News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

Solar eclipse 2017

Started by hbelkins, October 02, 2016, 08:09:44 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

hbelkins

Western Kentucky is prime viewing ground for the solar eclipse that will occur in August of next year.

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html

I've seen a few people talking about traveling to view this.

Hopkinsville is about a five-hour drive from me. Depending on the time of day, I could make this a day trip.

Perhaps an early lunch somewhere, and then going to some remote spot near Cerulean (I can get tips on possible viewing areas) to view it? Or gather at the view spot and then head somewhere for late lunch/early dinner?


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.


cl94

August 21? That's a definite maybe for me. It'll only be a partial eclipse where I am.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

SSOWorld

I've targeted Grand Island for viewing the eclipse.  It's another center of the path city for those further west to meet up.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

codyg1985

Right now I am planning on viewing it near Sparta, TN. If we make an event out of it, then I would be willing to head that way. I could make the round trip to SE Illinois in one day but it would really be pushing it.
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

noelbotevera

I'll see if I can't catch it at Nashville. I'm thinking it as part of a trip to the South.

hbelkins

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 03, 2016, 07:22:14 AM
Right now I am planning on viewing it near Sparta, TN. If we make an event out of it, then I would be willing to head that way. I could make the round trip to SE Illinois in one day but it would really be pushing it.

Sparta might actually be close to the same distance for me as the Hopkinsville area. Cookeville's an easy drive and Sparta is just right down the road via TN 111. Plus there's the added bonus of getting to see the only independently-signed segment of TN 1.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

jpi

Quote from: noelbotevera on October 03, 2016, 08:06:29 AM
I'll see if I can't catch it at Nashville. I'm thinking it as part of a trip to the South.

Nashville is 30 minutes to the west of me and I am in the prime viewing area for this.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

US 41

I would drive down to Hopkinsville in a heartbeat for a meet to watch the solar eclipse. That would be a pretty awesome road meet. I'm already planning on driving down there to see it.
Visited States and Provinces:
USA (48)= All of Lower 48
Canada (5)= NB, NS, ON, PEI, QC
Mexico (9)= BCN, BCS, CHIH, COAH, DGO, NL, SON, SIN, TAM

pumpkineater2

I really want to travel to see this; I was thinking about Casper, WY since its almost dead center in the viewing path. It all depends on whether or not I can:
A) save up enough money before then to buy my own car,

B) Convince my parents to let me take our old '97 Dodge pickup, which they most likely wouldn't trust enough for their son to take on a 1,000+mile round trip

C)Find a friend with a car who wants to go.

I looked into renting a car, and found out that rental companies really don't want to rent to people <25 years old, so that's out of the question.

From Phoenix, it's most certainly a 1 1/4 day drive there and back. If I did take the trip, I was thinking I'd arrive on the 20th, view the eclipse the 21st, then early on the 22nd make the ~3 1/2 hour drive to see Mount Rushmore. When finished there, I would start heading home and stop for the night somewhere in Colorado, and on the 24th, finish the drive home. If I did take this trip, it would be a great chance to see I-70 west of Denver, as well as it being my first actual road trip on my own, or at least, without family.
Come ride with me to the distant shore...

cl94

Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 04, 2016, 05:37:09 PM
I looked into renting a car, and found out that rental companies really don't want to rent to people <25 years old, so that's out of the question.

In response to that, some insurance companies work out a deal with rental companies to get the fee reduced or waived for members. I know my insurance company (USAA) has a deal with Hertz to waive fees for everyone and with Budget, Avis and Enterprise to waive for 21+ if booked through the insurance company.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Brandon

I'm going to go somewhere in SW Illinois, about 4 hours away to see it.  Red Bud seems to be in the path, and that means I can get down there and back in a day easily.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

jdb1234

Right now, my plan is to see it in Clayton, GA, where I have relatives.  Might have to spend weekend in Atlanta and then drive up on Monday.

jpi

I plan on being here in middle TN, my father may be coming down from PA to witness this too so we may road trip up towards Hopkinsville, KY since  it is a hair over an hour from my house.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

Dougtone

My mother lives just outside of Salem, Oregon, which is also near the center of the eclipse path. Since I try to visit her out in Oregon once a year as it is, I've expressed my interest to visit at that time in order to watch the eclipse. The Willamette Valley tends to be dry and sunny that time of year anyway.

slorydn1

I am seriously thinking about catching the eclipse from either the Tail of the Dragon, or the Cherohala Skyway. Out in the middle of nowhere on an overlook and just watching the Smokies disappear sounds like my kinda party!
Please Note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of any governmental agency, non-governmental agency, quasi-governmental agency or wanna be governmental agency

Counties: Counties Visited

skluth

I live just south of St. Louis. My backyard is expected to get one minute fifty seconds of totality. I may drive down to De Soto which is expected to get fifty more seconds of total eclipse. If the weather forecast looks bad, I'll probably drive somewhere else with a better forecast.

hbelkins

#16
After what I heard today, I'm having second thoughts about going to western Kentucky to see this.

I was in a meeting today where preparations for the eclipse were discussed. Kentucky officials are planning for a near-shutdown event with the number of visitors expected to be well into six figures. They're anticipating bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-24, which parallels the eclipse's path, and are preparing for vehicles running out of gas along the interstate and needing to have water to deliver to stranded motorists. One recreation area in Land Between the Lakes is expecting 50,000 people to view the eclipse there. Farmers in the area are planning not to plant their fields in crops this year; instead, they are going to sow them in grass and turn their fields into campgrounds for the event and make more money renting campsites for a night or two than they would for a year's worth of agricultural pursuits. As of yesterday, there was only one hotel room available in Madisonville, about an hour away from the prime viewing spot, and a war price was being asked for it. Hopkinsville and Cadiz are sold out, and Paducah is about 98 percent sold out. Since it's August, typically the hottest month of the year in Kentucky, there are concerns about medical emergencies and being able to transport patients to hospitals. There's also the opportunity for severe weather and officials don't know where they would evacuate people should a tornado warning be issued. An expansion project for the Hopkinsville airport is being accelerated so there will be plenty of parking spots for people who fly in to see the eclipse. This is expected to easily exceed crowds for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Speedway and the attraction will be in a rural area with no infrastructure to handle all the visitors.

The PowerPoint from today's meeting should be available to me tomorrow. I will post it somewhere and share the link.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Thing 342

Wow, didn't realize that this would be such a significant tourist event. As it currently stands, I'm probably going to head down to Columbia, SC to view it with relatives if I can get time off from my summer job.

cl94

Jesus. Guess I won't go to see it then.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Buck87

Wow. I guess instead of trying to go to the one in 2017 I'll just have wait for the one on April 8, 2024 come to me (assuming I'm still alive and living in Northern Ohio)

SSOWorld

My planned destination - Grand Island, NE - is also sold out.

(I'm already booked)
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

empirestate

Planning a trip to see my in-laws in Sedalia, MO, which is inside the path of totality, and about an hour south from the maximum duration zone. So that's lucky!

hbelkins

A couple of things that make Kentucky unique. First, both the longest duration and greatest totality points are in Kentucky. Second, I-24 parallels the path of the eclipse for its entire 93-mile run through Kentucky. That's why the Hopkinsville area is considered the epicenter for viewing.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

kkt

I'm planning on eastern Oregon for this.  Yes, it'll be crowded, and we'll have to camp and bring in all our drinking water, and driving out afterwards with about 10,000 other people on dirt Forest Service roads will be tedious, but it'll be worth it.

jpi

Holy crap, thanks for the heads up on this H.B. If my dad makes it down from central PA to visit with us during this time we may still try this since I do know some back ways to Hopkinsville from my house east of Nashville, plus I need to get the day off from work which I don't think will be a problem. It's obvious this is going to be a HUGE deal and yes this part of western KY is going to be maxed out in terms of infrastructure and medical staff on standby and this being middle of August it will be very hot, if we do this I will make sure to have plenty of water, I will be seeing my parents next week so I will be giving my dad the heads up on all this.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.