Camping and a Total Eclipse of the Sun

A Campground for the Eclipse

A good friend proactively booked us a campsite in the path of totality for the solar eclipse that occurred on August 21st.  We viewed the eclipse from Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville, Tennessee.  The campground was packed with moon gazers, but very nice.

We scored a couple of the last available sites and they were great, except for being in full sun.  Temperatures were in the upper 80s and we really felt the impact.  Our 10×10 screen room and a new awning were utilized this trip, more equipment than is typically used.  It was great having the shade, but putting the screen room up and down in full sun was miserable.  We have decided that summertime camping in the South is not for us.  (Looking for recommendations for summer camping locations that are not hot.)

Deer Run has full hookups, a beautiful lake, swimming pool, and very nice bathhouse.  It was more expensive than the state parks we usually visit, but we received a 10% Good Sam discount.  It also has a restaurant and grocery store with limited options.

The Eclipse

The eclipse was the big event for this trip and it was amazing.  The full process of the eclipse lasted about three hours and I expected it to be gradually getting darker until fully dark and then gradually lighter.  Wrong!  We were viewing the sun through the special glasses and could clearly see the moon as it blocked the sun, but it remained very bright outside until the sun was completely blocked.  I did get an interesting photo (below) of gravel with sunlight coming through the trees that showed the crescent shape of the sun.  The coolest part, of course, was the two minutes of total eclipse.  It was like nighttime and the temperature dropped significantly.  The two minutes went by very quickly and then it looked like normal daytime again.

Falls Creek State Park

Crossville is near Fall Creek Falls State Park and we went to see the waterfall and walk across the hanging suspension bridge.  The area was beautiful, but the waterfall did not pack very much power and bridge was very shaky.  We sat around for awhile and watched people trying to coaxe their dogs to walk across.  The dogs were not interested!  Lunch at Gaul’s Gallery Restaurant in the park was excellent. It had the best banana pudding I have ever had at a restaurant.

Entertainment and Food

While in Crossville, we saw the play, “Lying in State”, at the Cumberland County Playhouse. It was a hilarious political satire with flawless performances by the cast.  The theatre is a “must see” for visitors to Crosssville and people come from all over to visit.

Most of our Crossville time was at the campground.  We spent an afternoon in the pool and played games with our friends most evenings in the 10x 10. It was very nice to be outside with lights on and not be overrun by bugs.  I cooked a couple of dinners while there and omelettes one morning.  The teardrop galley did well overall, but it was very hot cooking in the evenings.  Crossville camping was four nights.

Camping in Gadsden

The second leg of our trip was in Gadsden, Alabama, at the River Country Campground.  This time we were right on the river with a gorgeous view and afternoon shade.  There was a downside though;  the campground does not allow tents, not even my small privacy tent.  It would not have mattered if the bathhouse had not been about three blocks away.  Therefore, our campsite was very simple, but it was pretty.  How could it not be with that view?

While in Gadsden, we visited nearby Noccalula Falls, which bears the legend of an Indian princess who jumped to her death over a tall ledge because she could not marry her true love.  Her father had promised her in marriage to one from another tribe.

The park was lovely with beautiful landscaping, a quaint little train, a Pioneer Village and a petting zoo with a lioness.  It was a relaxing and inexpensive way to spend a few hours.

River Country Campground has the nicest pool area of any campground we have ever visited.  There are actually three pools:  an infinity pool, regular pool, and kiddie pool.  The infinity pool is right next to the river, which creates a striking effect.  We spent a very peaceful afternoon at the pools and then had a delicious dinner at Top O the River.

We loved the time with our friends at both campgrounds.  The distant bathhouse at River Country was not fun when I had to get up in the middle of the night, but the amazing view was worth it.

Lessons Learned:

• Our cooking equipment needed to be updated.  We inherited our son’s camping utinsels, which are geared to cooking over a campfire.  Recently, we purchased some items more suited to our cooking methods.
• We love, love, love our KingKamp awning.  It was easy to set-up and provided much needed shade.
• It is just too hot to camp in the South during the summer months.  We will have to find cooler areas to visit.
• We should confirm the tent policy for future camping at commercial campgrounds.  Better to know before you go.

If you would like to follow our adventures, please click the following link.

Happy Camping!