We were very excited about the Total Eclipse on August 21, 2017 and had been planning to drive north so we'd be in the path of totality. Kevin didn't have to work that day (he works in St. Joseph and since the city was expecting so many people to be driving there that day they gave almost everyone the day off so they wouldn't have to fight the traffic) so we made a day out of it. We drove to Gower, MO and found a covered picnic table which was good since it rained on and off most of the day.
There were lots of clouds disrupting our view but we did get to see various phases of the eclipse. We had the special glasses and we had the girls make masks around them so we could ensure they weren't able to look at the sun directly at all. Jane didn't care for the mask that much and only looked a few times. Anna loved it though and kept proclaiming that it was the best day ever.
It was nice being at a park and Anna and Jane enjoyed playing on the playground. Gower is a tiny town but it seemed pretty nice for its size.
During totality the clouds blocked our view which was pretty disappointing. It was still crazy how dark it got and that it felt like nighttime in the middle of the afternoon and then it suddenly wasn't anymore as totality ended.
The girls were silly during totality and just wanted to run around and act crazy. After it was over Jane kept asking for the eclipse again. She was so sad when I told her I didn't have control over it and she'd have to wait 7 years for another. We had friends that managed to get to areas that didn't have cloud cover and I was a little jealous. If it had just been me and Kevin we probably would have tried driving around and following the weather maps a little more closely. That didn't sound very appealing with two young kids so we stayed put. We are planning a road trip in April 2024 for the next solar eclipse to try and experience totality more fully.
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