It has been a DAY for people trying to get back from Wyoming. Thousands left to check out areas of totality - where the moon would completely block out the sun!
While it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sight - the same could be said for the sight at a Sinclar gas station in Glendo, Wyoming (where our own reporter Noel Brennan and photojournalist Anne Herbst spent hours in traffic moving three miles). Over a hundred cars packed into a single gas station, according to Jacy Marmaduke with the Coloradoan.
If you were to look at Interstate 25 just south of the Wyoming border around 10 p.m. Monday night, you would see an unusual - but completely understandable - sight: a snake of headlights coming from our neighboring state to the north.
At least 100 cars at this gas station in Glendo, Wyoming #eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/C4yqUjPpeg
— Jacy Marmaduke (@jacymarmaduke) August 22, 2017
That would have been the smoothest traffic all day on Monday, as many cars sat in a stop-and-go traffic for hours during the day Monday.
North of the border, in Glendo, there was a backup stretching more than 25 miles.
As drivers rushed to get back to Colorado before sundown as quickly as possible when the eclipse ended, they ran into some serious traffic. The Colorado Department of Transportation said the highway say about 5,000 cars per hour.
That's nearly 18,000 more than usual.
4p and I-25 now at a dead stop southbound at Glendo. People have cars shut off conserving fuel. not on 25 myself but I can see it #9news pic.twitter.com/cKzM071dcJ
— Will Swope (@willswope1) August 22, 2017
"Just take a shortcut," you might say if you were travel-savvy. Nope.
Highway 85 and Highway 30 were just two of the roads jam packed with drivers trying to avoid the I-25 mess.
It took one 9NEWS producer six hours to go 10 miles.
Some drivers even gave up and decided to camp out along 85!
If you're stuck out there - we feel for you! And hope you get home safely! Just ask yourself one thing - was the trip worth it? We think we know the answer.