SEATTLE — As KING 5 has reported, Washington state will only see a partial eclipse on Monday, peaking at 11:29 a.m., with 20% of the sun covered by the moon. But 20% just wasn’t enough for many locals of the Pacific Northwest.
For this reason, western Washingtonians have been flocking to states that are thousands of miles away, like Texas and Arkansas.
"I teach at North Hill Elementary in Des Moines, Washington," said Tricia Sewell, a second grade teacher at North Hill Elementary. "If the internet holds, we're going to try to livestream for some of our kids over there.”
Sewell said she drove her motorhome from Western Washington to London, Arkansas. She and her family know how rare and special a solar eclipse is.
"We have our telescope set up, also, so we can take some pictures," she said. In 2017 she also took photos of the solar eclipse in Oregon.
Sewell is not the only Washingtonian who saw that eclipse and is now chasing this year’s one.
"Our friends that take us out, and we go camping and fishing and hunting, they're kind of full-time RVers now, David and Susan here," said Lorilee Gill, a woman from Spokane. "We kind of got them on board and said, 'Let's go do this as a group,' and they said, 'Okay!' And planned it out," she said.
Their friend group drove from Spokane to Kerrville, Texas- nearly 2,000 miles- just to be in the path of totality this year.
"As it's coming out of it, you start feeling like it's... the sun, the birds start chirping again," explained Gill's daughter, who also had experienced the 2017 eclipse.
This year, Texas seemed to be a popular choice for Washingtonians.
"Kind of made this a Spring Break trip," said Julie Meyer Long, a Woodinville woman who traveled with her family for about 2,150 miles to San Antonio, Texas.
Her 12-year-old daughter, Rose, said she is excited for Monday's eclipse, "because it's cool."
From taking pictures in front of Texas' wildflowers to visiting the petting zoos, they’re making the most of their time in the Lone Star State.
The same can be said for Sherilyn Brown, a hospice social worker from Portland who traveled about 2,200 miles to Boerne, Texas for the eclipse.
"It was really a matter of trying to figure out how was the most affordable way to get down here," said Brown.
She is hoping for clear skies, and is "watching carefully to see what the weather's like.”
Still, even if it is cloudy or she somehow misses this year's view of the eclipse, she is determined to stay optimistic.
"I did just read that there was gonna be one, what, in 2026? In Iceland and Spain and Portugal? You know, maybe, maybe we got to start planning another trip, I don't know," she said, laughing.
Even though the moon will only block about 20% of the sun in Western Washington, a viewing party is being held here locally.
The Seattle Astronomical Society is hosting a gathering outside of the University of Washington's physics and astronomy building. Telescopes and eclipse glasses will be provided.