In 2017, I had the opportunity to go see a total solar eclipse in Wyoming. The path of totality was about a 3.5-hour drive from my home in Fort Collins, CO. Since Fort Collins and Denver were going to have a 95% solar eclipse many people decided to skip the rigamarole of getting up before dawn and being stuck in potential 100-mile traffic jams, and just be content to be thrilled by a 95% eclipse. My husband, my parents and I, on the other hand, having a feeling that we really wanted to experience the real thing started to carefully map several route options, all of which avoided the interstate, and headed to Wyoming for the total eclipse. At 4:30 a.m. we jumped in the car and headed north.
I have seen partial eclipses before, but I had no idea what to expect from a total eclipse – and that was part of the beauty of this experience. I was unprepared for the complete wonder I felt as I watched the eclipse unfold. It’s difficult to describe what it is like to watch the moon completely cover the sun: in bright day “darkness” falls. A simple natural event can put your world in perspective. The magnificence of the crown surrounding the sun for that minute and a half was a miraculous moment out of time. The wonder lingered and as we were getting ready to join the real world again, we immediately began to research where the next total eclipse would be.
Come to find out that on December 14th, 2020 there is another eclipse and the path of totality is just a few hours from our Patagonia’s Lakes District trip route in Argentina and Chile! As are still working on finalizing details for the eclipse day, we are collecting names of people who are interested in joining us on this tour and experience this life changing event.
It’s still feels unbelievable to me to say without any hesitation that a 1.5-minute event is worth hours of driving but it is without a doubt an experience I will never forget – and would gladly travel hours to see again if given the opportunity.
Want to join us for the Eclipse in Patagonia? Find all the tour details here!