I have always been fascinated by celestial events like lunar eclipses, meteor showers, but live in metropolitan areas with light pollution that made it hard to stargaze. Until I took a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I had never seen the Milky Way with my own eyes. Back in 2017, I was completely unaware of the total solar eclipse that was due to pass through a narrow path of North America until it was too late to make any plans. I was determined not to miss the next one.
Fast forward 7 years and now I have 2 young children under age 5 and the cost of flights to the cities within the path of totality in 2024 were (pun intended) astronomical. After I had time off from work approved for a 4 day weekend, I was searching for flights almost daily. Anything reasonable cost upwards of $1000 per person, and I couldn’t justify spending that much on a whim.
It seemed like the deck was stacked against me. I would have to spend a fortune on a comfortable flight and take the kids along on this crazy and exhausting journey that had nothing interesting in store for them. I gave up and resigned to waiting again.
By chance a coworker shared their travel plans to see the eclipse, and that gave me the idea to follow a similar itinerary. Two weeks before eclipse day, I found a nonstop flight to Houston that gave me just enough time to drive to Austin 3 hours away, within the path of totality, and also had the best chance of favorable weather conditions, for under $700. I decided to book it, with 24 hours to figure out the childcare situation. During the reservation process the price went up 10% but I was already too invested.
My parents grudgingly agreed to take care of one but not both kids. The 10 month old would be free as a lap baby, but I did not want to pay for the 4 year old’s seat, nor did I want to take her along on a trip she would likely not enjoy, while in tantrum phase. The solution was to find another place for the older child, and leave the baby with the grandparents. As luck would have it, one of John’s cousins and her family were willing to take her in.
I felt incredibly guilty and selfish for trying to take this trip, and asked a mom friend for advice and perspective. Her response was “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. I thought, this is something I really want to do for myself, and I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance. Although total solar eclipses are not that rare, the ones that occur over densely populated land areas are, and the next similar one wouldn’t happen again for another 21 years.
So we made all the arrangements, booked the hotels, reserved a car rental, planned the routes. I had been obsessively checking the forecast all week, and a few days before departure it did not look good for Texas. In a twist of fate, Northeast America, which typically has poorer weather prospects this time of year, was projected to be clear. But it was too late, or rather too expensive, to change our plans.
On Saturday, April 6, we packed our things and the little ones’ things, said our goodbyes and dropped them off at their respective homes for the next couple of days. Then hopped into an Uber on the way to the airport. I was apprehensive that there would be a lot of travelers, with spring break on the horizon in addition to the eclipse event, but SJC was a ghost town and we got through security quickly. We even had time to utilize the lounge.
The flight took off without any issues, arriving even half an hour early. It was 4 am, and the car rental center wouldn’t be open for another 2 hours, so we got an Uber to the hotel nearby to sleep for a few hours. Of course, I was too wired to fall asleep and got up around 8:30 to shower and eat the free breakfast. Then at 11 we checked out and took the shuttle back to the airport to pick up the rental car.
I hadn’t done any research on attractions in Houston and our only plan was to eat lunch before hitting the road to Austin. It happened to be the Bank of America free museum weekend so I decided to check out the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Normally the entrance fee to the permanent exhibitions is $25, and the planetarium and butterfly garden cost extra, and with our limited time we opted not to get the add-ons. The parking garage is $30 for non members, but there are other free lots and some metered street parking, just located a little farther away though within reasonable walking distance. It was all full though, due to some kind of (non-solar eclipse) event going on, but we lucked out with a family leaving as we were waiting for a spot.
I absolutely loved the museum. Not knowing anything about it going in, we spent too much time on the first floor and didn’t realize there was much more to see. There were dinosaur skeletons, gemstones, artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Fabergé collection, wildlife dioramas, and more. My favorite sections were the dinosaurs, Egyptian artwork, and cabinet of curiosities. I could have spent all day there but we had to move on to the next destination.
We were excited to try Kim Son Restaurant, the famous Houston Vietnamese buffet. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. There were a few good dishes, and the sugarcane drink was bomb, but overall the quality was lacking. Weekday prices are better value; $31 per person on weekends is not worth it. After grabbing Vietnamese coffee nearby, we hit the road. It was a long drive but luckily there was zero traffic. I enjoyed seeing the blooming wildflowers along the road. We stopped at a Buc-ee’s and picked up some Beaver Nuggets (a Cracker Jack-like snack, not beaver meat) and beef jerky to bring home for friends and family.
We arrived at our hotel in Round Rock around 8 pm. I was still too full from the buffet to eat dinner and just snacked. We were tired from the drive so we just rested in the hotel and didn’t even do any sightseeing in Austin.
On the way we picked up donuts and coffee from Shipley Do-nuts, a regional donut chain. I was not impressed with the dense dough and dry sausage kolache. We also ordered takeout from Tony DeMaria’s Bar-b-que, not my first choice but they offered online ordering and the place wasn’t too far away. Upon arrival I was a little irritated that we still had to wait for the order, though, despite receiving a text message that it would be ready. They were also out of the corn side. The meat was moist and tender but rather bland.
The next morning, it was completely overcast outside. We turned on the news; the meteorologists were all spewing the same bad news: cloudy skies were expected all over Texas. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was originally scheduled to appear in Dallas but changed his plans to view the eclipse from elsewhere. After studying the satellite maps and forecast data online, we determined Waco, an hour away, had a slightly better chance of clearer skies. The location also had a longer estimated duration of totality at 4 minutes, which would give us a minute longer for the clouds to dissipate. From there, it was a shorter drive to the airport as well, according to Google maps. So the decision was made to drive to Waco.
By now it was less than an hour from totality so we needed to get to our viewing spot and set up. John found a random little park a few minutes away that was close to the highway so we could leave quickly once it was over. When we got there, the parking lot was completely full so we had to park across the street and walk over, but there was still plenty of space on the grassy area to spread out a picnic blanket. I thought I preferred to have it all to myself, but actually it was nice to be with company. Not so much that it was too noisy or claustrophobic, but to feel the excitable energy and camaraderie of the human spirit. Kids were running around the playground, a few people were looking through a telescope, I heard “Total Eclipse of the Heart” playing nearby. I had brought the barbecue with us but was too anxious to eat.
Light had been imperceptibly dimming, as if someone was slowly turning down the switch, and the air was noticeably cooler. A window of blue sky opened up among the clouds, but the sun was still playing hide-and-seek. Up until the very last minute, I wasn’t sure if we were going to see anything. Then, at 1:37 pm, the sun was shining, a moment later, a black circle had appeared in its place. In the video I took with my phone, it looks like the sun is shrinking, all the light getting sucked into a pinpoint. Like everyone else, I screamed and gasped in wonder. Looking at the sun’s corona, finally visible behind the outline of the moon, all I could think was “It’s so beautiful”. No photograph or video could possibly replicate the experience. I knew I could not take a picture that could rival a professional, so I only took a few iPhone shots and videos and tried to savor the moment instead.
It wasn’t dark as night, but the street lamps still turned on, and I could see a planet or star, some bright celestial object in the sky. The 4 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and then I saw the diamond ring for a split second before totality ended, though the sun was still partially eclipsed it was too bright to see the moon. It could all have been a dream.
But it was time to go back to reality and the clock was ticking. I gathered our belongings and hurried back to the car to begin our drive to the airport. Horror stories about the traffic that ensued following the previous total solar eclipse made me strongly inclined to avoid getting caught in that scenario.
We had only been driving for less than half an hour when John decided to pull into a gas station to fill up and also empty his bladder after drinking a whole cup of coffee. I waited in the car, my anxiety level inching up as the minutes went by. Finally he came back, saying there was a long line for the bathroom with a whole family ahead of him. I could only shake my head, wondering why he could not think to leave and find an alternative solution while knowing we had limited time. As we drove, the ETA kept getting longer and longer as we kept getting slowed down every time we passed through a town with a traffic light. It started to rain, and I remembered the weather forecast predicted severe storms, possibly tornadoes, starting in the afternoon.
We finally arrived at the car rental center at 6 pm. Our flight was due to take off at 6:50, boarding beginning at 6:15. We still needed to take a shuttle to the terminal, go through security, and walk to the gate. When we arrived on the first day, it had taken us at least 15 minutes to walk from where we deplaned to the area for ground transportation. It would take a miracle for us to make it onto the flight.
It was pouring as we raced from the rental drop-off to the airport shuttle. The driver told us it was going to terminal C, but we could walk from there to E. As we made our way onto the shuttle, John looked at his phone and announced, “The flight is delayed!”
“What?” I gasped. “Oh my God!”
“And the gate changed to terminal C!”
Later, onboard the plane, the pilot explained the reason for the delay. The plane came from Chicago, where a “VIP” had halted all airport traffic. A quick Google search confirmed that indeed, POTUS had been in Chicago hours ago for a fundraiser.
There were so many chances for things to go wrong on this trip. It might not have even happened at all, because I had given up hope of going, many times. I was raised Catholic, but I am by no means a religious person. That said, I believe a guardian angel, God, or some force beyond my understanding, intervened to allow me to witness the eclipse. Everything fell into place, and the stars aligned perfectly, for me to have an experience that I will never forget.
Pearl Grey 