Our plans came together well. We were worried about bringing all that we needed to host a group of 17 and worried it would all fit in our vehicle. But then, as it seemed we were ready to go a full day ahead of time, we worried that we must be forgetting something. I never have my stuff together by the scheduled departure! What was I missing? Well, we decided to leave as planned anyway– we’d figure it out later if we needed to. But isn’t that how all trips start? It was just the lack of rushed panic at the end of packing that was missing.

My friend Rich traveled to Texas as a passenger in a caravan that included more friends, John and Karen, and friends of friends Jennelle and Mike. John is a professor emeritus of environmental engineering, but I think if he wasn’t, he’d be a long-haul trucker. He insisted on driving the full distance, no sharing the wheel with other potential driving shifts. Stopping for gas was a necessary interruption, but stopping for a meal was lost time entirely– they could eat sandwiches on the road. They made the trip from Minneapolis to Zuber’s in two days. I’m glad to be in a different caravan.

Poldi and I have a particular road trip style that requires more time than needed to get from point A to B. We are curious people and are easily distracted, so we have to make allowances for discovering or encountering some item that captures our interest and detains us from making progress toward our ultimate destination. We were in exactly this mode, on our route to Texas.

We encountered a tropical butterfly sanctuary in Iowa, and a domestic one in Kansas. We visited friends in Oklahoma and took the scenic route across Hill Country, spending nearly all day in the upcoming path of totality through Texas. The small towns had done their prep work– civic centers were ready, Port-O-Potties were in place, and vendors were promoting their eclipse merchandise. Some Texas counties had even declared disaster emergencies. The road sign advice was “Come early, stay, leave late”, an attempt to disperse the post-eclipse traffic (it didn’t work, but we wouldn’t care).

By the time we arrived at the parking lot of the Costco in San Antonio, two days before the eclipse, Poldi was armed and ready with her list, waiting for the doors to open. When they did, she flew into action, making beelines to the departments that she had identified, and selecting the exact quantities of the items she needed. It was a race against the influx of Saturday shoppers who would soon pack the popular discount store. We checked out without incident and proceeded the last few miles to our destination– Zuber’s River Camp on the Rio Frio– and prepared for another excellent eclipse party.

Thor and Poldi’s Eclipse Party 2024
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