Not many people will ever have the chance to experience a solar eclipse in totality, but a Morden couple has now seen three of them. Roland and Phyllis Loeppky travelled to Nebraska a week ago to witness the August, 21 eclipse, and while due to cloudy conditions not a lot of people there saw the spectacular sight, the Loeppkys found themselves in just the right spot at the right time where the clouds cleared enough for them to see it.

During last week's eclipse, Roland noted he could actually see the planet Venus to the right of the sun.

On July 10,1972, just two days after their wedding, Roland and Phyllis saw their first eclipse from above the clouds in a chartered plane at Baker Lake, N.W.T.

Ever since he was a little boy on the farm, Roland was always fascinated with astronomy, and loved watching stars, planets, and the moon. Ahead of the 1972 eclipse, he was so intent on experiencing the eclipse at Baker Lake he joined the Royal Astronomical Society in Winnipeg for a chance to participate in a chartered flight up north.

Roland said the group chartered a war battered DC-3, which had bullet holes from World War 2. 

"We took that plane as old as it was and flew up to Baker Lake, but it was cloudy there." 

With just enough time to spare before the sun was fully hidden, Roland said they hopped back aboard the plane with a few others to see the eclipse above the clouds. "It wasn't the best viewing, but we were above the clouds and at least you could see."

In February 1979, the Loeppkys were able to view the total eclipse from Oak Point Highway Northwest of Winnipeg. Phyllis said, although they've now seen three solar eclipses in totality, the experiences were all very different.

"The one in February, (Winnipeg, 1979) was so cold that you really couldn't enjoy it as much, and the one in Baker Lake we were up in a plane, and we were just married so the emotions were all mixed between this. But I think this one (Nebraska, 2017) was the best," she said.

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(Pictures taken by Gerry Thiessen. Together with his wife Darlene the Thiessens also made the trek South to capture the rare celestial event. "It was an amazing experience," Darlene says, adding the results of the 1,092 km trip were definitely worth it.)