The biggest draw for us to be living here and doing the homesteading things that we do is our call to nature. When we established White Sky Woods Homestead (moved in 2017, purchased in 2009), we knew we’d be living a more self-sufficent life growing our own food and living with a more flexible schedule. When we were planning our future back in 2009, a big motivator of what land we were looking at was about access to nature. We could have purchased something smaller sized that could perfectly fit the homestead needs of animals and gardens but we also realized we were seeking the ability to access nature on a larger scale. We used to have to drive to places to go for a hike and we wanted to be able to skip the drive so that nature would be right outside our door. When our kids were born and we became a family, we knew we had made the right choice – with White Sky Woods we had a place where they (and us adults too!) can have nature as their playground.
While we have nature at our fingertips here, we still love a road trip – seeking new experiences we can’t have at home. Our first road trip after moving to the homestead was in 2017. Being drawn to the natural experience of seeing an eclipse in totality – we drove to Wyoming to view it. We had never seen an eclipse in totality before (it hadn’t happened in our lifetime in the continental United States) and after seeing the 2017 eclipse in totality we knew we had to make plans for the next chance we could get which would be the 2024 eclipse. If you’ve experienced a solar eclipse in totality, you know that the experience of a false twilight in the middle of the day cannot be beat – seeing a partial is neat but not even closely comparable. In the path of totality you not only see the full eclipse, but you get an experience that can be felt to the bones. Temps drop, light disappears, birds go quiet, night sounds rise up….it’s so incredible and eerie. For anyone, even someone not closely connected to nature, I think the experience can be profound.
A year and a half ago as the solar eclipse hype started I knew I needed to get a trip planned before our options narrowed due to the popularity of traveling to see it. We settled on a trip to Canada and found a cottage on the north side of Lake Erie, facing south with an open view and in the path of totality. The only thing we had to do was get there and have good weather. Guaranteed good weather…..well, that’s a crapshoot, especially in springtime! We prepared ourselves that we may not see the eclipse. We spent a week in Ottawa to make the trip about more than just the eclipse immersing ourselves in all things Canadian (what a great time we had in that parlimentary city!) and then we headed to the Niagara Peninsula (of Canada) for the eclipse. While there was nothing flexible about the eclipse itself (it was universally determined – date, time, location), our experience with it was going to depend on a lot of factors including how the weather shaped up. The forecast kept changing: terrible, great, something in-between. We knew we had to remain flexible and make the best of whatever nature offered up to us.
Well, we got something in-between which added both suspense and awe to our total eclipse experience. We saw the eclipse and it was completely different from 2017, but equally as awe-inspiring!
In August of 2017 – Clear skies, Wyoming (USA) wilderness, heard the birds go quiet, temp dropped significantly, totality of just over 2 minutes, went pitchblack and the stars came out.
In April of 2024 – Mostly cloudy skies, Niagara Peninsula/Lake Erie (Canada), didn’t notice the birds due to Lake Erie sounds, temp dropped but not significantly, totality close to 4 minutes, didn’t go completely dark rather looked like a “sunset” over the vastness of Lake Erie, no stars due to clouds.
Another difference between the two was how our kids experienced it. They were with us during the 2017 eclipse but they don’t remember the event because they were too young. Watching them experience it this year made my soul smile. They thought it was awesome! When it went dark – their response was so honest and full of wonder. Later Woodland said that he would describe the experience as “incrazing”….which he says is a mash up of incredible and amazing. I thought so too kiddo!
Our entire experience of the eclipse in 2024 was a great reminder that while having a plan is great, we need to remain flexible and make the best of whatever comes. There is nothing we can do about the weather so allowing it to control our mood or ruin our plans is pointless. This experience with flexibility is useful in so many aspects of life.
Now, heavy traffic not controlling my mood……talk to me about that another time, ha! I shouldn’t complain though, the only trouble we had was going through Toronto and it was barely any delay on the trip.
Usually we’d have our seeds started indoors by late March and our spring sowing started in the high tunnel by mid-March. Since the eclipse planned it’s visit on April 8th, we got a late start on planting and starting seeds, but everything seems to be coming along well.
I find nature to be awe-inspiring. From a small mason bee to the total eclipse. A blue-flag iris growing in the ditch to an Aurora filling the sky with color and movement. I like to connect to all of it and remember that I’m a wee little part of this incredible universe. What part(s) of nature do you connect to most? Rocks/minerals? Plants? Animals? Sky? Water? Or…..?
-L
P.S. Seeking a summer or fall season connection with nature? As of publishing this post we have just a few more weeks of 2024 availability at the Cabin at White Sky Woods – 2 weeks in May, 1 week in June and 1 week in September, along with a few days in October. Week long stays (7 nights) receive a 10% discount! Otherwise, there is a 3-night minimum. We hope to host you!
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