The Last of Spring Break: Galactic Sleep Pods, the St. Louis Arch, and a Total Solar Eclipse

After a full week of excitement, returning to Salt Lake would have been completely reasonable.  But nope! Thanks to Jason's tireless enthusiasm, we continued our journey in search of the total solar eclipse.  After much deliberation, we decided to head in the general direction of Carbondale, Illinois, the only place in the US to experience totality in both 2017 and 2024.  Since it was General Conference weekend, the timing worked well, allowing us to listen from the car instead of being physically present in church.

On the way there we stopped off for a picnic in Rochefort, Missouri.  This adorable little town is part of Katy Trail State Park, a 240 mile Rails-to-Trails corridor that spans most of the state.  It would be so fun to come back and ride it some time!

Eli looks tempted, but this John Deere might be a pretty pokey getaway car.

NomiAnn, flanked by cherubs as she walks towards the light.

That evening we stayed at The Landing Hub in Pacific, Missouri, about 35 miles east of St. Louis.

The surrounding farmlands were bucolic...

...but our accommodations trended futuristic.  Papa Kay seems a little uncertain about our sleep pods!

NomiAnn was in on the joke from the get-go and thoroughly amused by our Galactic Star Wars adventure.  It was a stellar surprise for Eli and Annika, both of whom thought it was out of this world.  Talia was in on the secret, and Jason was a good sport.  If nothing else, the sleep pods were clean and very reasonably priced.

Downstairs boasted both games and a well-equipped communal kitchen that we used to cook dinner.  Do you like the special apron Jason found?

After dinner we decided to take a drive into St. Louis to see the arch.  It seemed a pity to drive so far without appreciating this architectural icon.  I've visited the arch at least a dozen times, yet I never cease to be amazed.

The kids really liked it too.  It's been a while since they were last here.  (Eli and Annika weren't even born.)  Plus, they liked to imagine Percy Jackson battling a chimera at the top of the arch.

NomiAnn and Papa Kay enjoyed reminiscing about St. Louis as well.  After emigrating from England, Papa Kay's great-grandmother Sarah Howard Bawden took a steamship to St. Louis and worked as a nanny before traveling West with the Mormon Pioneers.  We also recollected the riverfront floating McDonald's that Callie and I loved so much as children.  One time my Grandma Helen accidentally left her purse with her plane tickets and a thousand dollars cash on top of her car in the parking lot right by this McDonalds.  Miraculously, it was still there when they got back.

As darkness fell, flood lights lit the arch.  If you positioned yourself just right, the lights would magnify and project your shadow.  Annika had a great time dancing and shaking her booty for all the world to see.

Back at the Landing Hub, it was time for snuggles and bed.  Extra kudos to Papa Kay for wiggling his way in to the sleep pod.

Nite nite!

April 8, 2024: Eclipse Day!  After a great deal of deliberation, we chose to avoid the Carbondale craziness and watch the eclipse from Lake Wappapello State Park in Missouri.  While still in the path of full totality, we suspected that we would have an easier time exiting and avoid some of the eclipse traffic.  After a week of iffy forecasts, we were delighted by the clear skies and full sun as well.  Poor Charles and Susie flew to San Antonio to view the eclipse with Lance, but it was overcast the entire time.

It's a treat to put your feet in the Wappapello mud.

You don't need them often, but eclipse glasses are AMAZING when the moment is right.  It was so fun to watch the moon slip in front of the sun until there was only a sliver of light left.

It was worth the long drive just to see everyone's faces filled with wonder.  How rarely we stop to contemplate the majesty of the universe. 

This fellow and Grandma Susie share an eclipse birthday!  I wish we'd gotten Susie the same shirt to celebrate her birthday present from the universe.

Talia went out for a long run, got a little lost, and BARELY made it back in time for totality.  So glad we reunited!

Settling in as the light changes.  It's amazing how subtly things shift at first, gradually building speed until the changes are dramatic.  

At one point shortly before totality, my Mom told Jason how she'd expected it to get darker. He wisely suggested we wait and see.

At last, totality!  We all took our glasses off and gazed at the sun in wonder.

Stars and crickets at 1:58 pm.  The temperature dropped dramatically and everything felt changed.  It's easy to see how earlier civilizations might have thought the world was ending.

And then, as quickly as it began, a sliver of sun peeked out from behind the moon and the world grew bright again.  We quickly loaded the car and got on the road to find ourselves stuck in traffic.  Our eight-hour drive stretched into eleven plus.  It was nearly 2am by the time we got back to Omaha.  Instead of sleeping in, we were back on the road by five so that Talia could make it to Salt Lake in time for her violin recital.  Intense and chaotic?  Yup.  Worth it?  Absolutely.  The joy on Jason's face is priceless.

On August 12, 2026 another total solar eclipse will pass through Brooklyn's mission in northern Spain.  I never envisioned myself as an eclipse chaser, but let's just say we're plotting...