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Not quite 250 years ago, my family was granted some land in Vermont for participation in the American Revolution.
They lived there until 1935 when my grandfather died in so much debt my grandmother had to sell the house and move in with her parents to pay it, my father and his sister were in college and never moved back.

This coming Monday, the path of the total eclipse of the sun will pass over that town in Vermont.
Despite the normal conditions in Vermont in April, the weather is forecast to be sunny.

I hope to go back there to see it. It’s about a 4 hour drive from where I live.

I haven’t been there since May of 2004, almost 20 years ago.

My father and his father both shared first and last names with me. The middle names changed, but all three of us are/were Frank Hunt.

I’ve joked that I should stand with one foot on each of their graves while the sun goes out.
But, I’m worried that will start a zombie apocalypse.

My father used to speak about when his father way dying he kept asking for water from a spring in Smuggler’s Notch as it was cold clear water. (It’s a mountain pass about 25km from there.)
In May of 2004 we were doing a sword show at the ski resort at Smuggler’s Notch. I went over to the stream that flows from the spring and filled a water bottle.
I then drove over to my grandfather’s grave and poured it on it with an apology for being late with it. (I poured some on my father’s too, just in case he wasn’t able to ask as he was dying.)

I haven’t been back since.
So, will they be expecting a beverage service if I go again?
I’m not planning on going through the notch this trip. It’s snowing up there right now and the notch will be hard to get through 4 days from now.
I could certainly bring spring water. Just not from that specific spring.
And, I didn’t bring anything for my grandmother’s grave last time. She shouldn’t be left out. Right?

Of course, if my father was given choice of orders, I doubt he’d ask for water…

Given the snow situation, I’m not sure the gravesite will be a great place to watch the eclipse anyhow. Even if it melts by then it will be pretty soggy and I don’t want the car stuck in the mud. No paved driveways through the cemetery.
I’m willing to walk in from the road, but not in the dark during the event.

The house my great-grandfather built that my father and his father grew up in has not been in the family since 1935, so I can’t go over there.
Probably should try and hang out in the school parking lot next to it.
Maybe the town baseball field. My grandfather was a baseball player from there…

Of course, the eclipse isn’t until about 3 in the afternoon and it’s a 4 hour drive home.
I’m tempted to visit the graves, the drive over to the highway south and watch the eclipse from the rest area on the side of the highway so once it’s over I’ve got a jump start on beating any traffic home.

Honestly, I haven’t a clue how much traffic there might be. This one doesn’t seem to be getting as much build up as the one in 2018. That had a fair bit of traffic.

We’re planning on taking a less popular route north to try and stop at a place my wife wants to visit. So, I don’t think we’ll have trouble getting to the eclipse path. Of course, I could be totally wrong about that too…
Going home I was going to take the highway. That’s what I think will be more challenging with other drivers.
I guess we will have to see…