FREDERICKSBURG, Texas – In 2017, I remember standing outside KSAT studios with Adam Caskey and the KSAT weather crew saying “this is cool, but just wait...”. That’s because we knew what was coming in seven years.
All of that anticipation and buildup ended in an eclipse that I’ll remember forever. Despite cloud cover, it lived up to its billing.
When the bosses first announced I’d be headed to Fredericksburg with Adam Caskey for the event, I knew right then that this would be an epic adventure. Adam, after all, doesn’t lack enthusiasm -- ever.
We secured some cabins for all six of our crew: Adam and myself, along with photojournalists Ken Huizar and Adam Higgins, engineers Henry Rocha and Charles Lozano. What ensued was pure excitement, enjoyment, and fun.
COLORFUL CHARACTERS
We got straight to work when we arrived to Fredericksburg a few days before the eclipse. We headed into town and interviewed visitors. One of the first people we met was Ken from Sabine Parish Louisiana... or as he put it SAH-bean Parish. His answers were solid gold. When asked what he expected to see, Ken’s answer was: “for the moon to move in front of the sun” while holding a Lone Star beer. His laugh afterwards might have been even funnier. Also, he wasn’t wrong.
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
Our cabins (Lone Star Cabins along Highway 290) were stellar. We had plenty of beds and couches to accommodate. Still, Adam is a man who loves the outdoors (you should see his ice fishing videos), so he opted to sleep in the bed of his truck in a pop-up tent. To be fair, the weather was nice! He even gave a tour of the tent, which we called KSAT Cribs.
PARTY ANIMALS
This is the part of the trip I could have never seen coming. After gathering interviews on Sunday, we decided to grab some food at a local restaurant. While talking with the owner, a family walked up and asked us if we wanted to see something. The daughter revealed that she was holding a baby possum. She explained that it was her dad’s pet and that they had nursed it back to health. It became the family pet. She then proceeded to put the possum on my shoulder.
Adam also spotted a bearded dragon shopping with a patron. Most of the shops were animal friendly and so many people had they pets with them -- most notably dogs. Some of which wore glasses, just in case, during the eclipse.
And if you thought the “party animal” headline was talking about us, you’d be mostly wrong. Sure, we had a beer or two (it is Fredericksburg after all!), but we didn’t get too crazy during our hours off the clock.
THE CANDLE
While walking the streets on Sunday, we came across a candle shop, advertising an eclipse candle. Naturally, we had to see what it was all about. The candle, as it was explained to us, was the most popular scent of candle, with an eclipse 2024 sticker slapped on. Adam had the brilliant idea of purchasing the candle and using it to bring us good luck with the impending cloud cover. It was a running theme throughout our trip. He kept it (mostly) lit. Did it help? We’d like to think so. The clouds broke up just enough for us to get some peeks of the eclipse.
WORLD EVENT
We did expect to see people from all over the country and world, but it was still surprising just how many people made long journeys to see eclipse. We talked to people from Poland, Germany, Türkiye, Ireland, England, France, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, and even the small European country of Luxembourg! Fun fact: we learned that people there speak Luxembourgish, which is a mix of French and German.
ONE-OF-A-KIND THERMOMETER
During totality, Adam blew glass to be the first person EVER to make a thermometer during a total solar eclipse. Those gathered to see the eclipse watched him as worked with the flame, darkness fell over Fredericksburg. He hasn’t said yet what he plans to do with the thermometer, but one thing is for sure, it’ll be highly coveted!
THE ECLIPSE
And of course, we had the main event to top it all off. It was everything I hoped for and more.
All of this to say that it was a trip I won’t soon forget. There were just some of the highlights, and while I was sad my family couldn’t experience it there with me, it was great to spend it with my KSAT family.
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