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Total Solar Eclipse Enthralls But Ride Home Leaves Something To Be Desired

DETROIT (WWJ) - It was the traffic jam of all traffic jams.

Jason Gottschalk and his family from Utica, Michigan decided to road trip to Hopkinsville, Kentucky to take in the solar eclipse Monday.

He says it was great, until they got in the car to go home. Construction combined with heavier than normal traffic made the drive less than ideal.

Solar Eclipse Visible Across Swath Of U.S.
Traffic is backed up in the northbound lanes of Interstate 57 following the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 near Johnston, Illinois. With approximately 2 minutes 40 seconds of totality the area in Southern Illinois experienced the longest duration of totality during the eclipse. Millions of people watched the eclipse as it cut a path of totality 70 miles wide across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina on August 21. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"It took 16 hours to get home because every road headed north out of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, had all lanes reduced to one lane at some point. We sat through a 23 mile back-up of four-lanes to one lane, and then we sat through a 15 mile backup of two lanes to one lane and then we sat through a seven mile back up of two lanes to one lane," said Gottschalk.

The drive from Michigan to that area would normally run about 10 hours.

"There were a couple times people got out and wandered around for a while because nothing was going on," he said. "It was one of those traffic jams that was exhausting because you would move one car length like every 10 seconds - so you couldn't get out and stretch your legs, you couldn't put it in park for very long."

Despite all that, Gottscahlk says seeing the first total eclipse in 99 years was worth it, "it was totally wonderful," like nothing he had ever seen, and he would definitely do it again he said, "but the drive home left a lot to be desired."

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