Sunday evening we drove to the small town of Doniphan, Mo., a town of about 1,700 near the bootheel of Missouri, to watch the total solar eclipse.
I chose Doniphan because it had a riverside park with ample parking.
There was also a campground there as well as two ball parks. When we pulled in just after sunset Sunday evening there was a lot of parking available. By late Monday morning the parking lot was full.
Some people parked along roadsides to watch the eclipse from there. Others set up all through the town. The town square was packed with people.
This was my first total eclipse and it really was a great experience. A little before totality the street lights came on. During totality I was able to easily see Venus and Jupiter near the eclipsed Sun. It became dark enough that it was difficult to see some notes that I had written on a piece of paper.
I took some time to just enjoy the experience.
During totality you can look at the eclipsed sun without causing any harm to your eyes. And you can remove any solar filter from a camera or telescope. I could easily see the large solar flare or solar prominence extending from the sun with the naked eye. It was large enough that no telescope was needed to see it. Through the telescope it was easy to see the other solar flares extending from the edge of the Sun.
Driving back to Kansas City, the traffic was heavy but mostly it kept moving. It was strange to see all of the traffic moving in one direction, away from the eclipse zone. Approaching traffic was rarely seen.
In Doniphan, I talked with people who had come from Chicago, Michigan, Texas, Illinois, and even one man from Canada just to see the eclipse.
