Stadium much more than Kauffmann Stadium. It had a more serious baseball ambiance. Before the game there was a men's softball hitting exhibition. These guys could hit a softball into the upper deck!
We enjoyed the game, but unfortunately the Cards lost 3-4.
Beautiful Busch Stadium, Home of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Day 10 we had planned to split the difference and drive only to Murfreesboro, TN. Before we got to Nashville, the tug of home started pulling. While we had had a blast on the trip, we really wanted to be back home. So we cancelled our hotel reservations and decided to drive all the way to Canton.
Then we got stuck in Nashville traffic (described above) and somewhat regretted our decision. But we got past Nashville, ate dinner in Murfeesboro and pushed on through Chattanooga and finally into Canton around 9 pm. It was good to be home!
Metropolis, KY - Home to Superman!
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