'It's Going To Be Super Cool': Twin Cities Students Hit The Road To See Total Eclipse

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Students from all over the Metro are setting off for the road trip of a lifetime.

They are driving to see Monday's eclipse in its totality. We should see over 80 percent in the Cities, weather pending.

But there are spots from coast to coast where you can see a full eclipse for two minutes.

Students from the Blake School took off Sunday morning, heading to Kansas City, Missouri, and a group of 50 eclipse-seekers are setting out from Eden Prairie.

We caught up with the crew as they were prepping to take off.

Rod Fisher is an astronomy teacher at the International School of Minnesota. He is taking students and their families to see Monday's total eclipse, from the front lines.

"We look at eclipses, we teach about them and then go, oh wait, there's one coming right here, we gotta do it," Fisher said.

Fifty people quickly signed up. They even designed a logo.

Preston Dahlen is a junior at the school.

"I'm actually really pumped, it's going to be super cool and I'm really excited to see it," Dahlen said.

Apurva Balaji is a freshman, she says it's a once in a lifetime experience.

"It's a 10 hour drive, that's not too bad, so it seemed really interesting so I wanted to go," she said.

Funny thing is, they don't know where they are driving to, either Nebraska or Wyoming, depending on cloud cover.

"Comments I've heard are saying, it doesn't matter what happens, this is gonna be so fun," Fisher said.

They are armed with supplies. International School of Minnesota spotted them a large telescope, they'll be taking protected photos and glasses -- it's all about the eyewear.  Fisher explains those glasses must be handled with care.

"Any little scratch or crack in these things means sunlight can come directly through and that's too much," he said.

He's a scientist -- glad so many others are realizing the fiery star is cool.

"The coolest part is that this involves millions of Americans just kind of focused on nature and science and the natural world for at least a day, which is really awesome," he said.

Students tell WCCO's Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield they are really looking forward to seeing the corona -- that's when the moon blocks the sun and you can see all these beautiful rays streaming down.

The students will be back in Minnesota quickly. It's a 24 hour road trip, the bus is their hotel.