Kris Light with husband Kenny, along with the sly Knox the Fox, headed to Texas last week with seeing the total eclipse on April 8 as the end destination.
Since the weather dampened the full experience of the eclipse, it is opportune that the Lights planned a four-state tour on the way down, if you don’t count Tennessee, of course.
Easter Parade bunny hats for Kris Light
With a stop at the University of Alabama to visit Big Al, an appease to Kenny, the trip continued through Mississippi and on to Louisiana with a big stop in New Orleans.
Surprised at the number of pot holes and cracks, Kris said the roads and sidewalks in the French Quarter are atrocious, but it didn’t thwart their visit. They continued to the New Orleans Aquarium and Insectarium, ending with surviving a stroll down Bourbon Street.
From fortune telling to Easter parades, Kris counted 16 fortune tellers and palm readers in front of the cathedral at Jackson Square and then participated in three Easter Parades in the French Quarter. There is truly something for everyone in New Orleans.
Leaving Louisiana for Texas, Kris and Kenny stopped in Houston for a science day at the Johnson Space Center. They visited the 747 with Space Shuttle on top, saw moon rocks in boxes made at Y-12, and touched one of the only moon rocks available to touch in the world.
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- 747 with Shuttle on top
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- Kris touched the moon rock in a box made at Y-12 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
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- End of Saturn 5 rocket
A stop in San Antonio allowed a visit to the Mission San José, which was built by the natives as a trade-off with the Spanish missionaries to be protected from the Apache tribes. Much of the mission has been restored due to age.
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- Sign going into San Antonio
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- Mission San José
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- Inside the Mission San José
Driving the backroads in lieu of the interstate provided the view of wildflower fields and varieties Kris was looking for on this trip. Her goal every time she goes into an new area is to identify at least 100 wildflowers. She was up to 91 at one point of this trip and I am sure she surpassed her goal on the way home.
On the way to the destination, Kris and Kenny stopped at three different parks to hike. Government Canyon State Natural Area was a six-mile venture that allowed viewing of dinosaur tracks, often covered by water. The tracks in the picture are from theropods which were 2-legged, three-toed creatures. The larger sauropod which had four-legged tracks were not as visible.
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- Texas wildlife hike
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- Fields of wildflowers
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- Knox observes dinosaur tracks
The Lights arrived at the eclipse viewing destination of Concan with a questionable forecast for seeing the full reveal on Monday. The weather was cloudier than not, but the couple did see the totality for about 15 seconds, even seeing the solar flares. Kris missed an actual photo, but was able to video the progression of darkness.
On the way home, the Lights watched 10 million Mexican Free-tail bats came flying out of a cave! “An amazing experience,” says Kris.
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- Kenny & Kris during the eclipse 4.8.24
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- Totality of eclipse in Concan, Texas 4.8.24
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- Rescued bat that fell to ground
What an week of adventure. Knox the Fox is off to Colorado Springs next week!
Knox the Fox loves to share your trips so share yours with susan@knoxtntoday.com.