Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash — Photo by Bryan Goff on Unsplash

Epic Eclipse Adventure: Totality! (Day 3.5)

September 14, 2017 by Galia in eclipse, before the trip

I’m not sure how to successfully write about what a total eclipse is like, but maybe I can just leave it at the fact that it was TOTALLY worth the drive, and we immediately wanted to see another one. I think I can easily say it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. And I say experienced, instead of seen, because what caught us off guard the most was this totally visceral, full-body rush that seemed to happen to everybody who saw it… like your body knows that it’s the middle of the day and it’s 15 degrees too cool and you shouldn’t be able to see stars and there’s a 360* sunset covering the entire horizon and oh my goodness there is a giant gilded black hole in the sky and it is just WRONG and AMAZING and fills you with awe and wonder and adrenaline and a connectedness to everything and everybody who’s ever seen one all at the same time. So uh… yeah. I recommend it.

We hung out in Rexburg with the family for a while after. We felt like we got adopted, and were invited in for hot dogs and brownies after the eclipse was over. One of the kids even introduced “Uncle Mike” to a neighbor. It made it that much more of an awesome experience to feel like we watched it with family, even though it wasn’t our own family. We took off late in the afternoon, and got stuck in what was probably the worst traffic Idaho Falls has ever seen.

(Interesting sidenote, since a lot of people don't seem to know: As the eclipse begins, you use your eclipse glasses to be able to stare at the sun without eye damage. When the totality hits, you can no longer see anything through the glasses -- it's pitch black -- because the entire sun is hidden. At that point, it's safe to take off the glasses and look directly at the big black hole in the sky without risk of damage until the totality is over.)

We ended up driving through Nevada in the pitch black middle of the night, where the emptiness on all sides made you feel like you were traveling through space. (Note from Mike: or Mario Kart's Rainbow Road.)

My naggy voice that was telling me I needed to be doing something went away quickly. Now, we’re struck by how far from bored we are, even after hours of driving through flat, treeless country. We don’t miss TV, or Reddit, or Facebook. We just get to be. I do have to admit, though, that after many many hours of driving in a straight line with nothing to look at, I was starting to look forward to civilization. Our drive through Butte, population 74, didn’t quite scratch that itch for me (though it did provide an unending supply of Butt jokes in the forthcoming hours). We also drove by a national preserve called Craters of the Moon, which was miles of black, rocky lava. Very cool to see, and we made a mental note to come back sometime and explore it. And our semi-spontaneous stop at Twin Falls on our way out of Idaho was strikingly beautiful.

We camped out overnight at an RV park in one of those small towns in Nevada that seems to only consist of a few casinos and nothing else. (Where do all the employees live? The RV parks, maybe.) One more day of driving after this.

Epic Eclipse Adventure: Day 2

September 12, 2017 by Galia in before the trip, eclipse

I woke up this morning so excited to go outside and meet Utah. As soon as Mike woke up, we went outside and checked the place out. The Panguitch KOA was small, adorable, and everything we needed. After taking his first KOA shower, though, Mike realized we have a lot of practicing to do to figure out best shower practices so we don’t come back into the RV carrying loads of wet things. We’ll pick up some shower baskets and shower shoes. It’ll be like the college dorms all over again (but hopefully cleaner).

I warmed up my cold brew coffee in our microwave, and then laugh about how we have a microwave. For lunch before we take off, I heat up canned chili in my coffee mug, which we realize is the only microwavable container we possess. And then laugh about how far we are from sticking our chili can right into a campfire. Microwaves in Paradise.

Before this trip, we had wondered aloud about what it would be like to not have a home base. I’ve always liked to travel, but there’s something comforting about having a Home to go back to when you’re done. How would it feel to have nowhere that’s yours? A place that’s familiar and comforting. A place full of all the stuff that fills your life. But now, even after just a day, we realize that this place will feel like having a home no matter where we are. It already feels like ours.

I’ll definitely need to get used to a slower pace, which I’m looking forward to (but doesn’t come naturally to me). Mike loves it immediately, but I can’t help but notice a small part of my brain going “You need to be DOING something right now!” I’m reminded of my summer-long backcountry camping trip in college, remembering reflecting on the fact that I used to be so busy all the time but not remembering what I actually did all day. We’re already deciding what our hobbies will be. Mike will bring his soldering iron (it’s a Tinker Trailer, after all). I want to re-learn the ukulele. And, of course, write.

Right now, I’ve got my laptop on my lap, in the passenger seat, while we’re flying through Utah. Mom was right -- for some reason, I haven’t gotten car sick in the RV, no matter what I’ve been doing… writing on my laptop, reading stuff on my phone, walking around the back. It’s strange, but awesome. Utah is beautiful. We knew it was beautiful, but it’s still different than expected. More desert shrubbery, more rolling hills, wide stretches of empty planes. Even the clouds seem more beautiful here. I can definitely see why people would want to live here. There are a gazillion RVs, most towing SUVs or ATVs, all of whom seem to be filled with people on nature adventures. The state does seem even more influenced by Mormon culture than I anticipated, which is interesting. We were looking for a local restaurant to eat dinner, but everything was closed on Sunday except Denny’s. Even the beehive highway signs, based on the state symbol, come from the Mormon history: apparently the Mormon settlers used the honeybee as a symbol of hard work and industriousness, and the beehive as a model for a properly run society. Pretty interesting!

Now we’re on our way to Rexburg, Idaho, where we booked an RV spot on AirBNB, with hookups, onsite at someone’s house (which presumably normally houses the family’s RV when there isn’t eclipse mania happening around the entire country). Looking forward to seeing more of the country.

Epic Eclipse Adventure: Day 1

September 11, 2017 by Galia in before the trip, eclipse

We woke up at my parents’ house and Mike, already awake and excited, says “I think we should go to Idaho!” Traffic didn’t seem bad, the number of people going there seemed much lower than estimated, and he already found places with hookups to park the RV from Saturday through Tuesday. The idea felt a little overwhelming at first -- what a big trip at the last minute, and we’re hardly familiar with how to use the RV. But once we started packing it up, we both got so excited.

As we drove through California, we remarked on how driving an RV across the country is a line item crossed off the American Dream list -- we’re just doing it about thirty years before it’s due, and we’re skipping a lot of other steps on the way. (Can’t afford a house? Buy an RV instead!)

Other things that struck us immediately: Man it’s so comfortable. And easy. We thought it would feel like roughing it, but instead it feels like luxury, almost to an embarrassing degree. This RV, with the Sprinter base, drives like an SUV. You can’t feel the weight of it, and it’s not slow or scary. The space inside is so comfortable, and you can pass each other in the hall with little difficulty (but good excuses for hugs). We almost forgot about the pop-out after we parked, because it feels so big already. And the ability to go back to the “house” while the other person is driving makes everything so much easier -- you don’t have to worry about stopping for pee breaks (which means you don’t have to worry about drinking too many fluids on the road), you can grab snacks (even cold drinks) whenever you need them, you can stretch out. (Sidenote: this also means our decision to get an RV instead of a truck hauling a trailer was a good one.) Our 12 hour day didn’t seem rough at all. And then, once you arrive at your destination, you don’t have to gather up all your stuff, move it somewhere else, and then unpack it again! Everything is already where it belongs! I definitely understand how people become RV People. ...We might have already turned into RV People in the last 24 hours.

We learned quickly that we should have a warning word while one person is driving and the other one gets up to get something, in case of sudden stops or swerves. At first, Mike suggested “Brace, brace!” because he’s been flying too much lately. My suggestion was “Hold on to your butts!” or even better, just “Butts!” for short. But when it comes down to it, “Hold on” seems to be the most useful.

We stopped in Baker to fill up gas for the first time, and then as we crossed the border into Nevada became the first people in my family to successfully get an RV out of the state of California. (Childhood lesson: springing for a slightly more expensive RV is worth it.) We stopped at WalMart in Vegas and stocked up on some provisions. When we stopped for gas in Utah, the gas pump kept shutting off after a few seconds even though the tank wasn’t full, which we thought might be our fault and freaked us out a little, but a different gas station worked fine. We got to navigate our first roundabouts in the RV (which was pretty terrifying).

Nightfall hit as we got into Utah, and we drove by Zion and a bunch of other national parks without even realizing it. We pulled into our KOA in Panguitch, hooked up the RV for the very first time (no explosions!), and went to bed, talking about how much our lives had changed overnight.