Front Row Seat

[Tunnelcat]

Well, it looks like NS, CUDA (if they drive south), Grendel and I are in for a rare once-in-a-lifetime show on August 21, 2017. I can hardly wait. The last eclipse I experienced was a partial one that occurred in Oregon back in 1979. It was a really weird experience because it was dark right overhead, but eerily light just to the south. This event will be the first and probably last time I and a lot of people will ever experience a total eclipse in our lifetimes. Oregon is supposed to be overrun with tourists as well since we're the first spot in the country that the moon's shadow will make landfall.

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/oregon/

[vision]

I looked into flights and hotels in Portland three months ago and everything was already booked. I'm not sure if I want to be in my car for four days so I can see the eclipse. I might fly to Omaha and see it there.

[Top Gun]

Still not sure if I feel like driving 9 hours south just to see something that lasts for 2 minutes, as awesome as those 2 minutes may be.

[TechPro]

My area in Idaho is also expected to be "front row seat" and they say to expect as much as 80,000 more people in the area (in addition to the existing 40,000).

[Grendel]

They are talking about 1 million ppl rushing in... I took the week around 8/21 off JIC TC, last partial was in 2012, May 20 -- was overcast tho.

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEatlas/S ... as2001.GIF

[Krom]

It is a few hundred miles drive south into Illinois for me to get in the path, but maybe I'll take the day off and go see it just because you don't see a total eclipse in person that often.

[LightWolf]

I heard that Casper-ish in Wyoming was one of the best places. Probably going to go there.

[Tunnelcat]

Casper, Wyoming is almost dead center in the shadow's path. It'll be spectacular. Here's an interactive Google map for everyone in the States. It looks like a spot on Interstate 57 near the bottom of Illinois will have the longest duration Krom.

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html

[woodchip]

Just hope it is a clear day and no clouds

[Tunnelcat]

If it happened here in the winter, clouds would be a sure thing. Fortunately, August is almost guaranteed to be cloud-free. Now that I've said that, I just cursed the whole of Oregon to a rare summer storm on that one particular day.

[Sirius]

Yeah, August seems to be usually the best weather month in the PNW.