My fascination with the solar eclipse began in August of 2017 while watching a Little League World Series game in South Williamsport.

Although the moon only covered 75% of the sun that day, it was still a very interesting experience. Although vague childhood memories exist involving those eclipse glasses, this had been my first real memory of an eclipse.

The idea of witnessing an eclipse in totality, a bucket list item, became a reality for us today.

Our 4-hour trip to Erie this morning to accomplish our goal, was weighed down with doubt and massive clouds. It showered occasionally and was gloomy and gray. We considered changing our plan at least twice, looking for a place that had a better forecast. Unable to come up with an alternate plan that fit our time frame, we decided to see it through.

We arrived at Presque Isle State Park a bit before noon. We made our way to a boat launch area on the bay side of the Isle, where ample parking remained.

The visitors consisted of mostly adults and their pre-game activities were much like a sporting event. One group was tailgating complete with a grill, while another man assembled a large telescope. Most just found a spot at a picnic table or on the lawn with an unobstructed view over Lake Erie.

About 2 p.m., the skies suddenly cleared and the temperature rose to about 60 degrees. More visitors arrived and the parking lot filled.

Shortly thereafter, the moon began to pass in front of the sun. If you looked around at the crowd, everyone was mesmerized, staring straight up at the sun.

At 3:16 p.m., the total eclipse occurred. The skies went from bright to a late sunset darkness in an instant and the crowd cheered.

You could hear those gathered across the lake at a festival cheering. The temperature dropped about 15 degrees in that instant.

The totality lasted only 4 minutes and the skies became bright again just as quickly as they had darkened earlier.

This was the biggest difference from the 2017 eclipse, and it was beautiful.

Not knowing what to expect, the trip to Erie was well worth the time and effort. It was an amazing experience that I will always remember and cherish.