Sisters Took an Eclipse Trip

The sisters drove to French lick, Indiana, to view the total eclipse. –Photo submitted.

The sisters drove to French lick, Indiana, to view the total eclipse. –Photo submitted.

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By Karen Haave
The excitement over the solar eclipse was not lost on four Monee sisters, who drove to Indiana to experience it first-hand.
Eliese “Lisa” Diercks, Christi Holston, Sheila Langenfeld and Nancy Langenfeld take what they have dubbed “The Sister Trip” every year, and this time decided it would be to French Lick to view the eclipse. They were not disappointed.
It was wonderful!” Sheila Langenfeld enthused. “I want to do it again! It was fun to see it with a group of friends and strangers, all there to experience a natural phenomenon together.”
Nancy Langenfeld agreed. “I enjoyed the feeling of camaraderie with people all across the country, all of us sharing the experience. The way the sky darkened and the red haze along the horizon was gorgeous,” she said.
For Christi Holston, “It was an amazing experience. I didn’t realize before that you wouldn’t see a big difference in brightness until that moment when the sun was completely covered, and then it was night in an instant, not gradual at all. It was magical.”
Lisa Diercks noted the location was an important part of it all, and “Witnessing the total eclipse this year was a wonderful experience. We watched it from a meadow at the top of a peaceful hill, and we got a chance to hear and see the changes it brought, as well as seeing it.”
Holston explained the French Lick trip marked the second time the sisters had viewed a total eclipse.
“We took our first annual Sister Trip as adults in 2017 to see the total eclipse together in Carbondale, so this trip felt like a celebration of both viewings,” she said. “Our mother, Betty Diercks, was with us on that first eclipse trip and, at age 90, it was her first total eclipse. It was the first trip for the four of us, as well. Mom passed away in 2019, so this trip was a way to remember her and share another moment with our Mom.”
Holston noted the 2017 Eclipse trip “was definitely Lisa’s idea. She has always been the one to keep the rest of us apprised of current events. When this eclipse came up, it was just a given that we would want to go together to relive that first trip.”  
Actual physical changes in the sunlight and environment weren’t noticeable initially, the women said. At first, nothing was different, but as the moon covered more of the sun, there was a subtle change in the light. It started to look like twilight, with about 45 percent coverage, and the temperature got cooler.
“Totality silenced the birds, and we no longer saw any in the sky. When we looked around, it looked like sunset all around the horizon. We heard frogs singing their evening songs in the distance. The sun was a black disc surrounded by an orange corona,” Holston said. “It was very moving. Almost immediately as the moon’s shadow started to slip away from the sun, the birds began to sing their morning songs, for the second time that day. It sounded joyful! The day soon returned to normal, but not before the final thrill of two white-tailed deer bounding out of their hiding place right before us.”
Making arrangements for the trip took some time, even for seasoned travelers like the Diercks sisters.
We decided to go to French Lick, Indiana,” Holston said. “We booked our hotel back in November and even then it was hard to find a hotel in the 100 percent totality path. It was great to experience the small-town festival they put on!
“French Lick is in a very hilly part of southern Indiana. Our viewing area was on top of an open ridge and was a beautiful, grassy spot. Our visibility was perfect. Rain had been predicted, but the day was a warm 70 degrees with bright sunshine. It couldn’t have been better!
“It was a great experience, made all the better by being spent together and remembering our Mom, who would have loved every minute of it. We checked and the next total eclipse is in two years in Spain,”she said, “so who knows, we may do it again!”

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The sisters drove to French lick, Indiana, to view the total eclipse. –Photo submitted.

Sisters Took an Eclipse Trip

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Spread the loveBy Karen Haave The excitement over the solar eclipse was not lost on four Monee sisters, who drove to Indiana to experience it first-hand. Eliese “Lisa” Diercks, Christi Holston, Sheila Langenfeld and Nancy Langenfeld take what they have dubbed “The Sister Trip” every year, and this time decided it would be to French…


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