Traveling for the Texas Solar Eclipse
I generally like driving and road trips, which makes living in a van that much easier. Isiah and I are no strangers to extremely long drives. And luckily for us, our skills behind the wheel complement each other. Taking turns is essential to these long and sometimes complicated drives. But 2024 was the year we tested our penchant for long drives—first with a trip to Baja, Mexico followed by a drive to Austin, Texas.
Bound for Baja
I’ve been wanting to go to Baja, Mexico for years. Every winter, thousands of nomads and snowbirds travel the hundreds of miles into Baja it takes to reach La Paz and other amazing places. Deep into the peninsula, you’ll find amazingly blue waters, wildlife, and good tacos. That’s all good and fun. But you’ll also find painfully long drives on rough roads with very few stops or gas stations.
While I think I appreciated the experience more than Isiah did, we both enjoyed paddleboarding in the ocean, watching stingrays, and soaking up the warm sun.
All in all—we made it to La Paz and back in one piece. But our sanity was a little bit frayed at the edges after making the 20-hour drive there and back. Which is why we took some time to chill and recuperate, right?
No way!
Instead, we jumped almost immediately into our next big road trip to Texas for the total solar eclipse.
The Long Road to Texas
The United States is big! So big that there’s a joke going around European TikTok that Americans are actually very well-traveled within just one country. We were shocked, for instance, to learn that Iceland is as big as Kentucky. So naturally, getting to Texas from California takes some time.
And like driving to Baja, there are parts of Texas that are extremely sparse. Miles and miles of private ranches with not a bit of public land in sight make for a monotonous drive.
I hope all of this doesn’t come off as negative or complaining. In fact, Isiah and I were both really excited about this Texas trip.
Recalling the Shadow of the Moon
My life changed in 2017. Not in any big or complicated way, but on a cellular level I felt forever impacted by the solar eclipse I saw in Oregon.
For a brief moment—and surrounded by 30,000 other people—the awe of that cosmic moment transcended any petty squabbles happening on Earth. Many cultures believe eclipses are bad omens—but at this moment, all I felt was awe.
Since then, I’ve felt a burning desire to savor another moment under the conjoined sun and moon. No matter how fleeting it might seem in counted seconds, it’s also just a timeless experience!
I guess you could say Isiah and I became Umbraphiles in 2017.
Wow, has my photography improved since 2017!
Our Texas Eclipse
Fast forward to 2024—we decided to treat Isiah’s parents and brother to the splendor of the Great American Eclipse. We rented a lovely Airbnb, where we played games, listened to music, and generally enjoyed each other’s company. Still, in the back of my mind, I was stressing about the weather. Cloudy days or rain could easily spoil the possibility of seeing the eclipse.
As the moon started to eat away at the edges of the sun, the clouds rolled in and out—creating a sense of drama and tension in the skies. All five of us wore our eclipse glasses, taking brief moments to watch the approach of these two celestial objects. Isiah was in charge of timing everything while I focused on my camera.
Then something amazing happened. As the final seconds went by, the five of us were treated to a clear sky! Yes—with perfect clarity, we saw the sun eclipsed by the moon. In those brief minutes, we had converted a few more people to the awe-inspiring sight. The whole family began cheering! And I felt that same magic that I had back in 2018.
Minutes of Magic
As humans, we are so small. Our problems feel large—and in some ways they are. But that’s only one level of reality. On another level, we are insignificant. And it can be healing and refreshing to remember that. We can take comfort in knowing the world is bigger than us and holds so much magic and majesty, that would could never experience it all in our one life.
The journey of the sun and moon coming together (from our perspective) is a million miles in the making. But to truly experience it, you also have to put yourself in the alignment—which is what we did with such long road trips and lots of planning.
If you ever get the chance, I encourage you to see a total solar eclipse. If I haven’t convinced you, maybe this video will do.
For all the other umbraphiles out there—I know you know. See you at the next Great American Eclipse in 2045, or maybe sooner.
