Boonville woman has been planning for solar eclipse for six months

BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is expecting large crowds across the state for Monday's solar eclipse and advising Mid-Missourians to plan ahead.

Janice Poole, of Boonville, has been planning for Monday's eclipse since October. Even then, she said it was hard to find anywhere to stay in the path of totality.

"We were hoping to camp somewhere, but everywhere I looked was full," Poole said. "So, then I started looking at hotels, Cape Girardeau all up and down, and they were either full or very expensive."

ABC 17 News looked up prices of hotels in Cape Girardeau for Sunday night. Many were sold out, with the only available rooms being around $1,000. According to Choice Hotels, a room on Sunday night cost $998. Next Sunday night on April 14, a room at the same hotel is $98.

Poole and her husband ended up booking a hotel in Willow Springs, three hours west of Cape Girardeau for $131 a night. They plan to drive east on Monday morning to get closer to the path of totality.

"I thought I was planning, you know, I had six months," Poole said. "So, I'm really glad I went ahead and booked it because there's nothing hardly now."

Poole is an amateur photographer and knew after 2017's eclipse, that she wanted to photograph the 2024 eclipse. She's crossing her fingers for no cloud cover.

"It was so exciting for it to look like nothing I've ever seen before," Poole said. "So, I'm hoping that happens again."

Poole isn't the only Mid-Missourian expecting to travel. MoDOT is expecting people from all over the state and the country to come to Missouri for the eclipse. Spokesperson Taylor Brune said while the southeast part of the state will be the busiest, other parts of the state aren't immune from traffic impacts.

"Interstate 70 and Highway 63 are both considered major routes here in Missouri, they definitely have the potential for increased traffic leading up to the eclipse and day of the eclipse as people are flocking out of southern Missouri," Brune said.

Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead, show up to their viewing site early and avoid traveling after the eclipse, if possible.

The path of totality. Graphic by The Associated Press.

"Get to where you're going early and then stay put for a little bit after the eclipse," Brune said. "Allow that traffic time to filter out so that we're not clogging up the highway system."

Some safety tips for drivers include:

• Don't stop on the shoulder along major roadways.
• Don't take photographs while driving.
• Don't wear eclipse glasses while driving.
• Turn on headlights during the eclipse, since it will get dark.
• Be aware of pedestrians along smaller roads.

Travelers can check traffic conditions on MoDOT's Traveler Information Map.

Poole said her and her husband will arrive in Willow Springs on Sunday and leave on Tuesday morning.

"We'll probably go out a little early (Monday), try to find the best place and set up my camera equipment and be ready to go," Poole said.

In Columbia, the Convention and Visitors Bureau said it is not anticipating an influx of visitors since Columbia is not in the line of totality. Multiple hotels in the area say they have not had an increase in bookings.

Missouri's state parks are hosting special eclipse viewing events both within the totality and near it. A full list is posted on the parks' website. Sites include Finger Lakes State Park, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and Jefferson Landing in Jefferson City.