We saw the 2017 eclipse. I also saw others growing up…but I can’t remember where or when.
I drove nine hours to Tennessee with my older son to watch the 2017 eclipse. It was well worth it, even with the horrendous traffic driving home. This time we’re in the totality path in NW Pennsylvania. Normally I wouldn’t get my hopes up because it’s usually so cloudy here in the early spring, but our forecast is looking a little more promising as we get closer to the day. I’d love to be able to experience one without traveling, and this will be our only chance. 
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It really is amazing. Here’s hoping for clear skies for everyone who is going to see it. I am so happy I pushed for going in 2017. That is a memory I carry with me. Great time with our kids and my in-laws. Beautiful clear skies and an amazing corona.
I really regret not a making a bigger effort in 2017 to reach totality. It would’ve taken a 7+ hour drive, I was really busy at work, kids in school, etc. etc., but we should’ve done it. I’ve been looking forward to April 8 ever since then, as we are well within the path of totality…and now it looks almost certain to be cloudy. 
There’s always 2045, I guess.
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In 2017 I was skeptical of all the hype around the eclipse. I tried to get many people to drive with me into totality. I couldn’t find a single person who could or would go with me. I really wanted to go, mostly to make fun of all the hype. So the day before, I found a hotel that wasn’t charging an arm and a leg about an hour out of totality. I went by myself, stayed at that hotel then early the next morning drove that hour, took a chair and a book and found a park.
I couldn’t even make fun of the hype because it was SO cool! I told my husband that day that I was making him go with me in 2024. I got a hotel room about a year ago and we are headed down Sunday to scope out an area for it. This one will be twice as long as the last one. I’m so excited. I tell everyone I know that hey need to get into totality.
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I deeply regret not driving the 40 minutes to get to totality in 2017. I was very worried about getting stuck in traffic. My daughter and husband did go and they jumped in the car the moment totality ended and they beat the traffic back. I could track them leading the red line up the interstate! 99% was something, but not nearly as dramatic as 100%.
I wouldn’t. I just don’t get the hype. 
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This. It was fairly easy for us to get to totality in 2017 (an hour and a half drive), so we did because why not? I had NO CLUE how amazing it was going to be. I totally understood afterwards why people become eclipse chasers. It’s really just impossible to describe, and I think that’s part of what’s so cool about it…there are so few things in this age of mass media that can genuinely SURPRISE you with how cool they are. I compared it at the time to seeing the Grand Canyon in person (which I had just done). Like…the Grand Canyon is AMAZING…but it was also pretty much what I expected from seeing pictures…it was a difference of degree. It was BETTER in person, of course, but not surprising. A total solar eclipse is indescribably awesome, in the most literal sense of the word. But, yeah, that’s why there’s a sort of universal evangelical fervor to tell people that it’s worth the effort to get to totality amongst those of us who did it in 2017.
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A total eclipse is absolutely out of this world. I saw one when I was a kid… my father,
a welder, provided me with a supply of some super dark pieces of glass inserts for welding helmets. I was the coolest kid on the block! I was more interested in observing animals than the actual progress of the eclipse. Our pets did go nuts!
That said, the cheapest RT ticket to any place in the path of totally I could find several month ago was $2,000. Nope. Especially in April when even San Antonio is dicey.
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NYT article today talks about how even Super8 Motels are selling out and some to the tune of $800+ a night!
That’s what’s great about being in driving distance. In 2017 we just drove down to the location I picked out. No need for a hotel.
I will say I have never known anyone who went to the totality and said that they thought it was a waste of time or didn’t see what all the hype was about. Everyone I’ve know who’s done it has been thrilled and wants to do it again. I’m feeling pretty bummed out that we can’t make it this time.
Photo we took in 2017:
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We saw 2017 right here. It was great, but once was fine. Plus, like @BunsenBurner i know I saw when I was younger too.
saw this graphic yesterday – it’s percentage of occupancy of short term rentals for April 7.
we saw the last eclipse in totality but weren’t willing to plan in advance this time, given the general lousiness of weather in spring. Happy viewing to all who travel – it is really worth the trip. we will be home in “only” 96% totality
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Booked our hotel room a year in advance - got the very last one in the area and paid a ridiculous price for it. Excited for the eclipse but resigned to a very slow drive back home on Monday night.
Friends of ours were going in 2017. I wanted to go and convinced H. He was very skeptical. Thought it was a lot of hype until we actually saw it. Now, he’s a convert
D lives in Columbus, so we are here for a few days. Bonus is that we will be driving distance away from the totality zone - so we are planning to drive out to see it. Now, just keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.
Same friends that did the eclipse with us back in 2017 are driving to Vermont - they might actually have better weather there!
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S and DIL are driving NYC to Montreal to view eclipse. They rented a room at 3 different cities in path of totality long ago and will cancel the other 2 because weather is lousy for viewing. They went to OR to view prior eclipse.
I’m mildly sad we won’t see it. We flew to Hilo to see the one eclipse that was in our state over 30 years ago but ended that trip in the hospital when D came down with Kawasaki’s. It was very overcast and rainy so we didn’t end up seeing anything for our efforts.
Just read this sweet article:
Texas man is preparing to watch his 13th solar eclipse. He’s 105.
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We will be driving about 2-1/2 hours (in normal traffic), but leaving 6 hours in advance, assuming traffic, and hopefully an early arrival. Totality is actually slightly closer to home, but we’re joining some friends in a more remote area (also in the full path).
We saw about 80% in 2017. The most fun was the company, and the shadows! 
, but those who traveled for the full thing shared there was nothing else like it.
My pup would not be happy I was showing such an unflattering picture of him, but here he is at the 2017 eclipse.
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