HILLSBORO, Texas — "We'll pop right at the moment of totality," said Hillsboro visitor, Jennifer Shanklane.
Jennifer and Scott Shanklanes planned this day seven years ago in Nashville after the last solar eclipse in 2017 — that's when they knew they needed to head to Hillsboro to experience it again.
“Hillsboro is literally show center for the eclipse," Scott Shanklane said.
"We invited our family to come here and experience it from Texas."
The couple says their family traveled from the Midwest for the eclipse, and don't have a single regret.
“It’s almost like a spiritual experience," Scott said.
"It gets so dark so quickly because you have partial and then when it gets to totality the whole environment changes, the animals the birds quit singing."
This special moment in time is what captured the hearts of Audrey & Gavin Miller to say 'I do' during the last eclipse. After that, she said she's traveling from Arizona to Hillsboro to see the eclipse was on their to-do list.
“I’m hoping that we don’t get rained out, we kinda did last time but the clouds parted right at totality — right as we said our vows and it was so perfect I’m hoping for something a little bit better and a chance to take better pictures this time," Audrey said.
But Audrey Miller isn’t the only person Hillsboro that traveled from afar — 25 News also came across a couple from Austria who decided to stop in Hillsboro.
“A secure place with a halfway mark and we found a few places and Hillsboro was on our way to San Antonio, so it was absolutely clear that we got here,” Christian Singer, who traveled from Austria to Hillsboro.
For the Shanklane’s this moment will always be cherished.
“You just can’t describe that to people that haven’t been through a totality experience," Jennifer said.
