# Are you driving to the path of totality to see the eclipse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973 "2017-08-18T13:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/21 "2017-08-18T16:42:34Z")
Sure am! Just made my hotel reservation, and even found a decent room 75 miles away, in a city where I used to live. šŸ†’ I am stoked! ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/22 "2017-08-18T16:52:16Z")
Already here. Flew in a week ago to [del]visit mom[/del] see the eclipse. I guess I could try to work my way a couple miles south and get 3 more seconds of totality but I think the centreline passing Anderson, SC so close to I-85 means that area will be an absolute traffic zoo. Weā€™re opting for lawn chairs and cold drinks at home. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/23 "2017-08-18T16:55:19Z")
I live in the path, so I intend to walk out my back door. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/24 "2017-08-18T17:25:44Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > I saw the one in '7o, and seeing it in person isā€¦special. Pictures and videos canā€™t come close. Fair enough, but I will note that photos and video are not what they were 47 years ago. Besides, I was born in 1977 and raised by television. If itā€™s not on a screen, it didnā€™t happen. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/25 "2017-08-18T17:33:11Z")
No, Iā€™m giving it a pass. I know itā€™s a major event and I was strongly thinking about making a trip to see it. But for me, such a trip would involve a couple of days on the road. And that was under normal circumstances. As it became clear how abnormally bad the circumstances were going to be, I decided to stay home. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/26 "2017-08-18T17:36:50Z")
Thanks for all the replies. Yea, I should have spent a little more time on the poll options but I think weā€™re still painting a useful picture here. Iā€™m hoping the posters in Myanmar donā€™t select ā€œnoā€ just so they can play in the poll. My local, verbal surveys have gotten a sense of _meh_ from a lot of those I talk to. The roughly 50% ā€œyesā€ trend shown here seems to mirror that. Iā€™m driving to the band but Iā€™m not sure where just yet. Iā€™m close enough to have options, enabling better chances for sunny skies. We were headed to Monckā€™s Corner but thatā€™s out now. Plan B was Waynesville. Now it may be Orangeburg, SC. So the Wx will force the _where_, but weā€™re driving someplace. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/27 "2017-08-18T18:37:11Z")
Iā€™m leaving for Hopkinsville, KY, very early Sunday morning. Thunderstorms are forecast, but that doesnā€™t necessarily mean itā€™ll be rainy or cloudy all day. Iā€™ve already seen 3 eclipses, plus the Transit of Venus. Thisā€™ll be the first time I wonā€™t be taking pictures. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/28 "2017-08-18T18:38:31Z")
Sitting on the couch waiting impatiently for my never-prepared-enough friend to pick me up. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago. Driving south through Montana to Wyoming. Hope to watch somewhere around Shoshoni. We have a few potetial watching locations to scout out. We did book a cabin in Thermopolis for the 20th and 21st over a month ago. They called on Monday and told us they over booked. Offered us an RV to stay in. If that doesnt work out we will.just have to bivy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/29 "2017-08-18T18:55:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Iā€™m leaving for Hopkinsville, KY, very early Sunday morning. Thunderstorms are forecast, but that doesnā€™t necessarily mean itā€™ll be rainy or cloudy all day. Iā€™ve already seen 3 eclipses, plus the Transit of Venus. Thisā€™ll be the first time I wonā€™t be taking pictures. The forecast I saw today [was pretty encouraging](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/08/18/total-solar-eclipse-weather-forecast-as-of-aug-18/?utm_term=.e279b88d9673). ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/30 "2017-08-18T19:10:28Z")
I plan on stepping out on to my deck with a nice cup of coffee to view the 90% where I am. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/31 "2017-08-18T19:20:39Z")
Yes. On a good day Iā€™m a bit less than an hour and a half south of totality. Iā€™m still debating the best way to get north. Right now Iā€™m thinking Iā€™ll leave very early Monday morning (like 1am) and head north, hopefully making Albany, OR in a couple hours. Iā€™ll find a Wal-Mart parking lot or similar and snooze in the car until sunup. Iā€™'l make sure I have some drinking water, a cooler full of sandwiches, and a full tank of gas. Then itā€™s showtime. My big worry is getting home. Once totality is over I think Iā€™ll head back south. Iā€™m sure the roads will be nuts but hopefully if I leave right after totality I can avoid the worst of it. Here in Oregon on the west side of the Cascades there really arenā€™t any ā€œback roadsā€ so almost all the traffic will be on the freeway or the coast highway. Not good. Interestingly nobody around here is driving north for the totality. Everyone Iā€™ve talked with said that the idea of dealing with Carmageddon is enough to keep them at home. So a lot of it may be overblown fearmongering. We shall see. I have no idea what to actually expect. Regardless, I think itā€™s one of those things that one should see at least once in their life. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/32 "2017-08-18T20:02:40Z")
For the eclipse purists desiring the _ **exact** _ location where you may find yourself on Monday, here are two online web tools to assist you: **Where Am I?** Ā· [https://www.gps-coordinates.net/](https://www.gps-coordinates.net/) - Use this site to find your exact latitude, longitude, and altitude. Use the DMS (degrees, minutes, seconds) coordinates and plug the numbers into the form using the next website: **What Will I See? How Much Will I See?** Ā· [http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/SolarEclipses.php](http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/SolarEclipses.php) - US Naval Observatory. Use Form B. Enter the latitude, longitude, and altitude provided from the above website. (You can enter up to two decimal places for seconds.) ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/33 "2017-08-18T20:52:47Z")
Iā€™ll get ~50 seconds of totality where I live in suburban Nashville and I took the day off. Iā€™m debating driving the 13 miles to downtown Nashville (2 minutes totality) or the 45 miles to the line of maximal totality (2:40 or so) ā€“ I was originally going to, but the traffic warnings and the way the glasses are disappearing here are making me very wary. Do you guys think the extra time will be worth the travel? (Since Iā€™m actually driving to my momā€™s house about a mile away to see the eclipse with her, I voted for the first option.) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/34 "2017-08-18T21:15:58Z")
Yup. Iā€™m about fifteen miles north of totality and while everyone else is jamming up the highways I plan on using my ability to get up early, AWD vehicle and extensive knowledge of logging roads to get me to a good spotā€“one that I already scoped out by the simple expedient of driving along the road at 0900 to see where the sun is unobstructed. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/35 "2017-08-18T21:34:00Z")
What do you say if you are already in the band? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/36 "2017-08-18T22:51:29Z")
Iā€™m in a 90% area and the Adler Planetarium is having a party plus free admission that day, so Iā€™m staying in town. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/37 "2017-08-18T23:16:25Z")
No, my wedding anniversary is August 20 and we already made other plans. A few weeks ago I mentioned to my wife that the morning after our anniversary there would be a solar eclipse, she wasnā€™t all that excited about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/38 "2017-08-19T00:23:03Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > What do you say if you are already in the band? ā€œNeener, neenerā€? šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/39 "2017-08-19T00:28:19Z")
Driving to West Yellowstone., bicycling to Driggs, ID ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973/40 "2017-08-19T00:29:29Z")
Yep, Iā€™m loading up the kids (wife has to work, unfortunately- my office is closing and everybody gets a paid holiday!) and we are headed south on WY-59. Its only about a 75-mile trip to hit totality, plus whatever drive time to get to a decent place along a county road to park and witness the spectacle. The kids and I are all science geeks, so we are abuzz with excitement! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-driving-to-the-path-of-totality-to-see-the-eclipse/793973.md?page=3)