Road Trip with Me: Solar Eclipse Part 3

In episode 98, we pick up with Part 3 of Road Trip with Me: Solar Eclipse.

If you've been listening to the whole series since part one, Camille has talked about the journey of going out to Paris, Texas, which is where she and her husband were going to view the solar eclipse. In part two, she talked about getting to Paris and gearing up for the event.

Today Camille is finally going to talk about the actual solar eclipse. So, this was a pretty big buildup, sort of like a Netflix release where there's all this hype and marketing and you're just waiting for the actual event itself.

It wasn’t planned that way, that's just how it turned out. It is a bit of storytelling, and it is a departure from her show norm, which is pretty much practical tips, information and resources about remote work. However, a number of people have told her that they really do enjoy it when she does a little bit of storytelling and goes off the beaten path because they just like to follow along with the journey.

So, let’s join her for this next installment …

You're listening to the remote work retirement show. I'm your host, Camille Attell. And this is the only show that helps semi-retirees figure out their remote work options.

I believe the remote work is the new retirement plan and that many retirees have both the ability and desire to work how they want so they can live how they want. Let's dig into today's episode....
 

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Transcript

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In episode 98, we pick up with part three. Of road trip with me to the solar eclipse. You're listening to the remote work retirement show. I'm your host, Camille Attell. And this is the only show that helps semi retirees figure out the remote work options. I believe the remote work is the new retirement plan and that many retirees have both the ability and desire to work, how they want so they can live how they want. Let's dig into today's episode.... Hello again. Thank you so much for joining me for this series. All about my road trip to the solar eclipse. This is part three. And if you've been listening to the whole series in part one, I talked about the journey. Going out to Paris, Texas, which is where we were viewing the solar eclipse. In part two, I talked about once we got to Paris and I geared up for the solar eclipse. And today I'm finally going to talk about the actual solar eclipse. So this was a pretty big buildup. Uh, I understand that. It's sort of like a Netflix release where there's all this hype and there's all this marketing. And you're just waiting for the actual event itself. So I didn't plan it that way. That's just how it turned out. Uh, hopefully you're enjoying the series. It is a bit of storytelling and it is a departure from what I normally do on this show, which is pretty much practical tips, information and resources about remote work. However, a number of people have told me that they really do enjoy when I do a little bit of storytelling and go off the beaten path because they just like to follow along with the journey. And that's what the road trip with me series is all about. I will likely do one more episode after this one to conclude the series because I do have to get home. So today I just want to talk mostly about the solar eclipse itself and what transpired during that event, as well as the days following it. At the Escapers escapees RV rally. Actually, why don't I back up until you? What happened the day? Just before that? Because there was a big. Uh, what would they call lot crawl at this event? Now, if you don't know about the escapees and Escapers club, it is an RV club it's been around since the seventies and it caters to the community of our veers and this event in particular combined, both the, I'll say non-working RVs with the working our veers. Uh, in one, which is, which is nice, because then you have the opportunity to do things in the daytime. And not just wait for everyone to get off work to, to a mingle in the afternoon. So I do want to just briefly touch on what happened on Sunday at this lot crawl because it's really one of my favorite days at this event. It's when everyone goes around to the different sections at the event, there's a general section, a solar section, a family section. The Escapers general section, so on and so forth for. So there are these sections, almost like a grid of a city. And you meander to each section and there is usually a theme. And the theme is, uh, usually a food dish or a drink dish or both. And it's super fun because you get to meet people. If they're open to giving you a tour of their rig, then you can do that. And usually there's some food and specialty drinks. We'll call them. Uh, ranging from alcoholic to non-alcoholic and everything in between. So it's a lot of fun. And this, this for this event, the theme for the LA crawl was, uh, an alien theme or an outer space theme. Uh, to go along with the whole solar eclipse. And now I'm not a big dress-up person. I do it reluctantly. I do have friends who love to do it when I go to these events, I certainly try to get into the spirit of it all. And I think that's important when you participate, because it just makes a whole event. Fun and interesting. So I, I did buy this really cool. I guess I'll call it outer space alien one Z. It was a whole zip up. Like top and bottom sweat pant thing. And it had stars and planets and a hood, and it was just like a whole vibe. And then I, um, also to, to go with it, I had this really cool crown. Uh, planets and stars and then these cool dangly earrings with stars and planets. And this, I mean, for me, this was like going way outside, what I would normally do for dress up, but it was super fun. And I decided to come up with a name to name myself and. Uh, I decided to call myself princess Starlink. And if you listen to the episode last week, I talked about how internet has been really challenging on the road. And because I don't have Starlink internet, um, it's almost impossible to work consistently. So I thought it would be funny. To name myself, princess Starlink, even though I don't have Starlight. So that was like the big joke of the day. Now. I will say that it was incredibly hot. It was much hotter than I expected in Texas this time of year. Clearly. I don't know, Texas. It was hot and humid and wearing this rather thick onesy was I, it was like a sweat box. So I lasted in that onesy for, I don't know, maybe an hour and a half, and then I really had to change. But that was the whole day on Sunday. Super fun. Everyone really dressed up a lot of aliens. A lot of people in there. Special costumes, people wearing a funny headbands and hats and serving funny little alien foods, cupcakes, and things with eyeballs. And it's just, it's just great fun. If you've never had the opportunity to go to an escapees event. I encourage you to do it. It's just a good time. Um, and great people and lots of fun. Okay. Now I can talk about the actual solar event, the whole reason for this series. Right? So on Monday. We get out there. The solar eclipse was set to begin sometime around. 12 something maybe a little earlier, because. Of course. The S the moon starts to move into the path of the sun. So I think we've got out to the field around 11:30 AM. Central time. Just to begin the festivities, which was all of a bunch of people in a field in chairs or on benches, looking up into the sky. Now. It was to begin. Kind of a big bummer because the sky was completely cloud shrouded. And the day before had been beautiful, even though it was humid. And hot, the skies were sunny. And to see a solar eclipse, you really need a sunny sky, right? And I don't know where you were on the solar eclipse. I know a lot of people had their special destinations, everything from, uh, Mazatlan, Mexico, all the way up to Vermont. Um, and everything in between because it crossed many, many states. And so everyone had their special place that they wanted to go. Not everyone could be in the path of totality. You might've been one of those people who saw a partially clips, or maybe you didn't care to see an eclipse, or maybe you had to work. Uh, lots of people didn't have the luxury of seeing a solar eclipse, which I understand. Um, I was one of the lucky people who had the opportunity to drive all the way to Texas to see this thing. I do work remotely and I do manage my own schedule. So that is the benefit. One of the benefits of. Running my own business and working when I want to. So I was able to take Monday off. And sit in this field. Only to look up into a cloudy sky. And, uh, we were just so bummed out. I mean, we had traveled all this way. I mean, we had been planning this for months, really years because we had seen a solar eclipse. In 2017 in Oregon. The first time I had seen a total solar eclipse. And it was amazing. So I did at least tell myself that if I didn't get to see it this time, I had seen one before. But it's kind of like saying that if your football team won. The Superbowl, the facts fine. You don't need them to win another super bowl. Well, that's ludicrous, right? I know. And I'm not a sports fan that I know that sports fans would say no. That's insane if they won before we still want them to keep winning. So kind of, kind of like that, right. Really wanted to see the solar eclipse because, uh, also it was going to be about twice the amount of time as the one I had seen an Oregon. So we're sitting in a field. And what was kind of cool is every now and again, there would be a Cloudbreak. And whenever that the clouds broke, that we would see just a segment. Of the moon. Uh, blocking out the sun and, oh my goodness. Everyone would just roar with yeas and her raise and laughters and it would sound like, oh, And then of course. The clouds would come back and it would be, ah, yay. Oh, you know, so then we started doing things like praying and chanting. And, uh, there was music being played at the main stage. And so there were all these songs about, you know, the sun will come out tomorrow or. Um, uh, you know, the Beatles song here comes the sun little darlin. You know, and everything in between, you know, we were just really putting all of our energy into seeing the sun, thus the moon block, the sun. So here's what happened. We were watching and we were watching and we had all the highs and lows of the sons partying. We were all checking our weather apps. We were all doing our little dances and I'm not kidding. You. 10 minutes before total totality. The clouds literally parted. The skies were brilliantly blue. And right at the time of totality, it happened, there were no clouds blocking the sun. We had perfect sight right into the sun. And it turned completely dark, just like it had in 2017. And if you've never witnessed a solar eclipse before, and even if you have, I know you couldn't relate to this. It is a very eerie feeling. Also filled with magic. And if you're a spiritual person or religious person. It's filled with all of the things, the moon completely blocked the sun. Um, the sky has got dark. The birds stopped chirping. It got very still and very quiet and it was almost like nighttime. For four and four minutes and say 23 seconds. I should mention too, not everyone has the privilege of sight and can see the solar eclipse. But you can definitely hear, and you can definitely feel the effects. So it was, it was really amazing. Um, and after we all cheered because, you know, We got to see the thing we all got very quiet. And we just sat in the experience. It was something to behold. And if you ever have an opportunity to see a solar eclipse. I would, I would put it on your list of things to see, put it on your bucket list. We won't have one in the, in north America until 2044. Again. But there are eclipses in other parts of the world. Uh there's you know, one in 20, 26, that's going to hit. Countries like Iceland, I think somewhere in Africa, although I don't remember where. Uh, then there's another one after that, I think in 2028, that goes through Australia, uh, you know, start planning if you can. It's truly something to behold. So that's what happened on Monday. And here's another thing that was really cool about it. So at the end of the total eclipse. Um, as the moon moved on. The light. Burst out and things started to brighten up again. I should mention that it got colder. I think the temperature dropped about 10 degrees during the eclipse, which was also very eerie. And then as soon as the moon moves off the sun, It's totally bright again. I mean, not a hundred percent bright, but it's, it's enough brightness that I want you to consider that. If you're not in the path of totality. You really don't experience what totality is like. I had a lot of people say to me, oh, I was close to the path of totality. You know, we saw 80%, 90%, 95%, even 98%. I will say that's cool. But you're not really seeing totality. And so if you're not in a hundred percent. Even that tiny little pin drop of sun makes a really big difference. So the moon moves off of the sun, even just a fraction. Boom sunlight comes through and then of course the moon starts to move away and it starts to get brighter and brighter. Now my husband and I sat there and we watched the moon move off the sun. Where a lot of people packed up and left because they saw what they needed to see, but we like to stay. My husband is the guy that at sporting events, he doesn't leave until the very last second of the game. Even if his team is losing. Because he likes to just be that loyal fan. So similarly we watched until the very end and I am not kidding you the minute the moon, the moon moved completely out of the sun's path. The clouds rolled back in. And I think only my husband and I, and maybe just a handful of people were left watching that. And it was just as. Miraculous as when the clouds parted the first time, because when the clouds came back in, it was totally blocked again. So I have never really seen anything. So moving, uh, I've seen some cool stuff. I mean, I've been to. Niagara falls, which is amazing. I've seen the balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. These are all things I've been able to see on our road travels throughout the years. And the Albuquerque balloon Fiesta also pretty spectacular. I've seen the grand canyon. Uh, I've seen some amazing national parks and state parks. And as I mentioned, I've seen the solar eclipse in Oregon. But this one. Wow. It had a magic. That was truly different. And so now I think my husband and I have decided that maybe we'll be solar eclipse chasers. We're going to start saving up. So we can go to Iceland maybe and go to Australia. Maybe if we have the funds and if we have good health, if we have all the blessings to do it, We're going to try. So that was the solar eclipse on Monday. And then we have the rest of the event. To just hang out and visit with friends and do cool things and have potlucks and listen to music. And I'll just spend the next couple of minutes telling you about highlights. I won't give you the blow by blow of the event itself because that might not be. Uh, as entertaining for you. So here are some highlights. There was a, uh, Uh, talent show. And there were some really cool things at the talent show. People read poetry and played guitar. Uh, there was a kid, all of maybe eight years old who got up and recited Shakespeare. It was incredible. He was so cute. I got up and did a dance from the movie, Napoleon dynamite. I don't know if you've ever seen this movie. It's very quirky, but there's a dance scene that I tried to replicate. It was so embarrassing because the music wasn't working, it was cutting out. So I dance to no music. Luckily, the audience was very generous and collect for me. Uh, But it was weird. But fun. It was cool. And then later that night there was karaoke. I encouraged my husband to do it and that's not his thing. And he did the devil went down to Georgia and he slayed it. He's really good. At karaoke, despite saying he isn't and not wanting to do it. So it was super cool. Because it was outside of his comfort zone. So that was a really fun night. And then if you're familiar with the status crows, they are a long time. A husband, wife. Duo. Who travel? I met them back in 2017. They play all the escapees Escapers events. They're the house band among. With other events on the road. There's so fun. So shout out to Michelle and Chuck Crow. There's such a great band to watch if you, if you haven't seen them yet, definitely check them out. You can find them online or on their website, status crows. CRO is C R O w E S. And what was really cool is they also held a jam session every day. And I've been learning guitar. So I went to three of the jam sessions. And even though I'm not great, I was able to keep up enough to play a whole lot of songs. And Chuck is great as an instructor because he was shouting out the chords. He was like a G E and sometimes he would just say, why don't you just vamp on a so. You know, this is a whole funny thing where now I just say, I'm going to vamp on a, when I don't know what else to do. And I got, I think I got better in those three days and I had in the last three months. And it was a reminder that if I'm going to really play guitar, I have to practice every day and I really need to find. A community of musicians that I can hang out with. other than that, there were just, you know, again, the repo, Lux and music, and, you know, people hanging out and different, um, Different events or dueling pianos, and just all kinds of fun. And so that takes us to the very end of the event with the escapees Escapers and then we left to start our. I would say journey home, but we spent a little more time in Texas. And then we started heading back west. So I'm going to save the last episode in this series to tell you a little bit more about some of the highlights of the rest of our trip. So, thank you again for listening. I hope you're enjoying the series. Meet me back here next time for the last episode. And we'll wrap it up. See you then. If you're looking to get back into the workforce, change jobs, work remotely, or learn artificial intelligence, check out my free remote work training so you can get ahead of the trends and stay ahead of the pack. Click the link in the show notes, or go to www.camilahealth.com and press the free training button.