We drove up to Kansas City from the DFW area for the 2017 total eclipse and were faced with rain when we woke. We ended up chasing the sun and driving about two hours to the west and ended up setting up in a Walmart parking lot about 30 minutes prior to totality.

I can say from personal experience that it was magical as the moon completely covered the sun and you got the diamond ring effect. The air noticeably cooled 10 to 15 degrees, the crickets started chirping, the stars came out and there was an air of excitement from everyone around us. I think it's just something you have to experience first hand to really appreciate.

I'm now looking outside at a sun partially obscured by high clouds, but with a high probability that I'm going to be able to experience my second full eclipse in my backyard for two minutes of totality (we were hoping to drive to areas where we'd get double that, but with the clouds being hit or miss we decided to stay home). I'm giddy with excitement and can't wait to have this awesome experience for the second time within a decade.