Wonders in Heaven and Earth on Eclipse Day

We are surrounded by natural wonders.  And it's a day like April 8 that evoked it in a whole new, powerful way.  Just before the last total solar eclipse that crossed the USA in 2017, I realized how amazing it would be, but I hadn't made any plans to be in the path of totality. So I set my sights on April 8, 2024, to be in the path of totality for the next solar eclipse.

The travel plan began to unfold when I departed homebase in Oak Park after 6 PM and headed south on the evening of Sunday, April 7, 2024.  I stopped to spend the night in Mahomet, IL, near Champaign, at the home of a retired woman I know from Ascension Parish.  (Please note, that all times in this post are CDT.  And all photos are mine unless otherwise stated.)

I was up early the next morning to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation.  I drove about 20 minutes to Champaign to attend 7 AM Mass at St. Matthew Parish.  

Exterior of St. Matthew Parish

Being out at that early hour, I could tell it would be a pleasant, springlike day.  It was a telling coincidence, or perhaps God-incidence, that the celebration of the Annunciation would be bumped to the day of the eclipse.

Inside St. Matthew Parish

Following Mass, I lingered at the church and then drove toward I-57, stopping at Burger King for breakfast and to surf the web.

Shortly after 9 AM, I got on I-57 and headed south, planning to drive on I-57 and then exit to drive other roads to reach Greenup, where I planned to view the total eclipse.  I pulled over at the first rest stop, and there was a short line to get in and park, along with a line to use the washroom.  Further along on I-57, I encountered a slight traffic jam, but it cleared quickly enough.

I made good timing in about an hour to Mattoon, where I exited I-57 and then drove rural roads toward Greenup, with smooth traffic all the way.

Around 10:30 or so, I reached Toledo, IL, where I made a brief stop.  I got some postage stamps at the local post office, and confirmed with the employee there I wasn't too far from where I intended to end up.  Sure enough, in a few more minutes, I got to Greenup, which was in the path of totality.  I took a quick detour along the Historic National Road to visit a covered bridge over the Embarras River.

Looking west

Inside the bridge, looking east

Then I drove back east through town to the Love's Truck Stop that was right by an interchange on I-70, and there was a little bit of traffic nearby.  Then, I went to get a lunch of tacos at Taco Rey nearby, and then a Dairy Queen treat on the other side of IL 130/Haughton Highway.

Welcome to Greenup sign

Driving back west through town, I stopped by Christ the King Parish for some quiet time--please see photo below.  

Then, around 12:30, went to the Greenup Library to spend some time on the Internet while waiting for the partial eclipse to start.  

Exterior of the Greenup Public Library

I was grateful for the lady on staff who got me set up in a nice spot with fine furniture.  While on my computer, I found live updates on a CNN page of the eclipse.

Around 1:45, I moved Avila to a parking lot by the Historic Greenup Depot, and then walked to the Greenup Municipal Building where I found a mailbox to mail a postcard.  Then I walked back to the park right next door and waited with a sizable, but not packed, crowd.  At this point, the partial eclipse was already happening.  

A sign of spring with a blooming tree by the Historic Greenup Depot

Looking eastward on Cumberland Street

Park by the Greenup Municipal Building

There was something special about waiting with all the other people in a splendid spring day for an amazing sight in the sky.  As I looked up with my glasses and noticed the sun turn to a sliver, it was amazing to see how much light was still in the sky from just the sliver.

Shortly after 2 PM, the sun disappeared totally behind the moon, the culmination of all my planning.  It got dark, but there was light in the distance, so it didn't get dark like nighttime, although the streetlights turned on, a sign of how something commonplace was triggered in the midst of an uncommon event.  It was definitely a wondrous sight to see the ring of the sun's light beyond the edges of the moon.  Then, about 1 minute and 50 seconds later, right as the moon started to move the slightest bit past the sun, there was a spark of light, displaying a diamond ring effect.  It was an incredible way for the total eclipse to end.

During the totality of the eclipse, looking south.  Notice that a streelight is illuminated.

Without a sophisticated enough camera, this was the best shot I could get during the totality of the eclipse.

Here I am standing the park looking up during the period of totality.  I thank the woman standing near me who got this photo.

The crowd began to disperse, and as I did, I took some quick looks at the sun in its partial eclipse.  I walked back to the depot, and as I looked at the outside, someone invited me inside for a look, so I went inside for a handful of minutes, along with some students from a nearby college.  There was a fine model train display and some of the rooms were furnished like a typical train depot from years ago.

Here I am by the Historic Greenup Depot, after totality, wearing my eclipse glasses.  I thank the person I saw at the depot for photographing me.

Room inside the depot

Model train display inside the depot

Equipment on display inside the depot

By 2:20 or so, I was in Avila, and began my journey north, retracing my path from when I came to Greenup earlier in the day.  The route worked well because it remained free of clogged traffic.  I pulled over to check traffic once I got to Mattoon, and Google Maps indicated it was clear sailing on I-57, which I was glad about.

It was around 5 PM when I reached Bourbonnais.  I decided it was a good time to exit I-57 and get dinner at Cracker Barrel.  To mark the Eclipse Day, Cracker Barrel offered a free side of pancakes with the purchase of any entree dine-in, although most of the employees I spoke with at the restaurant weren't aware of the promotion, up until I was at the cash register and a manager clarified it for the person working the register.  The pancakes were tasty, and it was nice to have them along with the chicken and dumplings dish.  

Above is my Cracker Barrel dinner and below is a close-up of the Eclipse Day pancakes.

I was on my way by 6 PM, and after about another hour or so of travel, I was back in Oak Park.

Final mileage upon arriving back at homebase

I had been anticipating this day for so long, and the major event didn't disappoint.  I was so delighted that I could take advantage of the opportunity to experience the totality of the Great North American solar eclipse, to see the wonder of it with my own eyes.  I felt a palpable sense of excited anticipation for the whole journey south to that afternoon and as I waited around in Greenup. Ultimately, it was worth all the effort of traveling to Greenup and back to see it, even for the 1 minute and 50 seconds or so that it lasted.  Perhaps the brevity of the experience was part of what made it so special, and that we could experience our planet Earth in a totally different way.  I was glad my plan worked out and Greenup was a good spot to view it.

It was certainly a big news-worthy story, and made for something more positive than other sobering news coverage. With all going on in the world, we could use something more marvelous as we lift our gaze above to marvel at what's in the sky and our place in the universe.  Indeed, it was a wonderful experience because so many people were sharing it together, both in and out of the totality path.  I felt the excitement and could see others feeling it, too, like when I walked out of the library and I noticed a girl expressing her excitement while walking with her mom to a spot to view it.

This trip was also a reminder of all the wonderful small towns in the USA, especially in Illinois.  Visiting Greenup gave me a greater appreciation for everything that is down south in Illinois and contributes to the whole of this state in its own special way.  It brought back memories of the traveling I did and how I got to know Illinois more at the time of our bicentennial in 2018.  Greenup is a lovely place and steeped in important history of the Historic National Road.  How fitting that on a major corridor I experienced the path of the total eclipse.

Furthermore, because of the 2024 liturgical calendar, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, normally celebrated on March 25, which was during Holy Week 2024, was bumped to April 8.  When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Son of God, His plan of salvation advanced with another important step, by which God sought to reconcile the world back to Himself.

Some of the language used in the celebration of the Triduum speaks to how, by the Resurrection of Christ, Heaven and Earth are wedded.  The one aspect that so wonderfully stands out from viewing the total solar eclipse was the final seconds right before the moon moved enough out of the sun's disc and there was a spark of light like a diamond ring.  Even as ominous as it could be that the sun is covered by the moon, it was still shining, perhaps a different take on the song "Behind the clouds", but in this case, "Behind the moon, the sun in shining..."  And the diamond ring was a sign from God of a glimpse of glory.

April 8, 2024, was a day marked by a grand spectacle in the sky that unleashed its wonder over a swath of the Earth, including lots of delightful small towns like Greenup that are surely part of a larger whole. It was a day to marvel at our place in the wider universe and to behold the rare spectacle put on for us in the sky.  We could appreciate anew that we all have a unique place as part of a greater whole and behold the wonders of Creation, along with all the wonderful places here on Earth.

Weeks after the eclipse, I posed for this close-up photo with my special glasses, thanks to an Oak Park librarian who photographed me.