As the 2017 eclipse approached we were debating whether it was worth driving North to get directly in the path of it. Haley and I both remembered a partial eclipse from when we were kids and it had been a pretty big let down. The day before the eclipse, we decided to head to Hebron, Nebraska based on the weather.
The day of the eclipse we further refined our position heading to Davenport, Nebraska to find a break in the light clouds. We weren’t disappointed. The difference between an 80% eclipse and a full eclipse is significant. When it finally got to 100% it was a very weird experience. It felt like dawn and dusk at the same time but evenly lit in all directions.
It was well worth the effort to go see it. We were in a pretty rural area with very few other people around. I think it might have been more interesting to watch it in a large group, but that would have meant dealing with a lot more traffic that we were specifically trying to avoid.
The next full eclipse in the US is going to be in April of 2024 traveling on a path from Texas up through Maine. I’d highly recommend trying to get directly in its path if you can.