TULSA, Okla. — Oklahomans made their way back home from the path of totality during the evening of April 9. Many traveled to nearby Idabel, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Arkansas to see the eclipse in its full potential, including a mother and son from Stillwater, who decided to go just a few days before the eclipse.
"Your whole life, you can’t do this," Collett Campbell, of Stillwater, said.
Except for April 8, she could. Which is why she and her son Alleyn high-tailed it from Stillwater to Russellville, Arkansas to experience the unique moment together. The trip was not possible without some workarounds.
In the week leading up to the eclipse, Alleyn spoke with his classmates about his desire to see it in person. The only problem: an exam. Alleyn and his classmates convinced their professor at Oklahoma State University to cancel class and reschedule the test.
"If you’re going, I’m going with you," Collett told Alleyn.
The Campbells looked at Dallas, Texas, Idabel, Oklahoma and Russellville, Arkansas for possible trips.
The weather, the price of a hotel, and the small-town aura all played in Russellville's favor. All that juggling for four minutes of an eclipse.
"It seemed like 15," minutes Collett said.
The Campbells joined thousands of others in Russellville, for an experience they could not fully describe.
"I didn’t know what to think, it was just cool and you just looked up there, and you couldn’t not look up there," Alleyn said.
"You could see stars up in the sky. Which was weird for it to be 2 o’clock in the afternoon," Collett said.
They spoke with 2 News during a bumper-to-bumper drive back to Stillwater. Despite the heavy traffic, they would not have traded the experience.
"At first, I thought, how could this be that different from what I saw in Stillwater before," Collet said, "You could see everything you see on tv but it’s actually with your own eyes."
The Campbells made it back to Stillwater after dark.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
