In 2017, a total solar eclipse passed through Columbia, South Carolina . . . and for me it was like a religious experience. Nothing could have prepared me for the feelings that solar eclipse brought and there are no words in the English language to describe them. A Ring of Fire eclipse (99.8% of totality) happened in May of 1984 when I was a child. I had been anticipating it for a year and assumed my elementary school would let us go outside and see it. They even said they would. And then on the day of the eclipse, they said there was too much of a risk that us kids would look directly at the sun and go blind, so they made us stay in our classroom. My classroom had no windows. I could hear kids in the hallway commenting “Oh my goodness! It’s so dark! This is wild!” and I swore that if I ever got a chance again, I would see if for myself! That happened in 2017. And after that experience, I researched the next one I could see — April 2024 — and swore that I would! (And if you couldn’t tell, I’m still salty about the one I missed in 1984).
I have a dear sweet young friend who lives in Stephenville, Texas with her precious family. I saw that they would be on the edge of totality and decided that we would try to combine the eclipse trip with a visit. I talked with her mom and she suggested we stay in Hico, TX. Hico would get several minutes of totality … and it’s also just the cutest town you can imagine. And when we drove in, we saw this darling sign celebrating the eclipse.
And we were able to get a room at the most darling hotel. If you are ever anywhere close to Hico, TX, be sure to stay at the Midland Hotel! I cannot emphasize this enough. Remember: Hico Texas. Midland Hotel. You will be so glad you did!
Mitch and I had a long drive from the airport in Dallas, but I had a made playlist of every song I could find that mentions Texas, so we were entertained the whole way. When we checked in, the proprietor at the Midland Hotel could not have been sweeter! She said “Oh y’all are our guests from South Carolina!” She told us that they were blocking out an extra day for everyone in case we couldn’t get out after the eclipse, and that they had stocked up on food and water “just in case.” I later learned that some people were taking the day off work to protect their property in case of the unexpected. And others planned to stay inside with the doors locked. The local newspaper warned of the possibility of losing cell service or power and noted that law enforcement and first responders would be increasing patrols. We told everyone we talked with that there was nothing to worry about, that we’d been to the 2017 eclipse and that it’s just a wonderful experience!
And since we arrived a few days early (b/c no way we would risk arriving too late), we had time to explore Hico and Stephenville . . . and visit Dinosaur Valley State Park (how did I not know this existed?!) First, Hico. We strolled their darling streets and shopped and ate at their delicious local restaurants and saloons.
Every morning, we would head out to Buzzed Brumby to get a coffee and breakfast and then we would continue on exploring their little town and meeting their friendly shopkeepers.
In the afternoon, we would go back to relax at the Midland Hotel. The balcony was right outside our room, so we had a wonderful view of the town and sunset.
We had a very special dinner at Oma Leans Restaurant. We made reservations and I am so glad we did because although the town seemed very small and quiet, people were coming in from all over once evening came. There were lots of happy and excited young people dressed in formal dresses and tuxedos having dinner before a formal. The atmosphere in the whole town felt so special. I don’t know if that was the formal dance, the anticipation of the eclipse, or just how it always feels. But there is an unmistakable sweetness among the residents of this part of Texas.
On our free day before the eclipse, We went out to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Dinosaur World is on the way, but it is not the same. It is just has a very fancy entrance, so I took a picture.
Dinosaur Valley State Park is a phenomenon I had no idea existed before we planned this trip, but it is the kind of thing I would fly to Dallas and then drive hours to experience. We were able to wade into the streams and put our feet into the tracks left by dinosaurs millions of years ago! How amazing is that?! How amazing it is that those tracks are still here?! This was an area called The Ballroom because it looks like several different types dinosaurs just got together and had a big dance. The pictures don’t do it justice. AND this is another place where if you haven’t made a reservation, you are likely to be turned away. We saw cars making U-Turns at the entrance because they hadn’t bought the tickets ahead of time and made a reservation to get in. Click here to make reservations.
Then we went to visit our friends’ ranch in Stephenville. Paige Duke Murray grew up in Lancaster. Her precious grandparents were dear friends of my parents and her own parents’ wedding was the first wedding I remember going to as a child. I remember everyone was so excited when Paige and her sisters were born and I loved hearing about these beautiful girls’ childhood as relayed by their precious southern belle grandmother. Paige is married to rodeo star Ty Murray and they are raising their precious little girl on the most wildly beautiful ranch with the sweetest animals.
I think animals take on the personalities of their humans and Paige’s Funny Farm definitely has done that. These animals are gentle and funny and sweet. My favorite was Blue Dog.
Be sure to follow Paige on Instagram and check out her children’s books about life on the ranch: PaigeMurray.com . These would make great gifts for the children in your life!
And now the eclipse. Back at the Midland Hotel, we got out our eclipse glasses and headed out to the porch to watch the progress. A crowd started gathering in the town square and the chamber of commerce played the coolest playlist . . . Blue Moon, It’s the End of the World as we Know It . . . and police cars patrolled the block over and over to make sure there were no shenanigans.
Mitch and I danced on the balcony. We had the whole place to ourselves up there and we’d been taking ballroom dance classes since before the pandemic, so we just danced like no one was watching – because they were not. And then totality. And I cried. They say the second time you experience something profound that it’s not as great. That does not apply to a total solar eclipse. It was just as remarkable and otherworldly as it was the first time.
And pictures don’t do it justice. There is just no way to capture what we saw. And it lasted several minutes because we were near the center of totality. And eventually the sun came back out and we went for a walk to see the frilly shadows that are cast when the sun is emerging after an eclipse.
And then there was sunset. And the close of a perfect visit to Hico, Texas.
Hearing the Whispers 
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