Family Eclipse Adventure....

 Over a year ago, my family started planning to all go to the total eclipse.  Doug and Susie and Gwen and Tim both have campers and planned to camp.  Initially, I said I would book a hotel room close by and still be able to be with all them for the eclipse.  A campground was chosen in Southern Indiana that was in the center of the band of totality.  Both families made sure to book their camp site exactly when the date opened.  They had picked two campsites next to each other at the end of a cul-de-sac on the camp road.  It looked like there was an open center area which might work for viewing the eclipse.  I booked my hotel a year in advance.  Less than a month from the date, the hotel notified me that the "rate" had changed on my reservation.  I tried to get them to honor the rate, but it simply wasn't worth the fight (or the $900 they were charging).  So I opted to camp, sleeping with Doug and Susie's family in their camper, since they have more room with only two kids.  I was riding to the campsite with Gwen and Tim since Doug and Susie had extended their camping a couple of days before the eclipse.  I was attending a conference that I really didn't want to miss and Gwen and Tim were not leaving until the Sunday before the eclipse.  

The best laid plans often do not go off without a couple of hiccups and this was true of this trip.  First of all, it was raining on Sunday as we were preparing to leave.  Not just a little rain, but sheets of rain and it had been raining the week before.  Gwen and Tim park their camper on their property, which sadly had become a wet, slippery, muddy mess as they tried to pull it out with their "big" twelve passenger van.  Through a lot of effort on both Gwen and Tim's part, some large pieces of wood, big metal poles, and a tow strap, we were finally on our way about 3 hours late.  That delay, along with traffic and more rain got us to the campground at 1:00am.  But we got there!  Doug and Susie had set up earlier on Sunday and were waiting for us.  The good news was that the forecast was for clear skies and 70 degrees for the eclipse.  

We watched the entire eclipse from the very beginning at around 1:49.  Totality was at 3:05 for about 4 minutes and then the eclipse ended at 4:22.  We had a perfect spot with no clouds.  It was amazing.  We saw all of the various effects on the ground.  The temperature dropped considerably and it was very dark during totality.  I loved the 360 degree sunset that we saw....

I am so very thankful that the kids encouraged me to go to see this.  It was something I will never see again!  

I have to include some camping pictures.  It was so much fun.  I know that if I had camped with a camper, I might have enjoyed it much more then tent camping.  

It was Sunny's first time camping and she was really good.  Chandler has been camping a lot and he does really well.  They had lots of stuff to sniff and investigate and mostly just laid in the leaves.  

After the eclipse we drove through the park to a playground and a scenic overlook.  It is a huge park and we were very glad that we had chosen the campsites that we did.  They were perfect and some of the sites had very big drop offs into a ravine or steep, uneven ground.  It was really beautiful.

I was certainly ready for bed early that night.  Coming off of a 4 day conference when I didn't sleep very much made for a tired grandma!  But it was an unforgettable experience.  We packed up really early on Tuesday  morning to head home. 

 There was so much on the internet about the eclipse and all the "theories" of possible events that might happen during or after the eclipse.  All that happened was the eclipse.  These signs in the sky are all a part of God's plan.  He created the universe and established the paths of the moon and the stars.  I love that we can anticipate and plan for these events as our knowledge has grown.  We were all talking about how scary it must have been when people did not understand what was happening.  When it got very dark, Jimmy thought it was time for bed!  It must have felt very unsettling to see the sun darken.  I am sure that there are still places around the world that might be startled by these natural events.  What an amazing time we live in that we can know the timing and path of these wonders in the sky.  

Jesus, thank you for advancing human knowledge and understanding.  Holy Spirit, help us all to know that you - Father, Son and Spirit are the creator of the universe and that you still hold the world in your hands.  Jesus, thank you for your plan for families that includes time for relaxation and fun. Amen