South Bend woman traveling over 1000 miles for solar eclipse

 

Esther Terry says she’s not a big science nerd.

So, when her family made the trip from South Bend to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to watch the total solar eclipse in 2017, she viewed it as a fun vacation more than anything else.

As the eclipse began, however, she noticed a change.

“I think I had a bit of a conversion experience and was like, oh, no, this is actually cool,” Terry said. “This was worth it.”

As the eclipse continued, shadows started to shift, and nearby animals began to act strangely. Then, totality took over.

“The sky went dark. It literally looked like it was dusk, all 360 degrees around us. And we all spontaneously started screaming like, oh, my gosh, what is happening,” Terry recounted.

It was so lifechanging, Terry knew she needed to see it again. Just hours after the eclipse in 2017, Terry's family started planning for April 8, 2024.

Even though this year’s eclipse is visible in spots much closer than Wyoming, Terry and her family will take in the eclipse from more than a thousand miles away...again.

“My sister lives in Texas now, Terry explained. “She's outside of Austin. And so, they found an Airbnb that's right in the path of totality.

It’ll be another chance to experience the magic of four minutes that will make a lifetime of memories.

“It’s truly awe inspiring. I think you kind of feel really small. And, you see how big the universe is and how beautiful it is. It just creates this sense of awe and wonder,” Terry said.

Terry and her family are ALREADY looking into future eclipses.

The next solar eclipse that goes through the U.S. isn’t until 2044. However, that isn’t stopping her. That could mean a future trip to Argentina or Spain is in the stars.