In anticipation of the highly-awaited total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, many intrepid travelers planned epic journeys to witness this celestial phenomenon. We made the journey in a way that most people probably didn’t . . . we undertook the journey by bus. This three-part series recounts the experiences and lessons learned from an ambitious six-day Greyhound trip from Oregon to Texas. Part 1 covered the essentials of preparing for and embarking on such a marathon bus voyage. Part 2 dives into the realities of life on the road, navigating the challenges and simple pleasures of slow travel. In the final installment, Part 3 reflects on the the practical things we learned along the way for anyone who is considering a trip like this.
Selena mural in the Oak Cliff Neighborhood
Fun Things to Do in Dallas
We had three days in Dallas to do some fun things and visit with our friends. We like art museums, so we all went to the Dallas Contemporary and saw some cool art by patrick martinez (that cool header image above is one of his works). We also went to a antique stores Benny Jack and Lula B’s Antique Mall, both of which are HUGE and really fun to wander through and dream about all the things we loved but couldn’t take home with us.
We also ate barbecue at Slow Bone, which was really great — if you go, be prepared to stand in line to get in, and to pay a pretty penny for the food. It weren’t cheap, as they say, but it was delicious. Best chicken sandwich I’ve had in my life, seriously!
Chicken sandwich at Slow Bone
We walked around the eclectic Oak Cliff neighborhood and took photos in front of the murals of Dolly Parton and Selena, and toured the retro Texas Theater, which is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after allegedly assassinating President Kennedy. You can’t visit Dallas without getting a tour of the Grassy Knoll, which we also did.
Texas Theater
The friends that we were staying with have two small dogs, so each night we all piled into the car and took “the boys” to White Rock Lake for a long walk. White Rock Lake is a natural area that feels like an escape from the city. The sunsets were gorgeous!
White Rock Lake Park in Dallas
Dallas to Eugene
When we woke up on eclipse day, it was very cloudy but breezy. I was really worried about the weather because I knew rain was coming in and it didn’t seem like the clouds were going to clear up. The clouds got thinner as the morning went on but there were still very heavy patches and I was afraid that during the 4 minutes we had for totality, that it would be totally covered up. Amazingly, just a minute before totality started, the clouds completely cleared up and the sky was clear for the rest of the afternoon!!!
Eclipse Day April 8 2017
In preparation for heading back, my partner had the bright idea to ship back some of the things we brought that we didn’t need. We packed up our extra clothes and reduced our load so we wouldn’t have as much stuff with us on the way back. We mailed off 2 boxes at UPS, and tot ready to leave at 1130pm from the Dallas station.
It was a little different on the way back. For one, we did not have to stop at Border Patrol but we did drive through the building. There was no one there. We tried to find food in El Paso. We walked around the block trying to find a cart that was on our maps, but it wasn’t there. If we had more time, I would have loved to explore it. I’ve never actually been to Mexico, but the streets we walked on looked like they could have been anywhere in Mexico. We found a Burger King but I got worried about time so we headed back. We ultimately would have had plenty of time for a fast-food order, but I wasn’t sure and I honestly didn’t trust the bus drivers not to drive off without us.
El Paso, Texas
When we got back on the bus we thought Don’s water bottle and my eye mask had been thrown away because we didn’t see them. Another bus driver had told us that anything left on the floor when they had to clean the buses would be considered trash and thrown away. We asked about our items but were told that if they weren’t there then they were thrown away and there was no way to get them back. Turns out, they had rolled under the seat so we found them, luckily. This bus driver didn’t enforce assigned seats and it caused confusion for people getting on, especially ones who don’t speak English. This time, there was no time for Starbucks in Los Angeles — we had to get right on the new bus and leave. In Fresno, we found a place called Shep’s Club, a divey bar across the street from the Fresno station. They were open early in the morning and I got a beautiful and most welcome avocado toast and my partner got a huge chorizo burrito. We both got coffees. That was the best food at any stop on the whole trip.
Avocado toast at Shep’s Club in Fresno, California
In Oakland there is a black-owned food co-op across the street from the BART Station called Mandela Grocery Cooperative, so we could at least get something to eat and a snack. But there was nothing else around. Leaving Oakland, we got nice views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay.
Oakland, California Bay as seen from the bus.
The electrical outlets didn’t work on this leg and it was extra hot when we boarded, then it got too cold. In Redding, the driver told people not to go into the stores because past passengers had stolen and passengers weren’t allowed in now. At least a couple people did go in to the stores, and the driver was yelling at them about it and asking why they had gone in to the stores when he told them not to. A passenger in the back was being really irate about the outlets not working and the cost of her ticket and was complaining that the driver had gotten to go into the store to get coffee but the passengers weren’t allowed to. The driver threatened to kick her off the bus if she didn’t get her temper under control. She got her temper under control.
A new driver took over in Roseburg. We arrived in Eugene almost 2 hours later than when we were supposed to get there.
All in all, after having driven more than 2,293 miles, to have been only a couple hours past schedule both there and back was actually pretty good.
. . .
Vanessa Salvia is an accomplished freelance writer and editor with extensive experience creating high-quality content for various mediums. Her work spans writing articles for newspapers and magazines, crafting SEO-optimized web content, and assisting authors in polishing their book manuscripts. To learn more about her services and portfolio, visit vanessasalvia.com.
