Totality in Texas - Sierra Club Eclipse Outing

TOTALITY IN TEXAS Sierra Club TRIP -The Sun, Moon & Texas Skies Above Planet Earth

Sat April 6

The Sierra Club is known for its early & punctual hike starts, but LAX at 5 am was a pre-dawn record for 50 of us, flying out to Dallas, Texas to see the rare, total Eclipse of the sun. We landed at noon and stopped in Grapevine, Texas to enjoy a beef brisket lunch at Harvest Hall. Off the LBJ Freeway, we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express to relax & wander looking for local Tex-Mex food & music that first night.

Sun April 7

Up again early, we headed downtown to the Dallas World Aquarium to see exotic birds & endangered animals. We drove by Lucca, a kinetic wind sculpture and the JFK assassination site on Elm St. before driving to the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens where we were promised to see thousands of tulips in bloom. Alas, they had all withered in the Texas sun the week before but we walked the 60 acres next to White Rock Lake. We did see the many Texan Bluebonnets (texan lupine) along the highways, lasting legacy of Lady Bird Johnson.

Mon April 8    TOTAL ECLIPSE DAY!

We woke up super excited, grabbed a quick breakfast and left, checking the skies. Partial sun gave us hope. We traveled south to Kaufman, to Zoofari Park on the Eclipse centerline, only to arrive in dense ground fog. We panicked so our leaders decided to turn around & head back to Dallas, where we found mostly cloudy skies. Our ever-helpful bus driver Charles suggested Samuell-Garland Park in northwest Dallas, and we arrived at 10:30 am to an empty soccer field to wait until the eclipse started at 12:23 pm. Clouds prevented views of the partial Eclipse, building to the total Eclipse at 1:40 pm. After a picnic lunch, we all used our Eclipse glasses, when a breeze came up. Suddenly, the sun appeared through the clouds! We yelled out loud and adjusted our cameras. Skies were darkening around us quickly, in an eerie twilight. Then, a miracle happened. We all gasped as a fleeting but a full, clear view of the moon’s shadow covered the sun! With a naked eye, I saw Jupiter, Mars, Venus & Mercury. Using binoculars, I saw the neon-pink corona gases, ejecting like a halo off the sun’s surface. Then, all too soon, the diamond ring flashed, as the moon moved to reveal a tiny bit of the sun’s strong light once again. To me, it lasted less than the 4+ minutes predicted. Maybe 3+ minutes? Still, we were cheering to see what we had traveled to Texas to see. I did not want to leave that small soccer field after witnessing such a rare mystery of the heavens. The rest of the day was a blur, re-living the minutes of totality to remember it.

Tues April 9

We left Dallas to head south to Austin and got hit by an intense thunder, lightening & hard, rain storm. After a famous Black’s BBQ patio lunch, we had a state capital tour and heard about Texas history. It was muggy hot but the bus had cool AC and we arrived in San Antonio for a 4 pm narrated River Walk boat Cruise. After a Tex-Mex dinner, later that night, a hard rain fell on the Hyatt’s roof & woke me up.

Next morning, we had a cool, brisk breeze on a sunny day, touring four historic San Antonio Missions,

the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Texas. Our 2 local step-on guides on the bus were great & although familiar with California missions, we enjoyed learning Texas mission history. That education continued in depth with a guided walking tour of the Alamo and Visitor Center with Texas artifacts on loan from Phil Collins!

Thurs April 11

Before moving on to Houston, we toured the Spanish Governor’s Palace in downtown San Antonio and the San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest operating church in Texas and where some were lucky to see an evening laser show on the walls. Stopping at another historic BBQ place in Lockhart, Chisholm Trail, we enjoyed eating our lunch sandwiches with the locals & later hiking around a lake in Brazos Bend State Park, where we saw many birds and 2 alligators. We checked into the Marriott downtown Houston but were cautioned before walking about local street crime & safety.

Fri April 12

Some woke up early to explore the underground tunnels of Houston, 95 blocks of shopping, food, etc. But it was Houston Space Center Day! A highlight of the trip for me, especially the tour of the historic Mission Control Center for all of the Apollo flights. We took 2 tram rides and saw the Saturn Rocket Park, up close. Exhibits inside the grand space hall included astronauts explaining living on the space station. And the Artemis project is going back to the moon, where it will be a launching spot for Mars! Lots of school kids were there, learning about their future. That night we all enjoyed our Farewell Dinner & drinks at Lupe Tortilla in Sugarland, Texas.

Sat April 13

Before our flights home, we stopped in the Houston Museum District and & viewed an amazing art gallery.

What a week! Did I mention the back of our comfortable bus held 2 coolers, loaded with cold water, soda, beer & wine? Also, chips, fruit, cookies, crackers & chocolate. We barely had room for the famous Texas BBQ!

THANKS to our awesome leaders - Fred Dong, Stephanie Gross, Donna Specht & Cathy Kissinger.

Truly, it was an ECLIPSE trip to remember.