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Topic: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse? (Read 302 times) previous topic - next topic
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Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Hey All,

Just wanted to see if there were others that RV'd to see the 2024 eclipse.  In our case, this was on my bucket list (having not seen a total eclipse before).

We were in Hawaii, and normally head back east in early May.  But this time we had the harebrained idea to fly to Nevada on 4/4, get ThistleDewToo (TD2) ready-to-go after 18 months of sitting high and dry in Nevada, and drive to Austin, Texas to see it with some friends of my daughters we had never met.

This plan was ripe for things that could, and did, go wrong.  We knew the chances of everything aligning were pretty slim, and even if they did, weather could bite us in the butt.  But what the heck, it would be an adventure.

Well, we got to Nevada fine, but our beloved TD2 had issues:  our rear window was cracked in multiple places the full width and at multiple heights, along with the small right window.  We still don't know how that happened.  Then my water pump was getting power and making a pathetic sound, but not pumping any water.  Finally, a GFCI circuit breaker for our interior AC (inverter) outlets had tripped and would not reset.  Nothing we could do about any of these (if we wanted a chance to make it to Texas on schedule), so we just loaded up our stuff, and got on the road.

We drove past midnight on April 5th and 6th, and finally got to the RV campground our friends has secured for us about 6:00 PM on the 7th!  Phew, we made it!  Now we just wait and see if the weather cooperates.  We talked with some "eclipse expert" neighbors, and they were shaking their heads at the clouds that were starting to form late morning, and lamenting we were likely to be blocked from even seeing it.  It was gonna be touch and go!

We had a beautiful spot along a river to watch how things developed, and lo and behold, the clouds mostly held off, and were mostly wispy during the start of the eclipse.  And totally clear for Totality!  What luck!  After totality was over, the clouds started to converge over us, and we didn't see the end of the eclipse, but we saw the lead-up and the main attraction! 

Below are a couple of photos of us and our friends, and what I could capture of the eclipse with my hand-held Nikon camera and modest telephoto lens.  If you look closely at the two enlarged total eclipse images, just can see some solar flares around the edge (apologies for the limited resolution for attached images).

I hope you enjoy the photos, and I look forward to hearing your stories and seeing your pictures as well.  Wishing everyone all the best!

Steven & Carol Crisp -- 2000 26.5' Blue Mid-Bath named Thistle Dew Too
Our RV Motto:  "No place to be ... and all day to get there"
2024 Adventure: The Great Eclipse Escapade!  HI(Air),NV,AZ,NM,Mason,TX(Totality!) ...
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #1 –
Steve and Carol, your photos of the eclipse are GREAT! The clouds make for an interesting image. Well done!
We wanted to travel to Texas for this eclipse but life got in the way. Elizabeth was offered a venue for a solo art show at a forest preserve education center near Tarpon Springs, FL during this time of the eclipse. We attend the free to the public preserve tour and show each weekend to greet guest until the show concludes May 26th. So far we have had over 200 guest. If anyone is traveling through the area stop in and tour the forest trails and stop in for the show. Hopefully later this summer we will have a chance to return to Newfoundland.
2010 RB "Monty"  & currently: 2021 RB "Villa Verde"
2004 Born Free 26'
1998 Beaver Patriot 33'
1992 Barth Breakaway 28'
1982 Fleetwood Jamboree 23'
1982 Dolphin/Toyota 22'
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #2 –
Steve and Carol - Great pics..we really enjoyed them.  We attended a military promotion ceremony in Ft Leavenworth, KS on April 4th.  So, we got lucky and, on the way home to north Alabama, got a campsite at Hawn State Park in southeast Missouri, about 25 mile northwest of Cape Girardeau.  Our site was well suited to watch the eclipse and it was a great show, especially the 2:48 totality. However, the event that really got our attention happened the next day on the way home while in western Kentucky.  On a narrow state highway a deer bolted out from a bunch of trees and struck the driver’s side of the rig.  Being startled is an understatement.  We could not safely pull off the road for 2-3 miles.  When we did, we saw that, in addition to fiberglass damage on the corner cap and the area of the black tank valve and dents, the refrigerator access door was mangled and the black valve and elbow were sheared off at the tank. Our daughter says it was probably a bunch of male deer drinking beer in the trees when one deer said, “Here, hold my beer. Watch me jump over this motorhome!”  So, at this point, we are not sure which will be the event to be most remembered in time. :D



Don & Tery
2022 MB 27.5 towing a 2017 Wrangler
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #3 –
Ouch!  I wouldn't trust anyone these days besides Vince, to work on that!  RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #4 –
Looking to do the body work at a shop in Howell, MI, which gets solid recommendations from Great Lakes LDers who have had body work done there. Todd is trying to get us an access panel door. The frame of the door is ok.  Just needs a new vented panel. If Vince were only 1,500 miles closer…
Don & Tery
2022 MB 27.5 towing a 2017 Wrangler
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #5 –
Quote from: DandTE  - 
When we did, we saw that, in addition to fiberglass damage on the corner cap and the area of the black tank valve and dents, the refrigerator access door was mangled and the black valve and elbow were sheared off at the tank.

Another suicidal deer attack.
The refrigerator door frame appears intact, the damaged door should be replaceable without removing the frame.
A talented body repairer should be able to straighten the battery compartment door. Both doors are removable.

Holding tanks are repairable, fittings and cracks can be fixed or replaced using hot-air welding or spin-welding.
Cracked and broken caps can be fixed using plastic epoxy.
A good local body shop should be able to fix the damage without traveling across the country

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #6 –
    Even though we were unable to travel to see the 2024 eclipse event we were blessed to have experienced the 2017 solar eclipse on August 21st in Shoshoni, WY. Months before I had studied the map of the centerline of the shadow's path across the country and decided the best place for clear sky would be a desert setting in Idaho or Wyoming. In Wyoming I decided on an easily recognizable curve on the dirt Muskrat Rd. 6.5 miles south of Shoshoni where there was plenty of somewhat flat land to park. Several days before the eclipse I was able to find a suitable viewing area at about 5000' elevation which was easily accessible by our coach .
    We arrived in the area about a week earlier and camped at Boysen State Park north of Shoshoni on US20. The park is on the Wind River at the south entrance to the spectacular Wind River Canyon. Our campsite was a beautiful spot on the river bank overlooking the river and mountains. Elizabeth was happy to have the time to do an oil painting of that scene. We did some touring the area up toward the the town of Thermopolis, WY with it's hot springs and great museum.
    The late afternoon before the eclipse we moved to our chosen location on Muskrat Rd. for the viewing and found the only other camper there was in a Lazy Daze!!  Shortly thereafter more folks started arriving. One group were amateur astronomers that set up a lot of viewing telescopes. As the skies were perfectly clear we spent the evening with them viewing the planets and galaxies.
    The next morning we found that probably 100 more people were scattered about the desert within a mile from us. The eclipse started around 10AM and I used a Canon camera for photos. I brought welders helmet glass from my shop and placed it over the lens of the camera. We watched the shadow approach from the west across the desert until totality when we had a 360 degree sunset around the shadow. Venus was visible near the moon. We were able to get some nice photos. In my 42 years of motorhome traveling this was undoubtedly the most remarkable camping event we ever experienced.


2010 RB "Monty"  & currently: 2021 RB "Villa Verde"
2004 Born Free 26'
1998 Beaver Patriot 33'
1992 Barth Breakaway 28'
1982 Fleetwood Jamboree 23'
1982 Dolphin/Toyota 22'
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #7 –
"Elizabeth was happy to have the time to do an oil painting of that scene."

Kudos to Bessie, she did a great impression of that scene!   ;D

Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Who Lazy Daze'd to see the 4/8/2024 Total Eclipse?
Reply #8 –
Stopping back in after a long absence.

We went out into the side yard for the eclipse, as we live within the path of totality. However, I could easily see our LD from my lawn chair...  ;)
2000 Front Lounge