Total Solar Eclipse and the Final Spring Push North

Since leaving the Orlando area in early March, our entire route was predicated on the total solar eclipse in April 2024. We positioned ourselves just North of the area of totality and met up with friends and family to experience the eclipse together. Afterward, we made our final push back to Wisconsin and Minnesota for the summer.

Since we moved from Florida in the first week of March, we continued to go north and west with each of our stops. We left [1] Winter Garden (FL) for [2] Tallahassee (FL), then [3] Montgomery (AL), [4] Fulton (MS), [5] Hollister (MO), and on to [6] Lamoni (IA) before returning to our “home base” [7] of Hammond (WI).

Solar Eclipse

On April 8, 2024, we both experienced a total solar eclipse in the area of totality for the first time. From Branson, we were about 90 minutes North of Jasper, Arkansas, and the Buffalo River national riverway where we experienced the eclipse together with family and friends.

We reserved an Army Corp of Engineers park shelter and hung out with the gang (L-R Dan, Jason, Linda, Barb, Deina and Scott) waiting for the total solar eclipse in Northern Arkansas.

You get the best sense of how dark the local area was with the lights on the bathroom in the center of the photo and then the ring of light around us.

Local Type	Total Solar Eclipse, in 36°03’48.7″N, 93°09’37.9″W
Begins	Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 12:34 pm
Maximum	Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 1:53 pm 1.003
Magnitude Ends	Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 3:11 pm
Duration	2 hours, 37 minutes
Totality	1 minute, 53 seconds

We experienced several minutes of totality and out of dozens of photos of attempts did get one photo to work through our viewing glasses! (North Arkansas)

Branson, Missouri

For the first time, we checked out Silver Dollar City, the “cousin” to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. While there are many similarities, there are many differences in the lower quality of the experience that turned us off from it. However, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede was no letdown and will be on our list to repeat next time!

One of our favorite shows at Silver Dollar City was the stunt dog show. Shelter rescue dogs are given a new chance to do new tricks!

Our first time at the Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner and show. A great show, dinner, and service. The pre-dinner live bluegrass music in the saloon also was also excellent.

As Escapees members, we have used the Turkey Creek RV Park several times. The location across the river from Branson, Missouri, in Hollister, means being outside of the tourism area and is more enjoyable for full-time RV living mode. From here we were positioned slightly more than an hour away from the area of totality for the solar eclipse.

We have had numerous issues with the length of our rig at the Turkey Creek Escapees Park. Due to limited availability we this was the best we could do for leveling. The steps were almost two full feet from the ground.

Google Lens identifies these beautiful spring flowers popping out of the side of this tree as a “Judas Tree.” Whether it is right or wrong, there is no denying how beautiful they were all over the area.

Back to Wisconsin

The weekend of April 20, 2024, we made our final push back up North to Wisconsin and Minnesota. There Jason reconnects back with his work on-site at the university, and we catch up with family before we head out for our summer adventures in Colorado.