Today was the second of three travel days as we made our way to South Haven, Michigan. The weather forecast was calling for significant rain so we decided to get started early. After a quick breakfast we were on the road at 8:50am. Our next campground was the Jackson KOA which was 317 miles east in Jackson, Minnesota. The entire drive was on interstate 90.
Today was exciting because it was "The Great American Eclipse". Our route was not along the path of totality but we were expecting to see it partially. We all started the drive with our solar eclipse viewing glasses in hand. These were the glasses we bought back in Montana at the Museum of the Rockies. Adam had checked out a few coverage and time charts and figured around 1pm would be our best opportunity to view it.
Throughout the drive we listened to news radio with live reports that transitioned between major viewing locations along the path of totality. It was entertaining to hear the crowds gasp and cheer as the sun was darkened by the moon.
Unfortunately for us the weather forecast was correct. Our entire drive was cloudy, rainy and dark. As 1pm approached the sky turned darker and there seemed to be a yellowish glow, seemingly different than just rain clouds. Around 12:45 we snapped a couple pictures of the road and various information displays in the truck. We are sure if we could have peered above the clouds we would have seen the sun partially obstructed. No need for our viewing glasses this time around. We'll have to save them until 2024.
We pulled into the Jackson KOA around 4PM. It continued to pour along with lightning and thunder. Adam ran into the office to checkin and get our site information. It was a pull-thru site so we parked easily and ran from the truck into the camper without bothering to hookup any utilities.
Around 5:40 the rain stopped. Adam went outside and hooked up electricity. It was very muddy and slippery with large puddles around the sewer and water hookups. Since this was just a one night stay we decided to "rough" it and just use the campground bathrooms for this stay. The campground office manager recommended a pizza place nearby so we ordered dinner and settled in for a relaxing night of games and a movie.
Around 8:30pm we took a walk over to the campground bathroom and were surprised to see the beautiful colors and cloud formations in the sky as we opened the RV door. It was a welcome sight after a very dark and gloomy day. The pictures below do not have any filters or editing applied.
