If there was anything that could take my mind off of the traumatic car accident I was in on April 6th, 2024, it would be the total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024. Not even being flipped over in my car could keep me away from this supernatural event that I had been planning for months!
My boyfriend, Lester, and I flew to Dallas TX on Sunday, April 7th. We weren’t able to get on the same flight, so his plane arrived at the Dallas Fort Worth airport about an hour before mine did. It was so good to see him at the airport. Strangely, I was in a car accident the day prior, and only now, in an entirely different city, could I hug him and be comforted by him. He could lay eyes on me and ensure that I was okay.
I met him at his gate, showed off my brand new sky blue Nike Zoom Vomero 5 sneakers, looking slick next to his Ja 1 “Wet Cement” sneakers, then we picked up our rental car and headed off to the hotel. I let Lester drive. I wasn’t quite ready to get behind the wheel just yet.
From renting the car to driving through traffic, to checking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel, it felt like everywhere was extra crowded, and lines were thrice as long. I know it’s to be expected with Dallas being a major city in the line of the eclipse, but boy was it tedious. There were so many people in the lobby of the hotel, coming in, going out, lining up to check in, etc. To top it off, three of the hotel’s 4 elevators were out of service. Several people formed a queue just waiting to ride the elevator, only for the capacity to be filled within seconds, forcing you to watch the doors close and wait another 5 minutes to hopefully squeeze in the next time. It was chaos.
Once we finally got into the room, I collapsed on the bed and took a short nap. What a long day! After a good rest, Lester and I went out to Aspen Creek Grill for dinner that evening. I loved the atmosphere, and the food was great!
Back at the hotel, I was able to snag a couple scenic, Dallas sunset city skyline shots. It was nice to finally settle into a quiet evening. Big day tomorrow!
Early the next morning, my father gave me a call. I had already spoken to him two nights prior when I told him about my car accident. He asked me if I had already filed a claim with my insurance, and I told him I did, but I hadn’t heard anything from them as yet. Long story short, my father loves to fix up old cars as an inexpensive means of securing reliable transportation. The insurance company would almost certainly total my car. But instead of letting the insurance keep it, he wanted me to keep the car, and get the check from insurance. Then he could take the car off my hands and have it fixed, so that his new car would be a 7 – 8 year old Toyota RAV4. Way newer than most of the cars he’s ever owned.
The plan sounded stressful and complicated. Of course, it would be so much simpler to just let the insurance company keep the car. Nevertheless, I told him I’d think about it. This wasn’t a decision I needed to make right then.
After the talk with my father, I pushed the car accident out of the forefront of my mind. This wasn’t the day for that! The time was about 8:30 AM and there were a couple things we needed to do before our scheduled eclipse picnic in Ennis Texas at 12:00 noon.
Lester and I packed up and checked out of the Hotel. We grabbed drinks and snacks at CVS, then bought some breakfast bagels at Shug’s Bagels. Then it was time to set out on our 45 minute road trip to Bluebonnet Park in Ennis. I knew I didn’t want the effects of the accident to shake my confidence in driving. So after we ran our errands in Dallas, I got behind the wheel and drove to Ennis. I noticed that I felt a little triggered whenever I waited at a green light to make a left turn. The cars driving by on the other side of the road brought back unpleasant flashbacks, regardless of how far they were down the road. I was overly cautious and allotted for ample time before making my turns. All in all, the decision to drive was a good one. We must push past our fear, and use our experiences to make us stronger.
As we arrived in Ennis, we passed by Veterans Memorial Park which was not even 5 minutes from our destination at Bluebonnet Park. But immediately upon arrival, Lester and I knew this was a mistake. Bluebonnet Park, while beautiful, was so doggone crowded! Rows of cars were lining up to enter, while being directed by traffic controllers to park on the grass one after another. Of course, crowds are to be expected on eclipse day, but the whole vibe was off from the quiet picnic we hoped to have.
“Hey, why don’t we go back to that Memorial we drove by?” Lester suggested. It was an excellent idea. The Memorial Park was way more open and quiet.
We turned our tail around and drove to Veterans Memorial Park. And while there were still eclipse groups present, it was nowhere near as crowded as it was at Bluebonnet. While Bluebonnet Park had hills and a lake and beautiful trees and flowers, it seemed like everyone there would be competing for the best spot for optimal eclipse viewing. While the whole grounds at the Memorial was a huge, flat open field. Lots of space for everyone to spread out.
We parked, grabbed our bagels and huge blanket, and walked to an excellent spot a little ways away in the middle of the park. We arrived just in time to see the start of the partial eclipse, which would begin at 12:23 PM.
Watching the eclipse was everything I wanted it to be. It was so much fun for Lester and me to wear our eclipse glasses and glance at the sun as more and more of it got eaten by the moon. Shug’s Bagels were a hit! They were huge and so filling! I had a salmon bagel sandwich with cream cheese and capers. It really hit the spot.
The sky was clear and the weather was perfect. I danced and goofed around as I waited for totality. I even did a cartwheel. That was not the best idea. My body was still in pain from the accident. Throughout the day, I was able to get used to the pain and ignore it, but putting weight on my shoulders caused the pain to flare up in an uncomfortable and unnatural sensation. Not my smartest moment. Luckily, Lester was there to give me a soothing massage. He’s a sweetheart.
We laid on the blanket, goofed, and talked, and snacked and waited for the grand moment of totality. The more the moon passed in front of the sun, the cooler the temperature got, and the dimmer the atmosphere became. As if someone took a dial and turned down the sun’s intensity. “Hey Sun, turn the brightness down to 10%.” It was so neat to experience it live. The world gets dim in a way that is different from a sunset. It feels electrifying, like something out of a SciFi movie, or the twilight zone. Everything was going perfectly. It was such a pleasant day.
The time was 1:38. Two minutes before totality. Lester and I were hyped for it. We looked straight up at the sky with our eclipse glasses on, until the sun just… faded away. No, this was not the start of totality. Space is extremely precise. It’s not like your uber eats delivery which could arrive two minutes early or twenty minutes late. I took off my shades to see what had obstructed the sun, only to see a massive cloud filling up about a third of the sky, right in the center of the sun’s path.
“No! Cloud, go away!” I called out. The sky had been clear the ENTIRE TIME! Now that we’re about to witness the total eclipse, this gigantic cloud decides to waltz in right in front of our view? This CAN NOT be happening!!!
“Oh come on, cloud, please move!” I pleaded with the sky. Fortunately, I could see the wind cutting through the cloud, moving it quickly along its path. Unfortunately, the cloud was enormous, and there was a lot of it to get through.
The two minutes were passing by so quickly, and the cloud was still directly on top of the sun! It felt so intense! Did I really spend months planning for this eclipse trip, so important that not even a car accident could keep me away, only to have a cloud come in at the last minute and ruin everything?!
In sadness and anticipation, I looked up at the cloud. I could still see the sun’s outline. Even at 99% coverage, the sun is still so bright that its light penetrated through the cloud easily.
“We have a minute and a half! A minute and some change!” Lester reassured hopefully. But I knew it was time. I shook my head.
“No, look at it.” We watched the cloud with the sun shining behind it. And then two seconds later, the sun faded out completely, leaving just the cloud floating in the sky. I have to admit, even though I was severely disappointed, it was a pretty cool effect to watch the sun just fade out of existence behind the cloud. Like someone just turned off a light in the sky. But instead of the light switching off instantly, it dimmed into nothingness over one long second. Retrospectively, I can say that it was pretty neat.
But in the moment, I felt deflated and devastated. No, not my eclipse. I planned everything to the T. But sadly, I cannot control the weather.
Disappointed, but hopeful, I continued to watch the sky. I could see stars twinkling in the distance. Crickets chirped and birds flew in low, circular patterns, confused as to what this eerie phenomena was that was taking place above. But I didn’t fly down to Dallas Texas to watch the birds and the crickets. They are a side bonus. The eclipse is the main event.
Patiently impatient, I waited for the cloud to move. “We have 4 minutes. It’ll move before then.” I came into Ennis Texas to take full advantage of my 4 minute eclipse. I was a bit annoyed that I was being robbed short. But on the flip side, at least we had 4 minutes to spare. If we were in a location that had 2 minutes of totality, a potential cloud may have eaten through all of that time.
After at least a minute and a half of clouded totality, the cloud moved on and we were finally able to witness the eclipse in all its glory. It was so BEAUTIFUL! The crowd whooped and cheered. The sun’s corona shone brightly around the black orb in the sky, looking like a black hole, or like a portal to another dimension.
We laid on the blanket and looked up at the eclipse, enjoying its surreal beauty. Then, not wanting to waste this time, I popped up and reached for the eclipse. Trying to graze the sky. Get as close as I possibly could. Come to me, eclipse. I will cherish you.
Much too soon, as gracefully as the total eclipse had come on, it was time for it to leave. The first beam of the sun burst out from behind the moon, and I watched in a giggling frenzy, while also frantically fumbling for my eclipse glasses, as I do happen to like my eyeballs.
All in all, the eclipse trip was a whopping success. We had a minor fumble with the cloud, but I can forgive it for that. I’m so glad that I had the chance to experience the April 8th 2024 total eclipse. I pushed through so many hurdles to be here in this moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The next eclipse will not visit the United States for another 20 years, so it was super important to catch this one. You bet you’ll see me at the next one in 20 years, if not sooner if I decide to travel for it. Hello August 12th, 2026 eclipse visible in Spain and Iceland, among other places 👀
Where were you on April 8th 2024? Were you able to see the eclipse? Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse? Let me know in the comments below! If you’ve never seen total solar eclipse, I encourage you to make the effort to see one at least once in your life! Words and pictures do not do it justice!
With the eclipse behind me, and being back home safely in Memphis that evening, I could finally take a breath and come to terms with the oncoming storm of this car accident that I would have to deal with, not to mention that I now no longer had a means of transportation. So that would be such fun!