In case you don't know there is going to be a Total Solar Eclipse that will travel across part of Mexico, the USA, and Canada.
If you came here looking for info about our paranormal investigations please follow this link: Travelers Paranormal that will get you to all social media.
But now on to Kerrville!
So after working overnight Tuesday-Wednesday on 4/26 we got a cup of coffee from Street Coffee in Pleasant View TN, packed, and headed west to Texas to check out where we wanted to watch the eclipse. Now as you can see from this map there are locations far closer to our home in TN than Kerrville so first let me explain why I chose that spot.
When the 2017 eclipse passed over my house that day was literally burned into my mind as an amazing experience. And I knew I wanted to experience it again. In that eclipse our time of Totality was a little over 2 minutes and to me it felt like so much longer. I had a party at my house that day and I remember at one point during Totality getting concerned that I had lost track of time and needed to start warning people about using their solar glasses again. I looked at my timer and realized there was still a full minute left. In Kerrville Totality will be 4 minutes and 25 seconds! Double the 2017 time... Also there was one phenomenon that we couldn't experience from our location and that was seeing the shadow of the moon approaching. I don't know if the Texas Hill Country will be high enough but I thought it would give me a good chance. I also selected this location because the 2023 Annular Eclipse will pass that same area and I can pick a spot for the Annular and judge whether that seems a good place to return for the Total.
For basic info about eclipses this is a blog I wrote in 2017 with some info I used to present at a library, charter school, and community center leading up to the eclipse.
Eclipse Info
This is a blog about the day of the 2017 eclipse
Now for the trip. As I said we had worked overnight so I wasn't sure how far we would drive Wednesday before stopping but I knew it was going to be a leisurely drive. Our first stop will become a road trip tradition....we stopped at the Memphis Ikea for lunch, you got to eat somewhere so why not have some Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. The trick is to find all the short cuts to get to the restaurant without looking around and trying to buy something.
I didn't realize how much of our drive was actually in the Path of Totality but basically from the time we passed Little Rock Arkansas and on to highway 30 we were in the Path. Obviously there are varying degrees of time and cloud cover probability but that is a lot of area for people to come visit.
We stopped for the night in Sulphur Springs, Texas. There was bad weather coming in and I didn't want to be driving in rain at night. We went to Backstory Brewing because the name was great and reviews showed food however they did not have food at that time.
We ordered a flight to try several beers and pick one to potentially bring back to the hotel with us. While we were there we began talking with a couple of guys at the bar. They told us that Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs Arkansas was the best brewery in America. Which I have to say seemed like a big claim but these guys were certain it would stand against any brewery.
The next morning we were off on our way after a quick breakfast at the hotel. We only had 6 hours left to drive and were hoping to get to Kerrville around 1-2pm. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...
We had stopped at a gas station in Waxahachie Texas and while trying to fill my car the gas kept stopping. I thought that it was an issue with the pump and so only put in five gallons before leaving. Awhile later I stopped at a Buc-ees and I had a similar experience. Then when I turned on the car the "check engine light" came on. Which is never something you want on a road trip. I went to a couple of auto shops to see if they could read the error code but our hybrid was not connecting to their portable machine so we made our way to Johnson Brothers Ford in Temple, Texas. The staff there was great! We told them we were on a road trip- the TN plates were a give away as well. They worked us in to the schedule and were able to diagnosis the issue. Unfortunately the part for repair would need to be ordered which didn't make sense for just passing through. We were able to drive and they gave us the info to bring to our repair shop when we got home. We were delayed from our original time table but it wasn't horrible so we set back out towards Kerrville.
When we reached Kerrville we had a list of things to do.
1st stop and get the official eclipse shirts and glasses on sale at the local park.
2nd visit the tourism office to find out about upcoming plans.
3rd check in with the hotel where I have rooms reserved for the Annular Eclipse. I know this is a smaller event but I made the reservation a year in advance and wanted to be sure the reservation still looked good. In 2017 I saw several people refer to hotels canceling on them and changing rates. Which sounds terrible but I also know that not only is there high demand from people looking to travel but it doesn't help that people will make reservations in three or four cities planning on canceling last minute depending on the weather. So I wanted to reiterate that this was my only hotel I was not canceling this was it for me.
4th was a stop at the Kerrville Hills Winery where we stopped in and had a tasting and relaxed.
This was one location I wanted to look at for potential viewing however the Total Eclipse is a Monday and they are closed on Mondays. Whether the owner does decide to open or not will be up to them. However the location is beautiful. And for eclipse viewing it is perfect since you drive up a hill to the winery. There is a very large open viewing area around it. The parking lot is small but if they were open I would consider this a great spot. Also the owner sounds like a fantastic human being who not only loves producing wine but also facilitates others to create their own by allowing them use of his incubator. He has helped with the production of over 30 wine brands.
5th was a stop at Cafe at the Ridge. I have been following them on facebook for awhile and the food looks amazing! And it tastes as good as it looks!.
Finally (with a growler from Pint and Plow in hand) we went back to the hotel where we will stay for the annular eclipse and made our way to our room for the night. We watched some youtube videos and finished the growler before heading to sleep. Tomorrow we were going to go to San Antonio to see the Alamo, check on my hotel there for the total eclipse, and then start the long drive home.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then before taking the road to San Antonio, we stopped at our last planned Kerrville stop. PAX Coffee. PAX is located in the heart of Kerrville just steps away from the Guadeloupe River. I know the town is planning events and I assume aside from their large beautiful park the river front will be another gathering place for visitors.
Whether I will view the eclipse from any of the businesses I visited in Kerrville or not I'm not sure but I know I will be back to all of them. Each one was unique and speaking to the staff they were inviting and welcoming. It will be interesting to feel the change in town between a regular Thursday to the day of the Annular Eclipse and finally the Total Eclipse.
The drive to San Antonio from Kerrville was a very important step in the trip because on the day of the eclipse we will need to take highway 10 from San Antonio north about 60 minutes to get to Kerrville. Now this has been much debated in my mind. Because I know I want to leave extra time to get there. The drive should be an hour but with a crunch of people heading to the hill country what will it look like on the actual day? Highway 10 is in good shape. For the most part it is two lanes in either direction. There is a service road on the side for a bit and a few times where it opens to three lanes for a short time. So I am feeling confident that with car loaded already the day of the eclipse we should be able to eat breakfast the hotel and then be on the road by 6:30am. We will see the eclipse. Our hotel is in the path (but only 40seconds of totality). Within a 20 minute drive we will be over 2 minutes of Totality. It will just be more comfortable at an actual place rather than on the highway.
When we reached San Antonio we went to try and see the Alamo... note try.. if you clicked on the link above that says 48 contiguous states you saw the first road trip was called "My Luck right" and earlier in this one we had to stop at a Ford Dealer for repairs. Well luck and I have always had an on again off again partnership. Its ok it builds character and a helpful appreciation for disappointment. Though this was also on me a bit. I did not know that there is a month long festival in San Antonio that culminates in the last week of April where basically the whole city is shut down, parking is way to expensive, and lots of people are everywhere. One kind Texas Ranger offered for us to leave our car, if we were going to be 20 minutes, with the vendors who were unloading but seeing the Alamo takes longer and since we know we will be returning to San Antonio we decided to skip it.
Next I went over to my hotel which is surrounded by all the shopping you could ever imagine or want! In fact a lot of what we saw of San Antonio was all the shopping you could ever want. I spoke to the clerk there to look at my reservation, confirm I did need it, that we would be traveling with a dog, and a pet fee was no issue. She said it all looks good but did advise me to call maybe three months out. I am probably going to continue calling each month and check in again in person when I go for the annular eclipse. Anything I can do to confirm yes I need and want that booking!
From there it was time to head home. It was almost noon so the drive home was going to be split in two days just like the drive there. And since it was going to take two days....... we stopped at Hot Springs Arkansas to try Superior Bathhouse Brewing.
It is a really good brewery and while I don't know if it is the best in America it is easily in my top five of breweries which is a list that spans across America. From the monster Bath flight board to the food to the interior decor to everything this brewery was the full package. Also for those keeping track of the fact that I said most of our drive was in the path of Totality.... this brewery and hot Springs will be a destination location for the big event! The large National Park will most certainly be an attractive location for anyone who wants an experience alone in nature for the eclipse. The town is a vacation town so those looking to party also seem like they will find many options on the main road. Now the only down side is like I said before the sun is in the sky and the eclipse is close to midday so it will be high. Hot Springs is very closed in (at least the main tourist road is as is the tree covered national park). Make sure you know what direction is what when looking to the sky.
From there the drive home was easy and we were home by midday Saturday.
TIKTOK videos
The ingredients are ready for awesome!
Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis and the Sun and Moon Cafe
Explore More and make a trip out of it!
Kokomo thinks you should see the eclipse
Size and distance makes the eclipse
Great Resources!
Interactive map by Xavier M. Jubier
