Post #20 Part 1: The Great American Eclipse 08/21/17 + the Mother Daughter Road Trip

States I have been to (BEFORE):

Eclipse Trip plan: Maryland -> West Virginia -> Kentucky -> Tennessee -> Missouri -> Arkansas -> Oklahoma -> Kansas -> Nebraska -> South Dakota -> Wyoming -> North Dakota -> Montana -> Saskatchewan -> Manitoba -> North Dakota -> Minnesota ->  Wisconsin -> Iowa -> Illinois -> Indiana -> Ohio -> Pennsylvania -> Maryland

PreTrip:
As of 08/10/2017: Predicted Solar Eclipse weather in Beatrice, Nebraska - BEAUTIFUL!

As of 08/14/2017: Predicted Solar Eclipse weather in Beatrice, Nebraska - It'll be okay...

As of 08/15/2017: Predicted Solar Eclipse weather in Beatrice, Nebraska - Nice

As of 08/16/2017: Predicted Solar Eclipse weather in Beatrice, Nebraska - Hot.

As of 08/18/2017: Predicted Solar Eclipse weather in Beatrice, Nebraska - Err...

Now to the trip:

Right before leaving, Mom and I with the Nissan Versa Hatchback

Day 1 - Saturday, August 19th
The rental car reservation started at 9 am, earliest available, we got the car with 3054 (0) miles on it. My mother and I left from my apartment in Laurel, MD at mileage = 3060 (6), time = 09:54 EDT, heading west.

Welcome Center - West Virginia

We took the route that would take us through West Virginia and Kentucky, instead of Virginia into Tennessee, because I have no memories of ever being in the state of Kentucky (my mother said we went, or at least drove through, there when I was a baby).

Welcome Center - Kentucky

We drove towards the World's Largest Collection of Teapots in Trenton, TN. The stops along the way included the Welcome Center {mileage = 3285 (231), time = 14:16 EDT} in West Virginia and a rest stop in Kentucky {mileage = 3493 (439), time = 17:29 EDT}.
Night number one we spent in Peducha, Kentucky, Hotel #1: America's Best Value Inn, mileage = 3847 (793), time = 11 CDT ish (Peducah was on the path of the 2017 Great American Eclipse, and [fun fact] it is also on the path for the 2024 solar eclipse.)

Day 2 - Sunday, August 20th

Largest Collection of Teapots, Trenton, Tennessee

Leaving Kentucky and heading to Trenton, Tennessee. Mom and I left from our lack luster breakfast at the hotel around 06:30 CDT. The road down to Trenton was a country road, with crops growing on either side. Trenton, TN is known for two things on the Roadside America website: 31 mph speed limit and the largest collection of teapots. The 31 mph speed limit was amusing to see, and from the internets I read that the speed limit was to one-up the neighboring town.

8AM CDT outside the museum

The teapots are housed in a room that is connected to the police station, so was available for my mother and I to view at 8 am on a Sunday. The doctor who owned this collection had the requirement that the exhibit be viewed for free forever. Mom and I donated because Trenton does a lovely job of presenting the collection, complete with a video explaining the history of the exhibit {mileage: 3938 time: 08:02 CDT}.


From our brief stop in Tennessee we continued into Missouri, crossing the Mississippi River for the first time. Rt 60 in Missouri was not the most picturesque roadway, and mom wasn't particularly excited about all the 'casinos' we saw along the way. It was while we were in Missouri that we switched the music over to Sirius XM, which we used for the remainder of the road trip.

Arkansas

Missouri

Oklahoma

Our next stop was the Tri-State Marker in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. It was at this marker that I stepped foot into Oklahoma and Arkansas for the first time {mileage: 4354 time: 15:28 CDT}. We made a brief stop in Fort Scott, Kansas for Dairy Queen {mileage: 4464 time: 18:07 CDT}. From there it was off to Campsite #1: Tuttle Cove in Manhattan, Kansas, mileage: 4668.

Pony Express Historical Marker

Day 3 - Monday, August 21st
Mom and I left the camp grounds in Kansas at around 5:30 am CDT, setting out for our target, the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska. While traversing northern Kansas we identified a Historic Marker. Turns out this historic marker was a stop along the Pony Express (Mileage: 4724, Time: 06:38 CDT).

CORN!!

Matching Shirts I made for Mom and I

                               
At 4764 miles from 07:32 - 14:16 CDT Mom and I were at the Homestead National Historic Site with tons of other people. We got a schedule, and walked around the museum. During our first hour there we discovered a special guest was going to be in attendance, BILL NYE, the science guy! We had no idea, what a great surprise. He spoke on a panel and gave interviews, and then during the time leading up to, during, and after totality he was narrating what was happening. Of course his presence there was targeted to the grade schoolers instead of the ones who truly appreciated his presence (ahem, me and the other nearly 30s that watched his show growing up).

The Homestead location even had a mobile post office on site where people could buy the Eclipse Stamps, and mail post cards with the special Eclipse Postmark.

BILL NYE!!

As my time mark shows, we stayed for about an hour after totality, waiting for some of the traffic to die down. Unlike the majority of my friends, who were also on the path of totality, Mom and I didn't get stuck in ANY traffic when we left. We were headed further west, towards out second campsite. We stopped briefly in Grand Island, NE for some dinner (Olive Garden Salad and Breadsticks), then continued to Campsite #2: Bessey Recreation Complex in Halsey, Nebraska, getting there at 20:59 CDT at mileage: 5027.

More adventures to come.