Monday’s total solar eclipse did not disappoint for those willing to venture  just a bit to the south of Monroe County and deal with traffic on main thoroughfares. 

Some opted to stay in Monroe County despite the vast majority of territorial boundaries being just outside the path of totality. 

Among the places hosting eclipse viewing parties locally were Sunset Overlook off Bluff Road in Columbia and both Stubborn German Brewing and Uncle John’s RRR Bar in downtown Waterloo. 

Local resident Mike Fausz said he wanted to experience the celestial spectacle with the same friends he partied with at Stubborn German during the eclipse in 2017, in which Waterloo was in the path of totality.

“To me, it’s more about who you share the moment with,” Fausz said.

Perhaps the most lasting moment for many in this area was the sight of heavy traffic on Route 3, which saw backups all the way from Red Bud to Columbia. 

There were even reports of traffic tied up on I-255 eastbound near the Jefferson Barracks Bridge in Columbia.

Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe said the sheriff’s department and emergency management agency officials were stationed throughout the county to make sure there were no issues as part of Monday’s eclipse. 

Other than the expected bottlenecks at traffic lights on Route 3 in Waterloo and Columbia, Scheibe said there were no real issues to report in Monroe County. 

“Everything went OK here,” he said.

Scheibe added that his personnel observed an abundance of such license plates as Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Texas and several other states traveling south  on Monday. 

As for Ames Road from Route 3 south to VV Road, Scheibe said that was “probably the most traffic” that stretch of roadway has ever seen.

In contrast to the deluge of vehicles jammed on southbound Route 3, some locals opted to take the roads less traveled – that being Kaskaskia Road and Bluff Road south to Fort de Chartres in Prairie du Rocher.

While Red Bud enjoyed  about one minutes and 20 seconds of totality, Prairie du Rocher saw nearly two minutes of totality.

During the eclipse viewing at the fort, attendees walked the grounds of the French fortification first built in 1720 to take in some sun-soaked – and then moon-covered – history of their own.

One woman celebrated her 95th birthday in style during the eclipse at the fort, and one person played the 1980s song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler over their mobile phone during the moment of totality. 

The immense traffic on Route 3 was again evident on the northbound side following Monday’s eclipse. 

Fortunately, no issues were reported.

A particular phenomenon during this year’s eclipse included the appearance of solar flares during totality. 

Solar flares are emissions of electromagnetic radiation in the sun’s atmosphere. 

Those in the American midwest will have to wait a lot longer or travel for the next such eclipse –  the next events in North America are not anticipated until 2044 and 2045.

The 2044 total solar eclipse will mostly appear  in Canada. It will be visible from three states in the U.S.: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. 

On Aug, 12, 2045, the eclipse will be visible from California east to Florida, similar to 2017.

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