The Upcoming Solar Eclipse

[2017ish]

I lived in Mineola and went to grade school in New Florence, MO. How odd that 3 forum members know about such a sparsely populated area literally in the middle of nowhere.

I'm familiar with the area--but from the vantage point of St. Charles and Wentzville (Neither of which were that big then, but in comparison sure seemed so!)

 

[CardsFan]

I lived in Mineola and went to grade school in New Florence, MO. How odd that 3 forum members know about such a sparsely populated area literally in the middle of nowhere.

It's a small world.

 

[TromboneAl]

A small inexpensive refractor telescope can do a safe projection of the sun onto a white surface. The projection can be larger for easy viewing by a group. No special glasses needed.

I used my binoculars to get this photo:

Our house burned to the ground a year after that, so I must have given someone that picture, then gotten it back.

 

[Scrapr]

Things in Madras are coming together. There is going to be a lot of people there. I think the fairgrounds there is going to have a festival thing. Stage, bands, etc. The Oregon State Parks auction off several campsites Monday for a nearby lake. I did not hear what they went for. All camp sites are sold out. 3 night min.

The DOT (transportation) is going to station troubleshooters every couple miles from Bend to Madras. Roads are going to be choked. Parking is going to be limited. Bring your own supplies. Food & water, first aid kit & AED machine

May I suggest maybe a small town experience rather than that show in Madras? There are a bunch of small towns that would have a better experience than crowds of tourists. One that i heard on OPB (NPR) is Spray Oregon. About 2.5 hours from Bend. Which probably isn't much more than it will be to drive to Madras.

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Spray, OR


(non attorney, non paid spokesman)

 

[Chuckanut]

Apparently REWahoo was almost right, but it won't be the asteroid strike that does us in but another planet:

Will the 2017 solar eclipse cause a secret planet called 'Nibiru' to destroy Earth next month?

Earlier this year Meade asserted that Nibiru would crash into Earth in October, however he has now moved the date forward a few weeks.
The Great American Eclipse - the total solar eclipse which will enshroud parts of the US in complete darkness on 21 August - now apparently indicates the planet's arrival.

 

[Chuckanut]

Things in Madras are coming together. There is going to be a lot of people there. I think the fairgrounds there is going to have a festival thing. Stage, bands, etc. The Oregon State Parks auction off several campsites Monday for a nearby lake. I did not hear what they went for. All camp sites are sold out. 3 night min.

Oregon has apparently asked the state of Washington for help in handling the expected one million people who will travel there to see the eclipse. In particular they want fire fighting help to put out fires that might block the view and/or threaten people camped in campgrounds, fields, etc.

Other advice:

Assume massive traffic jams. Don't plan on zipping home a few hours after the eclipse is over.

Bring your own food/water, cooking equipment etc. Assume restaurants and grocery stores will be packed and perhaps run out.

Fill-up the car. Gas stations could run out of gas.

Cell phone service may be over loaded.

Bring lots of money. Everything will be extra expensive.

 

[REWahoo]

Apparently REWahoo was almost right, but it won't be the asteroid strike that does us in but another planet:

Will the 2017 solar eclipse cause a secret planet called 'Nibiru' to destroy Earth next month?

David Meade's claim is a textbook example of a distinction without a difference.

 

[Bir48die]

I am one of these Oregon residents that is dreading the apocalypse in a couple of weeks. I will buy a week's worth of food and hunker in my bunker. Hope those that come enjoy the trip.

 

[GravitySucks]

Traveling to the Nashville area for prime viewing.
Hope the weather cooperates.

 

[sengsational]

I'll be in the Smokys. The three biggest cities around the area are Asheville, Knoxville, and Atlanta at 55, 115, and 150 miles, respectively. And about half way between I-75 and I-85, so I hope most of the Atlanta people won't find it easy to show up near me.

 

[Chuckanut]

FYI, I check on booking a car in Portland OR to drive to the 100% Eclipse area.

Result:

Unusually high demand in Portland, book your car soon.
Based on search volume analysis for Aug 20.
+2170%

I assume that means the demand is 2200% of normal.

 

[homestead]

For those coming to Oregon to watch the eclipse traveling south from Portland I would
arrive a day early to get to your destination. I expect grid lock Monday morning on I5 north of Salem OR.

 

[Lurking]

For those coming to Oregon to watch the eclipse traveling south from Portland I would
arrive a day early to get to your destination. I expect grid lock Monday morning on I5 north of Salem OR.

Just in case you haven't planned ahead, Salem, OR has opened its city parks to camping the night before the eclipse at no charge (and no reservations). Tents and blankets allowed, fires and RVs not. Basically, I see this as a pragmatic move by the city since some people will likely be doing it anyway -- at least now there will be portable toilets and other accommodations to ease the clean up.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.kgw....pecting-125000-visitors-for-eclipse/460889077

Probably not this crowd, but I'm amazed at how many people don't plan ahead.

 

[Sojourner]

I'll be in the Smokys. The three biggest cities around the area are Asheville, Knoxville, and Atlanta at 55, 115, and 150 miles, respectively. And about half way between I-75 and I-85, so I hope most of the Atlanta people won't find it easy to show up near me.

This is my plan, too. I'll be driving up to Tennessee or northeastern Georgia from Atlanta early that morning to try and scope out a good spot for watching the big event. I'm a little worried about crowds and traffic, but I figure if I get a really early start out of Atlanta, I should have plenty of time to drive around within the zone of totality to find a good spot. But it's such a once-in-a-lifetime event, I'm still concerned there could be some unexpected snags and difficulties.

Most people I've talked to around here about the eclipse seem to have little interest in traveling to the zone of totality, even though it's less than a 2 hour drive. It's mind-boggling that something so rare, so majestic and awesome to see, and so readily accessible seems to evoke only mild interest from so many folks. As puzzling as it is, I'm hoping this means that the roads won't be jam-packed that morning.

 

[Senator]

I had a pair of paper eclipse glasses, but decided to order a pair of sunglasses type for a backup and maybe a more comfortable set. I just got this email from Amazon. Who would have suspected that glasses made in China would be fake...?

Be aware of what glasses you are viewing the eclipse with.

We’re writing to provide you with important safety information about the eclipse products you purchased on Amazon (order #112-5586950-9281824 for 3-Pack Plastic Eclipse Glasses, Safety Solar Shades Glasses for Direct Sun Viewing, CE and ISO Certified for Adults & Teenagers).

To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers. Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness.

Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer. We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.

Amazon is applying a balance for the purchase price to Your Account (please allow 7-10 days for this to appear on Your Account). There is no need for you to return the product. You can view your available balance and activity here:

 

[REWahoo]

And then there is this...

Mom asked Texas museum if solar eclipse can be rescheduled

Most kids go back to school that day? Can it be done on the weekend?

 

[braumeister]

How about this?

During the eclipse, as less light reaches solar panels across the US, solar energy production will drop, meaning more power plants may have to be fired up to cover the shortfall for just a brief time.
So, we’re encouraging people across the US to help offset this drop in energy production by pre-cooling their homes before the eclipse.

https://nest.com/blog/2017/08/10/solar-eclipse-meet-the-nest-thermostat/

 

[Senator]

Another note about face solar eclipse glasses, all is not lost.

https://qz.com/1040159/solar-eclips...zon-may-not-meet-nasa-safety-recommendations/

In the meanwhile, here’s the real question: How much does it matter if you wind up with a pair of glasses that don’t meet NASA safety standards? “All the testing I’ve done have shown that the products are very bright but are not unsafe,” says Lunt. Tests done on a spectrophotometer—a lab-level machine that costs thousands, in case you were wondering if you could check your glasses yourself at home—show that the lenses are, in fact, blocking the most harmful spectra of light. “The IP is getting ripped off, but the good news is there are no long-term harmful effects,” says Lunt.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

And then there is this...

Mom asked Texas museum if solar eclipse can be rescheduled

As an amateur astronomer who has assisted with many viewing sessions for the public over the years, I (unfortunately) have no trouble believing this. Sigh.

 

[Red Badger]

How about this?

https://nest.com/blog/2017/08/10/solar-eclipse-meet-the-nest-thermostat/

Okay, if we reschedule the eclipse like the lady (earlier post) asked, lets' set it to happen at night time. That way, the school kids can watch and we don't lose the solar power. Two problems solved - easy peasy!

 

[Senator]

Okay, if we reschedule the eclipse like the lady (earlier post) asked, lets' set it to happen at night time. That way, the school kids can watch and we don't lose the solar power. Two problems solved - easy peasy!

And we should substitute the earth blocking the sun instead of the moon.

 

[Dawg52]

And then there is this...

Mom asked Texas museum if solar eclipse can be rescheduled

It needs to be rescheduled. I have a nap already scheduled.

 

[Scrapr]

Welp the craziness is starting early. Bend is about an hour south of Madras, Or. Who has planned a big party there. 100k is what they are planning. The town is under 10k population.

Reports of multiple gas stations running out of fuel. 30 minute wait in gas line. Mrs Scrapr heard a rumor of this on Monday. A full week ahead of the eclipse. Next I predict the phone lines go down on eclipse day. Which will mean no purchase in stores by CC. Possibly even cash if the register is tied into a POS system.

Long gas lines in C.O., some outages as eclipse approaches - KTVZ

I'm watching from my back yard.

 

[EastWest Gal]

My cousin has a camping spot in Madras. He'll be there Friday. We're arriving in Portland Friday night, driving down Saturday morning, dropping stuff off in Bend, and going to Madras and camping for the duration. We're shopping in Portland for non perishables and water to sustain us. Will buy gas whenever we can along the way to keep the tank full. I hope we can get gas in Bend before going to Madras. We anticipate problems with cell phone and internet, but don't really care. Having been backpacking in the Sierras, this will be comparatively luxurious. Bringing plenty of cash but don't really anticipate needing it except for festival food. Thanks to Scrapr we're ready for this, we think.

 

[athena53]

I'm watching from my back yard.

Me, too- I'm in the KC area, which isn't quite in the center of the path but it's close enough. I'm staying put.