Anybody else going to see the eclipse?

[zippetydude]

I've been looking forward to this for years, and at last it comes...August 21st! It's not real far (as in Oregon) and it's due to have just over 2 minutes of totality. I can't wait. Is anyone else going up to see it? I'll be flying to Oakland and then driving up to Madras (or, if that's too crowded, I have back-up plans for going farther east). This is going to be such an amazing thing, I hope some of you other outdoor enthusiasts will have a chance to go see it!

z

[Myth]

Me! I am! Just got back from a scouting trip for good locations.

Learned all about the current Mormon cricket plague in Idaho/east Oregon ... ick.

[zippetydude]

In the (corrupted) words of Admiral David Farragut: "Damn the hordes of mosquitoes (which rhymes with torpedoes - more or less...and thereby implicates their fellow insect cousins the crickets by some wild stretch of my imagination) full speed ahead!"

That is perhaps the worst abuse of poetic license I have ever even considered, much less followed through with! That being said, I really hope you make it. I chose Madras because it is fairly far inland (reliable clear skies) and yet it is the obvious choice of those heading north, meaning I can always head northeast towards Mitchell and probably find miles and miles of open parking. Still, I would prefer to celebrate with thousands of other like minded souls, so I am hoping for Madras. Where are your thoughts leading you at this time?

z

[Myth]

My big fear is also overcast skies, which is why we're headed inland as well ... we will be monitoring the forecast closely as the day approaches! We've set aside Fri-Tues for this venture - driving up all the way from central California in a Wrangler, which will help us get to remote spots in a pinch, if the infernal flapping from the soft top doesn't drive us crazy first

Madras seems to be a good choice - and was one of the first places we've looked at. But fear of overcast skies kept pushing us east ... we thought about Malheur National Forest and surrounds, but we settled even further east, close to the Idaho border. Ontario, OR was a nice little town and there is a lot of possibility to check it all out around there. I can't wait! But I'm going to try to avoid crowds because I want to take a few photographs, and crowds forgetting to turn off the flash on their cameras would be a problem. I'm hoping to take a few pictures to share with my mother, who witnessed an eclipse on the family farm back in my home country when she was very young, and whose stories of that experience stuck with me through life until now, finally, I have an opportunity to experience what she experienced. If it wasn't for wanting to share this experience with my mom I would just relax and watch it with whoever is around!

This is a rare opportunity for me to experience this. The only other total eclipse in the US that will be within my expected lifetime on the mainland is the 2024 one. I may try for that one too.

( I'll post a picture of those crickets later ... I'm not easily grossed out by bugs but that was the worst bug-related thing I've experienced to date. Oy. )

[RichardK]

NASA has a road map that you can zoom in on to help find observing spots here:

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/defa ... index.html

Cloud cover charts are here:

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/weather/2017_clouds.htm

My brother's house in Tennessee is on the center line. We will watch from his yard.

[drndr]

I have been planning to go for a year. I have a cousin who lives near Madras in a private community on Lake Billy Chinook. He cancelled our trip/family reunion due to fears of too many people. The community doesn't think they can handle all the eclipse seekers who will be coming from the coast for better visability. Fire danger from campers, lack of services, small roads, etc.

I'm thinking now maybe going straight up the 15 freeway to the area around Idaho Falls. Maybe the 15 could handle the traffic better. But now I wont have a free place to stay. And the rest of my gang is now on the fence. They aren't campers.

But I want to see this thing!!!

Dan

[drndr]

Zip, did you make it? Anyone else travel to see the total eclipse?

We ended up doing a road trip to Idaho Falls and threw in Yellowstone while up there. I was worried I would be disappointed in the eclipse but it turned out to be quite satisfying. Temps dropped and it felt like dusk. Being able to stare at the total eclipse and see the corona without the safety glasses was also unique.

Yellowstone is beautiful. A nice mix of wildlife, geysers, and wilderness.

The park was crowded but travel to and from Idaho Falls was easy and no problems.. I think the area was expecting more people.

Dan

[Myth]

We made it! We were up north of Payette in south-western Idaho. It was fantastic. Looking up at the corona during totality was amazing. Seeing the weird stuff that happens to shadows just before totality was unique, too.

Traffic was pretty gnarly. There was no preparation to deal with it and we spent a lot of time in bumper-to-bumper stop-and-go traffic. Totally worth it though. Being part of a such a huge human migration was cool, too.

[drndr]

It was beautiful.

We stayed with our hosts til about 11:15 then drove a block away from the 15 freeway and finished watching it. Hopped on the freeway right after totality and missed all the traffic. Our hosts said we made the right decision. All the bad traffic was behind us. And I love Idaho and Utah's 80 mph. Helped make the easy get away.

[zippetydude]

Yes! I made it too, and it makes me glad to hear all of you did too. It was the single most incredible natural event I have ever witnessed.

The indescribable blackness of the disk of the moon as it covered the sun during totality - the amazing sweep of the shadow when it darkened Mt. Jefferson as the totality swept towards us at over 2000 mph, the sizzle of the corona surrounding the eclipsed sun, the swell of sounds of amazement and wonder, turning to cheers of excitement as the thousands of people around me shared the event one with another, all of us drawn together as one community by this shared experience, it was simply stunning!

I am already working on plans to be in Mexico or Texas for the 2024 eclipse.

By the way, for any who did not go and are wondering if an eclipse is just another "astronomical wonder" that turns out to be astronomically boring, you can tell from my description above that it is not. You experience the eclipse in a way that is hard to communicate. I would really encourage anyone who can to go to the next one, especially if you can bring family, friends, kids...you will not be disappointed. If you're thinking "But I will see 80% coverage anyway if I stay right where I am" then think of this:

You're playing golf, and you get off a remarkably good shot. It rockets into the air, gets all the way to the green, rolls 99.9% of the way to the cup and stops short. Everyone watching groans, including you. Just that little bit extra and Boom!...that's where all the excitement is, that's the part that makes it truly amazing. Go find that 100% experience! Just my two cents...hope to see you all at the 2024 event!

z