I’m sure by now you’ve heard someone mention the total solar eclipse that will run over parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada on April 8, 2024. Even NASA has published maps showing the path of totality (where the moon will completely cover the sun – pretty cool – right?)!
In 2017, my then-high-school-aged son, Quentin and I drove 12 hours to Kentucky to see a total solar eclipse. (He was mad because I made him miss the first day of school. lol!) We rented a camp site from a woman on Airbnb, and when she found out it was just the two of us, she moved us into an outbuilding for safety! So we popped a tent, spent the night and watched as the moon slowly blocked the sun. It got dark like a storm was moving in, the crickets started to chirp like it was dusk, but it was really 1:30 in the afternoon!
Now, there’s a total eclipse that will be visible from our front yard in Benezette! Well, ok, a 97% eclipse and that’s probably good enough for me! We have talked about driving north to Warren, in the Allegheny National Forest. They will experience 30 seconds of totality and it’s just an hour and a half drive from Benezette.
Ultimately, I suspect we will end up enjoying the view from Benezette. We’ll spend the weekend elk watching, shed hunting, fishing (trout season opens on April 6!), and roasting marshmallows and then on Monday, we will watch the moon begin to creep across the sun just after 2pm. (We’ll be using eclipse glasses, because seriously folks, don’t look at the sun.)
All 3 of our cabins offer fantastic views of the sky during the time of the eclipse. We’ve got lawn chairs, firewood, koozies, and wine glasses. We’ll even supply the eclipse glasses! Plus – I heard some local shops will be offering eclipse specials all weekend long! Come stand as one, in the dark of the sun.