Solar eclipse USA

[recceranger]

Guys,

anyone suggest a good itinerary for the eclipse in 2017?  It will be my wife's 50th birthday and I had planned on a fly drive to include a visit to Memphis and New Orleans.

It would be great to include a good observing site in 1st or 2nd week

[LukeSkywatcher]

I was planning to view it from my sister's house in Oregon. Problem is she has just moved to Reno (Nevada) and its only 60% of totality from there and its the height of summer and i dont much fancy the heat or expense for a 60% eclipse.

[recceranger]

Yeh Oregon sounds the place but it's a wee bit too NW for us Luke.  I was thinking Nasville and that way we can still drop down to New Orleans etc.

[SkyGibbon]

On 4/27/2016 at 13:22, LukeSkywatcher said:

I was planning to view it from my sister's house in Oregon. Problem is she has just moved to Reno (Nevada) and its only 60% of totality from there and its the height of summer and i dont much fancy the heat or expense for a 60% eclipse.

Actually it isn't too bad in Reno in the summer. About 30 - 32c, much nicer too if you head north to the area you would need to be. Although I can understand not wanting to spend the money for a partial eclipse if you plan on not leaving Reno. Ontario Oregon, which is in line for totality, would be about an 6.5 hr. drive from Reno. I think that is your closest point, or somewhere around there. Here is a great page for info on the eclipse and where to be.

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm#Oregon

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I aim to be in Casper, Wyoming. I will probably stay with a friend in Colorado, and drive up to Wyoming for the day

[Jim78154]

I personally will be near Kansas City, Kansas because Kansas is the closest state to me with a view of totality. I am choosing Kansas City because it is a city large enough that I hopefully wont have too many accommodation problems, can get good airline connections to, have access to rental cars and can find someone in the area to recommend a good viewing site. 

[SkyGibbon]

8 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

I aim to be in Casper, Wyoming. I will probably stay with a friend in Colorado, and drive up to Wyoming for the day

That's a very nice area to drive around in. Nice country. Enjoy. If you can get a bit west to Grand Teton National Park, it would be outstanding. Not sure in Colorado you are staying, but it is about 4 hrs from Casper.

[wellsi]

13 hours ago, SkyGibbon said:

That's a very nice area to drive around in. Nice country. Enjoy. If you can get a bit west to Grand Teton National Park, it would be outstanding. Not sure in Colorado you are staying, but it is about 4 hrs from Casper.

What's your thoughts on accommodation out in Wyoming?  I was thinking of Casper as well; I reckon there will be an awful lot of people moving to the line of totality those days and was hoping to get a bit more deserted than the mid-west states.

 

Ian

 

[SkyGibbon]

7 minutes ago, wellsi said:

What's your thoughts on accommodation out in Wyoming?  I was thinking of Casper as well.  I reckon there will  be an awful lot of people moving to the line of totality those days and was hoping to get a bit more deserted than the mid-west states.

 

Ian

 

Wyoming is a sparsely populated state. Big, but not many people. Casper is one of its bigger towns (60,000 people), so I dont think you will have any issues with lodging. If it was me I would just head west from Casper, and find any dirt road, park and view. You will get more time with totality heading west.

 

You cant get more remote than Wyoming. It is one of our least populated state,. And it covers alot of area. 

[wellsi]

Thanks for that.  I was a littel concerned that all of Yellowstone would vacate down to Casper for that weekend and have no accommodation left.....  Guess I@ll book up early just in case.

 

Thanks again

Ian

 

[Moonshane]

I was considering this but checked flights only for myself and my wife and it seems to be around £3k with a car for the same period in 2016. We are looking at possibly going to USA for around 3-4 weeks as we may as well make it our main holiday. But presumably looking at around £5k total for the trip so will need to think hard about it - that said, it's my 50th in Feb 2017 and our 25th wedding anniversary in May 2017 so maybe we should splash out!

[bish]

1 hour ago, Moonshane said:

I was considering this but checked flights only for myself and my wife and it seems to be around £3k with a car for the same period in 2016. We are looking at possibly going to USA for around 3-4 weeks as we may as well make it our main holiday. But presumably looking at around £5k total for the trip so will need to think hard about it - that said, it's my 50th in Feb 2017 and our 25th wedding anniversary in May 2017 so maybe we should splash out!

I think you should splash out Shane if it doesn't break the bank,  just be tight with everything else. Good way to celebrate your 50th/anniversary. My wife and me intend to go out for the eclipse, and as you say, expect to pay  £5-6k for us both so we can spend a few weeks out there. I am putting a shed ''obsy' up the garden so I can get a bigger scope - but the holiday money comes  before the scope. We do like our holidays anyway and the eclipse is a bonus.

[Moonshane]

I suppose it's only £200 for every year of marriage or £100 for every year of my life!

[bish]

1 hour ago, Moonshane said:

I suppose it's only £200 for every year of marriage or £100 for every year of my life!

Exactly. I'm sure Mrs Moonshane thinks you are getting off lightly at £200 per year of marriage!

[Ceramus]

We've booked to see the eclipse from Jackson, Wyoming, near Grand Teton. Yellowstone is also on the itinerary as well as Bryce and Grand Canyons. Visits to Lowell and Kiitt Peak obeys also planned.?

[bish]

56 minutes ago, Ceramus said:

We've booked to see the eclipse from Jackson, Wyoming, near Grand Teton. Yellowstone is also on the itinerary as well as Bryce and Grand Canyons. Visits to Lowell and Kiitt Peak obeys also planned.?

Sounds like a good plan. We are goin to do a similar thing, start up at Yellowstone and come down to the Canyons and Vegas. I've not mentioned Kitt Peak to my wife yet.

[Moonshane]

Done some thinking and we cannot afford it just yet. I am therefore going to wait until the 2026 eclipse in Spain which will be far more cost effective. Ironically we may well go to USA between 2017 and 2026 but for general tourism!

[bish]

The scary thing is that 2026 will soon come around.

[ilbrec]

On 5/16/2016 at 13:05, Moonshane said:

Done some thinking and we cannot afford it just yet. I am therefore going to wait until the 2026 eclipse in Spain which will be far more cost effective. Ironically we may well go to USA between 2017 and 2026 but for general tourism!

Have you both seen totality? If not this is terribly short sighted.  It's a vanishigly brief experience that I can never get enough of... GO!

[Moonshane]

Fair enough but not willing to sacrifice every bit of money we have to serve my obsession!

[JemC]

26 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

Fair enough but not willing to sacrifice every bit of money we have to serve my obsession!

i think i would call what you have Shane is Passion,

[Stu]

On 12 May 2016 at 13:07, Moonshane said:

I suppose it's only £200 for every year of marriage or £100 for every year of my life!

When you put it like that Shane........it's still a heck of a lot of cash! ??

I would love to go, but finances won't allow and I have a certain 'young' lady's 40th to consider in 18mths time! ??

[LukeSkywatcher]

I couldnt think when the Spanish eclipse was. I'll most likely be going to that one. Much easier to get to and cheaper.

[ilbrec]

These things can usually be done on a lot tighter budget than most people think, if you are prepared to go a bit down market with accomodation etc then you can have a decent eclipse experience without breaking the bank.   The eclipse tour companies are mostly very professional but we've done eclipse holidays at a fraction of thier cost.

2010 Eclipse passed over Easter island and French polenesia.  Fantastic eclipse locations but very dear to get to on eclipse day, far beyond our cheapskate budget.  Which is how we ended up staying in a hostel in frozen Argentina at the very end of the eclipse path with fairly poor weather propects.... watching the sun set in eclipse behind the snow capped mountains the other side of the glacial lake!

And remember every eclipse is different..... each one a unique experience seared into the memory,  but each one leaving you wanting more and scheming how to get to the next.  The Missus wasn't totally sold on the eclipse idea, thinking that it was just a nice added extra to a slightly adventurous holiday, until she experienced totallity.  Now she is just as hooked as me.