TEXARKANA, Texas -- The opportunity to stand in the path of totality Monday for the solar eclipse is drawing visitors to Texarkana from near and quite far away.
Take the Jarvis and Barratt families. The two married couples are from England and have been in the U.S. -- one of their many trips to country over the decades -- since March. The Gazette caught up with them near the Civil War memorial outside the federal building downtown.
Who are they?
Roger and Julie Jarvis and David and Rita Barratt
Where is home?
The Jarvises are from Milton Keynes, about 50 miles northwest of London. The Barratts live in Northampton, which is about 60 miles northwest of London.
What brings them to Texarkana?
"The dual state -- Arkansas-Texas -- line. We're on our way further into Texas to see the the eclipse on Monday, and we're just hoping that you're going to guarantee us lovely, cloudless, blue skies, but that seems maybe not the case for Monday," Roger said.
The quartet plan to experience the eclipse in Greenville.
Where have they traveled so far?
"We started in New Orleans, and saw the Easter parades in New Orleans, which got funnier and busier the more people drank alcohol. So the afternoon ones were much more fun than the morning," Roger said. "And then we went from there to Baton Rouge and a couple of nights there, and then Shreveport and now here."
After the eclipse, the friends will travel to Florida, near Tampa, before flying home.
What are their impressions of Texarkana?
"It's very different to some of the places we've been. It looks like we're going back in time," Rita said.
"We parked down by the railway station, and there seems to be more police cars than people," said Roger, chuckling.