Solar Eclipse - Aug 21

Anyone else prepping to travel to or setting down their frozen concoction to look out their window from their Lazy Boy to view the upcoming eclipse? My brothers and I will be flying into Salt Lake City from SoCal and then driving up to Boise ID for a few days before and after the event peaking at 11:30am MDT on the 21st. Most of the viewing sites west of the Mississippi are rather rural po-dunk little towns so traffic gridlock is the biggest concern along with western forest fires and cloud cover. The crowds will be huge from the Oregon coast to the outer banks of South Carolina - a coast to coast Woodstock or Moonstock some are predicting with fairs, music festivals, astronomy events etc. Even Ozzy will be appearing at a music-fest in Carterville IL (about 2 hrs south of St Louis) and playing "Bark at the Moon" at to exact moment of totality. (see link below)

http://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article165018667.html#fmp

I know many of you are within spitting distance of the centerline in MO, Ill, KY and TN - you should try to catch this rare event that is the biggest total eclipse covering this large of the USA since the 1930's. Remember your welders glass!

 

That's too bad - I'll take notes for you Ray. According to Al Gore though you'll have to watch that 2024 mid America event from a dinghy.

 

I'm only 35-45minutes from Cheyenne, WY and the view from there is supposed to be great. I guess all the hotels are booked, and sites like airbnb are asking some very inflated prices. Guess the homeowners will clean up on that one. I'll probably drive to Red Feathers, CO or something and catch it.

 

I will be fishing in South Carolina.

 

My family has a small lot in Red Feather Lakes. There's a giant boulder in the middle of a pie-shaped lot. You're welcome to pitch a tent on top of it!
I also have family in Rawlins, WY.

 

I love going camping up there, such a nice area. Thanks for the offer!!

 

They decided to cancel our kids' school for this a little bit ago because since it's a private school they don't have buses and we line up in the parking lot to pick them up. The eclipse is supposed to take place during the exact moment that we pick them up so I guess they're afraid it would be dangerous or something. Seems to me like we could literally just set in the parking lot until the light returns but whatever. LOL! I'll probably be somewhere in a package car delivering and I'm sure UPS will want us to keep hoofing eclipse or no eclipse.

 

They say that weather effects how fish bite and I'd be curious to know if this has an effect on them.

 

You fishing one of those money tournaments?

 

I was in Cabo San Lucas in 92(?) for that total eclipse. Normally, there were two major feeding times a day. The jacks would push the bait into the shallows at gray light and just before sunset. The day of the eclipse, there were 4 feeding times. The fish acted as if the eclipse was a sundown and sunrise. Pretty cool to watch, (since you can't fish in the marina)

 

So it got like totally pitch black dark? Like where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face? I've never actually seen one.

 

Not on that day. My boss is taking the day off to go trout fishing during the eclipse so I'm going bass fishing.

 

I got to see a full solar eclipse in Hawaii back in 1991. I have though about making the trip south from Virginia since seeing two is really cool. Traffic is going to be a nightmare though.

 

No, it was dark but not midnight dark

 

Nice. We've got lots of bass here. Both fresh and saltwater. Unfortunately, the closest non-stocked trout is about 6 hours away

 

It doesn't get pitch black, but the shadows are really odd. It's pretty cool and worth seeing if you make time

 

I believe the moon will be about 105% the size of the sun - so total obscurity vs an annular when the moon is slightly smaller than the sun and a ring of fire ensues during totality. With this one the craters and valleys of the moon will create a variable beading effect around the perimeter. Planets (Venus and Jupiter) and many brighter stars and constellations will appear (Orion and Sirius etc). We were planning on heading up to southwest Idaho north of Boise but problem is that area is totally inundated with smoke from forest fires in the northwest and Canada. We may head northeast instead when we fly into Salt Lake City to WY between Jackson and Casper. We have about a dozen hotel rooms booked in 6 different cities depending on our game time decision 48 hrs prior at cancellation time.

 

It was very cool. Glad I took the time off to experience it.

 

It got really quiet and calm at about 75% or so. Was really kind of creepy actually. Then at 100% the crickets and frogs went nuts. A couple minutes later they were done.

 

I reckon it totally covered it up here. It got pretty dark when I was out delivering. I can't tell you how many people I saw out in yards today looking up. Most schools were cancelled today and down in Sweetwater TN people were paying a thousand bucks for a hotel room! A guy I delivered to today told me that his mom and dad live in the "totality zone" in NC or whatever it is called and that people were renting out rooms in their homes for 1,000 bucks to complete strangers! People are seriously crazy. I glanced up at it for a second but that was it for me. We call our uniforms "browns" at work and I delivered to an eye clinic today and as soon as I walked in they said "What are you gonna wear during the eclipse???" and I said "My browns". LOL!

 

Here in NY it was like a 1/4 moon, we had several welding lens(shade12) and the owners and family all hung out and watched it. It was cloudy so it was in and out but I guess cause we weren't in the "prime viewing area" it wasn't all that special. I tried to take pics but couldn't get any to come out. One of the office mangers sons had this box with tin foil on it and that was cool.....I like the welding lens a lot better. All in all it was cool to check out.