What are your plans for the solar eclipse?

[Cydonian Monk]

My plan to spend the eclipse railfanning instead of going to one of the eclipse "hotspots" worked out swimmingly. Found a nice, safe spot to stop that was both legal and off the road, and camped out for a couple hours. A coal train drifted past just as I entered totality... which was exactly what I wanted, and what I had the camera set up for. Then I realized "Hey, self, swivel the camera up and take some pictures of the Moon." So I did.

My camera was in no way set up correctly for those shots, but I think it did well enough. For example:

The cows in the nearby field had started their way back to the barn when it started to get dark (as cows will do), but one of them realized something was up and wandered over towards me instead. I didn't really pay it much attention, but apparently the rest of the herd decided to shrug off the leader and follow that one cow. After the totality was over I looked down to see a whole herd of cattle standing at the fenceline staring at me, all dead-silent. More than a little unnerving. I think I might now be some deity or demon amongst that herd.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Cydonian Monk

[YNM]

34 minutes ago, tater said:

We had an annular here, and another one south years ago. Saw both. Worth it with little or no effort, not worth it with real effort required.

Well yeah, I think annulars aren't as naked-eye-visually exciting, unless you have other things to do alongside. The travel is going to be the harshest factor. The 2023 one is actually a near-hybrid - some part of the extreme paths of the eclipse (so those close to sunrise/sunset) are actually annulars, which then turns into total eclipses closer to the center.

23 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

A coal train drifted past just as I entered totality... which was exactly what I wanted, and what I had the camera set up for.

Wow. That has to be a sight to behold. And poor (or lucky ?) train driver !

 

In other news, I ran out of likes last night... You guys surely have all knew it and prepared it.

Edited August 22, 2017 by YNM

[0111narwhalz]

Just got back into reliable network coverage, and I must say that that was the best Monday I've had in a while.

I dunno what you guys are on about with the whole traffic and crowding thing. The highways were wide open in Idaho on Sunday, and we didn't see anyone else as we pulled off the highway onto the plains…

…And then hastily back onto the highway as we noticed the Idaho National Laboratories "No Trespassing" signs. 

We looped around the INL land and made our way into the canyon we'd picked out because of its intersection with the line of totality. There were perhaps three other cars on the plains as far as the eye could see. As we picked out our campsite—a beautiful little meadow between the fir forest and the sagebrush scrublands—we noticed another party on the same mission. They eventually found their site, a hundred meters or so downhill, and we didn't see anyone else the whole time.

We viewed the eclipse from the meadow the next day, sitting in our camp chairs beside a big fir tree. You've no doubt heard quite a lot about the eclipse, so I'm sure it'll suffice to say that it got cold, all the myriad insects bedded down, and the sun went away for a minute.

We stuck around in camp for the rest of the day, leaving this morning. Our neighbors had already left. Once again, the highways were open.

To be fair, some silly RV-ers did just park at the highway intersection. We saw as many of them at that one intersection on Sunday as we saw anyone else during our time off-highway. But that just seems like such a waste, to come all the way to totality in the middle of the plains only to bunch up again. 

[Adstri]

That eclipse was the coolest thing I have ever seen! I have now seen every single type of eclipse thanks to this beautiful event!

[tater]

I read a story that the route back towards Denver where I would have gone to see the eclipse, had I made it, took 10-12 hours to get to Denver (usually under 4 hours).

That would have turned my return drive from ~10-11 to nearly 20.

[razark]

In southern Illinois, once we got off the interstate and started taking smaller roads, we didn't really have any problem with traffic.

We ended up in some random field that was almost, but slightly south of, the centerline.

[tater]

Apparently 500k+ cars left the second totality was over, and headed for Denver.

[cubinator]

2 minutes ago, tater said:

Apparently 500k+ cars left the second totality was over, and headed for Denver.

Happened in Idaho, too. It's silly to think they could beat the traffic.

[StupidAndy]

since the one this thread was meant to cover has passed, can I now talk about the 2024 one?

[Cydonian Monk]

10 minutes ago, StupidAndy said:

since the one this thread was meant to cover has passed, can I now talk about the 2024 one?

Sure!

If I'm still in Houston when it happens, I'll probably just drive NorthWest into the path of totality. Maybe to the Waco area. Too bad San Antonio is going to miss totality - it'd be cool to watch from the RiverWalk. (Or likely not, as it'd end up being shoulder to shoulder crowds.)

[cubinator]

1 hour ago, StupidAndy said:

since the one this thread was meant to cover has passed, can I now talk about the 2024 one?

Holy crap, in 2024 I'll be applying for NASA's Astronaut Candidate program, and possibly others if they exist yet!

In more related news, I just got back home from my eclipse trip!

[qzgy]

2024...

I have no idea where I'll be in 2024.

[PakledHostage]

On 8/26/2017 at 7:40 PM, StupidAndy said:

since the one this thread was meant to cover has passed, can I now talk about the 2024 one?

What about the 2019 total eclipse? Or the 2020 total eclipse? Or even the (much harder to get to) 2021 total eclipse?

[Guest]

Maybe cleveland for the 2024 one.

[Adstri]

Where I was I didn't get much traffic. That was surprising.