So August 21, 2017 there will be a Great American Solar Eclipse Are you going to do anything special for it? Are you in the line? I’m thinking of going to a nearby lake in Grand Teton National Park and getting a special filter for my camera so I can get a chance at this once in a long time experience.
Somewhere in the Midwestern eclipse zone, where the weather is permitting.
(and not just because I’ll be wearing welder’s goggles!)
I experienced a 60% eclipse in 1994, and that was beyond cool. I can’t wait for this!
I’ll be heading to Oregon if I’m not on a biz trip. Somewhere between I5 and the coast
We’ll be in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, right at the point of maximum eclipse. This will be my fourth totallity.
Path of totality passes pretty much right over my mother’s home. I’m planning vacation to [del]visit family[/del] see the eclipse since [del]a family visit is long overdue[/del] it’s really cool.
I’ve seen one (El Salvador, 1991), and it is totally awesome. An experience of a lifetime. But I wouodn’t travel to see another one.
Silverton, OR.
Made the hotel reservation over a year ago at the princely sum of $300/night, and it was literally the last hotel room I could find within the zone of totality.
I will also be in Hopkinsville. It will be my first totality, though. I’ve been saving up a long, long time for this trip.
Nashville.
I have a hotel room booked in downstate Illinois and I guess we’ll be finding a handy spot along the path of totality.
Somewhere in Missouri. We’ll go visit my family in the St. Louis area and drive a bit southwest that day for the eclipse.
I live in the totality band, so I have taken a vacation day and am also prepared to drive in the event of clouds. I can’t wait for this!
Probably drive up to Kentucky (MMP - meetup in Hopkinsville??) as I live only 3 hours drive away.
Not sure, yet. Won’t have anything solid until about 48 hours prior.
My plan is to survey the weather forecast for Eclipse Day and then to drive somewhere, based on where it’s predicted to be clearest. I live in Raleigh and I have 2 hotel rooms reserved in Waynesville the night before (20th). I’m considering getting a room a little farther west, too, and cancelling whichever one looks least promising.
Ultimately, I’d love to be on the mountaintop so I can watch the cities alight as the shadow takes over. However, my brother lives close to Lake Marion (SC), so we’re also considering (Wx permitting) to go out on the boat that day.
I haven’t ruled out a road trip; depends on what work looks like at the time. I got to see one very well when I was younger and it would be cool to do that whole thing again. But even if I stay home you are looking at roughly a mag.8 so that isn’t too terribly bad.
I’ll probably be at work. I’ve got a cruise booked in October which will eat up most of my vacation days, so I don’t plan to drive anywhere for the eclipse. I have vague memories of using a pinhole in a shoebox to watch one when I was a kid. That’ll hold me. 
Work calendar cleared, Hotel room long booked in Mt Vernon IL (before they knew to jack up rates! ) Local astronomy club has several viewing sites reserved. Ready access to E-W highways should forecast warrant.
A friend and I are planning a 10 day road trip from the Albuquerque area through Utah, ending up in eastern Idaho where another friend lives. His house is directly in the path of totality so we can watch from his back yard.
I should also recommend that people get their welding glass, etc. now. It was hard to find during the transit of venus+partial eclipse a couple of years ago so do it now while you are thinking of it.
I finally got my head in the game a month ago and started looking for hotels and campgrounds and struck out badly as everything is full! I did find a motel6 closer to Portland (Beaverton?) so at least I’ll have something. I had been thinking that I’d drive down the morning of the eclipse, but I’m not going to risk traffic on that day as I can imagine that it could be a parking lot from Portland onward.
I’m going to signal **China Guy **as well, but I was curious if anyone had recommendations along the I5 corridor (+/- 1 hour) for a good spot that would generally be clear skies? I don’t know Oregon well at all, unfortunately. Thanks!
I live in Oregon in one of the most ideal spots for viewing.
SMAPTI … Are you staying at The Oregon Garden? I’m very close to Silverton.