08/21/17 Total eclipse -- Time to get serious.
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19 members have voted
Quote: IbeatyouracesYou all better hope that the weather cooperates!!
Debbie downer
Quote: Doc
However, I decided that I really should have a backup plan for the backup plan. Another WoV member had suggested to me that we might get together at the Harrah's in Cherokee, NC for some entertainment combined with an eclipse viewing. Being from NC, I am not very confident of clear weather at the critical time, but that option would involve significantly lower travel costs. Both Joeman and GWAE have also posted about possibly viewing the eclipse in NC.
This morning, I took a few steps to lock in some options for the backup-for-the-backup. I booked a motel room for 8/20 in Cherokee -- not at Harrah's but at a pretty nice motel I have stayed in before -- getting a King Suite for $90 plus tax. The total eclipse will last 1 minute 22.7 seconds in Cherokee but I want a little more time than that. There is a dinky little motel my wife and I stayed in when we visited the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino. That motel is located in Andrews, NC, and that town is right in the center of the path of totality for the eclipse. There, the total eclipse will last 91.5% longer than in Cherokee for a total of 2 minutes 38.4 seconds. Those extra 75 seconds might give me time to look around a little more and get some photos I might miss if I stayed in Cherokee. So, (if I wind up following this 2nd tier backup plan) I will drive the 43 miles down to Andrews for the big event and afterward probably visit the smaller casino again. I booked a room at the dinky motel for the night of 8/21 at the same $90 plus tax. Both of those reservations can be cancelled w/o penalty if I eventually decide to pursue a different option.
Yikes! I thought Cherokee was where the Harrah's Cherokee Valley Casino is. It is not! I will be staying overnight at the closest motel/hotel to the Casino, as that will provide some entertainment Sunday night, then will make the 15 minute or so drive to Andrews. Cherokee proper is around an hour drive to the casino.
Excellent! It seems that each day I take another step toward a commitment to the NC option instead of the Idaho original plan. The reduced travel and lodging costs might enable me to justify purchasing another lens for one of my Nikons, with specific focus (no pun intended, but I'll acknowledge it) on photographing the eclipse.Quote: SOOPOOMe and my two sons are in. Maybe a friend or two from Atlanta will join us as well.
So, SOOPOO's group now numbers somewhere 3 to 5; add to that odiousgambit and wife plus Doc and wife, and we are beginning to form a real core group for WoVEclipseNC. (And I like the name, SOOPOO.) Haven't seen another post about Joeman's tentative plans for an NC viewing.
Is rdw4potus following this thread? He and his lovely wife would be great additions to the group. They live less than 250 miles from Andrews and have driven through there before. If he doesn't pipe in on this thread, I'll have to bug him at the Spring Fling.
Edit: Yes, Andrews is ~43 miles from Harrah's Cherokee Casino (in Cherokee, NC) and more like 13 miles from Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino outside of Murphy. The original casino is much larger and nicer, which is why I choose to spend Sunday night in Cherokee for the entertainment. After driving to Andrews to view the eclipse, I expect I would drive down to the smaller casino for that experience, too, and would return to stay Monday night at the motel in Andrews.
We'll have to decide where and when we might do the viewing together if everybody wants that. Being near the casino too is nice insurance for what to do in case of cloud cover, not to mention the other 23 hours and 58 minutes of that day.
I would hope we could all meet up at the casino Sunday evening. Pretty much right after the eclipse I will be heading back to the Atlanta airport.
Edit---- My brain is scrambled..... so there is a Harrah's Cherokee casino AND a Harrah's River Valley Cherokee Casino? Anyway, I am staying in Murphy near the River Valley one....
The tribe opened the second casino to be a little closer to the Atlanta customers. I'm not sure how well that has worked out for them. The Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino is 40 minutes (and 39 miles) closer to Atlanta than is the original Harrah's Cherokee Casino, according to Google Maps.
Last time I was there with R-craps and his wife, we made a trip down for the reason of lower table limits and also for the reason that I was curious about it, not having seen it yet. We're both Craps players of course, but the lower limit table, which was probably $5, don't remember, was packed and we played on a $15 table just to get a spot. Of course, the way the universe works*, that meant it was the only time we were running bad the whole trip was then at this higher limit table, and we wound up limping out of there.
Thus we weren't there long. However, I was soon getting mailers for free rooms and a bit of freeplay just from what action we did give them. The rooms have to be at least "OK" as the place is fairly new.
*just a superstition of course, a disclaimer for the Wizard's benefit lest the pupil tick off the Master
Quote: DocYes, there are two casinos, both operated by Harrah's for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Your plan is to stay near the newer casino, which is much smaller and not as nice. Odiousgambit and I are taking the opposite approach for Sunday night, while I will visit the new/small casino after the eclipse on Monday.
The tribe opened the second casino to be a little closer to the Atlanta customers. I'm not sure how well that has worked out for them. The Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino is 40 minutes (and 39 miles) closer to Atlanta than is the original Harrah's Cherokee Casino, according to Google Maps.
I now have two reservations, one in Cherokee and one in Murphy. The extra hour drive was what led me to make the Murphy reservation, as we will already be driving from Atlanta. Now that I know you and Odious are staying in Cherokee I will probably do the extra drive to be with the gang. The hotel in Cherokee looks pretty ok, while the motel in Murphy looks like the Bates Motel.
Is that two reservations for two nights or both for the same night and you haven't cancelled the original one? If you are only spending one night in NC, I think staying in Cherokee proper is the better option for Sunday. The best route from Atlanta does NOT take you by way of Murphy.Quote: SOOPOOI now have two reservations, one in Cherokee and one in Murphy.
On Monday, we can all go down to Andrews to witness the 91% longer total eclipse; then we can stop by the newer casino 15 minutes down the road so that you can check out whether I have been giving you bad advice. Maybe they will have those lower limits that OG referred to. In any case, you can take the more direct route from there back to Atlanta.
The gaming limits seem to be erratic. My wife and I were in Cherokee for a Thursday night last month. I played craps there at a $5 table until 9pm or so and called it a night. Friday morning about breakfast time, I went back to the tables to find the minimum available was $15, with few players. I don't really understand that. I declined to play then.
The only time I have been to the casino near Murphy, they had a $5 craps table going when I arrived on a Sunday morning, but by noon they had cranked it up to $20 minimum. I lost money in both cases, just lost it faster at the higher level of play.
Quote: SOOPOOThe hotel in Cherokee looks pretty ok, while the motel in Murphy looks like the Bates Motel.
I have never stayed in any hotel in Murphy that I can recall. If I remember the film correctly, the Bates Motel (or maybe just the owner's house in the back) was far upscale from the motel I have booked for Monday night in Andrews. Perhaps I should be rethinking that -- maybe I should check whether I can get a second night at the motel in Cherokee and drive the 43 miles back there. For my trip home, I will have to drive back past Cherokee on Tuesday anyway.
Looking forward to it.
I will look further into the possibility of changing my motel arrangement for Monday night. There is one related issue: I booked my room in Cherokee directly with Choice Hotels/Comfort Suites. In many cases, Harrah's is not willing to offer a comped/discounted room at the Cherokee Casino Hotel to a low roller like me, but they will offer subsidized rooms at other local hotels, sometimes even at this same Comfort Suites. I haven't checked into that yet at all, and it may be too far in the future for Harrah's to want to discuss such a thing with me.
Quote: DocJust something to think about: When you leave Andrews after the eclipse, if you take the direct route back to Atlanta, you will be driving almost right by the Cherokee Valley River Casino (have to turn left onto the property and up/around a hill to the casino building), and you might want to take a look at the place even if you don't have time to play.
I will look further into the possibility of changing my motel arrangement for Monday night. There is one related issue: I booked my room in Cherokee directly with Choice Hotels/Comfort Suites. In many cases, Harrah's is not willing to offer a comped/discounted room at the Cherokee Casino Hotel to a low roller like me, but they will offer subsidized rooms at other local hotels, sometimes even at this same Comfort Suites. I haven't checked into that yet at all, and it may be too far in the future for Harrah's to want to discuss such a thing with me.
My guess is these two nights we low rollers will get nada. I also booked directly through the Choice Hotels/Comfort Suites website.
But ,Mama, that's where the fun is
https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2017/pr17_020.htm
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service will soon release a first-of-its-kind stamp that changes when you touch it. The Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp, which commemorates the August 21 eclipse, transforms into an image of the Moon from the heat of a finger. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtag #EclipseStamps.
Tens of millions of people in the United States hope to view this rare event, which has not been seen on the U.S. mainland since 1979. The eclipse will travel a narrow path across the entire country for the first time since 1918. The path will run west to east from Oregon to South Carolina and will include portions of 14 states.
The June 20, 1:30 p.m. MT First-Day-of-Issue ceremony will take place at the Art Museum of the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie.
Quote: AyecarumbaI'm planning to be in Idaho that day. BYU-Idaho is hosting a big carnival in Rexburg. I hope the skies are clear.
Your odds will be quite good. I once rode my unicycle around that campus. I got the impression they didn't see that every day.
Quote: WizardTo help get the forum in the mood, here is a link to my blog entry about my last total eclipse: Total Eclipse.
Wizard,
I remember reading this blog when you wrote it. I decided then that I would have to see the eclipse in 2017. I was telling all my friends about it 8 years ago, and we all decided we would go to Carbondale, IL (site of longest totality) on 8/21. Well, of course, everyone backed out. So instead I'm taking my whole family.
It'll be me, my wife, my 6 year old and my 3 year old. It's crazy to think that when you wrote that post, they weren't even born, and I wasn't even married!
I also booked a room for my parents, my sister, my brother and his family. I'm so excited for this trip, it'll be something we will remember the rest of our lives.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for getting me interested in this. I know it would have to be a flight, but I do have an extra room in Carbondale if you need somewhere to stay. (No charge for you of course)
Thanks again, I can't wait for 8/21.
Quote: FinsRuleQuote: WizardTo help get the forum in the mood, here is a link to my blog entry about my last total eclipse: Total Eclipse.
Wizard,
I remember reading this blog when you wrote it. I decided then that I would have to see the eclipse in 2017. I was telling all my friends about it 8 years ago, and we all decided we would go to Carbondale, IL (site of longest totality) on 8/21. Well, of course, everyone backed out. So instead I'm taking my whole family.
It'll be me, my wife, my 6 year old and my 3 year old. It's crazy to think that when you wrote that post, they weren't even born, and I wasn't even married!
I also booked a room for my parents, my sister, my brother and his family. I'm so excited for this trip, it'll be something we will remember the rest of our lives.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for getting me interested in this. I know it would have to be a flight, but I do have an extra room in Carbondale if you need somewhere to stay. (No charge for you of course)
Thanks again, I can't wait for 8/21.
You're very welcome! I'm glad my writing about total eclipses for eight years now has interested a few people.
A word of advice, make sure your 3-year-old has used the bathroom before the big event. My kids were 3, 7, and 10 at the time of the 2009 eclipse. Naturally, the three-year-old had to go to the bathroom just as the sun was minutes away from totality. She was screaming her head off too. Mrs. Wizard kindly missed out on most of the totality to take her to the bathroom at a nearby KFC. She said several women were in there hiding from the eclipse, fearing it was dangerous. Maybe they were pregnant.
Thanks for the room offer. My plans to view it in western Idaho are quite firm.
I hope you'll share your story of the experience after the fact.
Quote: IbeatyouracesI see a total solar eclipse all the time. I call it "night" :-)~
To be clear, night is technically a total eclipse of the earth. Like the solar eclipse is when the moon blocks the sun and the lunar eclipse is when the earth blocks the moon, night is when the earth blocks the sun (from where you are sitting).
Quote: boymimboTo be clear, night is technically a total eclipse of the earth. Like the solar eclipse is when the moon blocks the sun and the lunar eclipse is when the earth blocks the moon, night is when the earth blocks the sun (from where you are sitting).
Read what you typed and you'll see your error. I know what I said was technically not an eclipse and meant as a joke, but the item being "eclipsed" is what disappears from view. Since the sun disappears due to the earth blocking my view of it, just as the moon blocks it, it's still another form of solar eclipse.
Again, my post was meant as a joke and not to be taken seriously. ;-)
Quote: Ayecarumba
Once totality occurs, you can, and should for the two minutes or so it will last, observe the event with your naked eyes. These fleeting moments are what makes being in the direct path of the shadow so special.
I have not read the remaining six or ten pages, felt I should react to this promptly.
My understanding is it takes time for the suns rays to reach earth. This idea you can observe with your naked eyes may prove harmful.
This "understanding" is from memory of an eclipse survivor, me. I was in South America during a total eclipse. It's a unique experience. Makes you feel human.
Quote: NokTangI have not read the remaining six or ten pages, felt I should react to this promptly.
My understanding is it takes time for the suns rays to reach earth. This idea you can observe with your naked eyes may prove harmful.
This "understanding" is from memory of an eclipse survivor, me. I was in South America during a total eclipse. It's a unique experience. Makes you feel human.
Do tell. Note the use of the term "totality". Not a second before nor after.
Quote: IbeatyouracesRead what you typed and you'll see your error. I know what I said was technically not an eclipse and meant as a joke, but the item being "eclipsed" is what disappears from view. Since the sun disappears due to the earth blocking my view of it, just as the moon blocks it, it's still another form of solar eclipse.
Again, my post was meant as a joke and not to be taken seriously. ;-)
Quote: IbeatyouracesRead what you typed and you'll see your error. I know what I said was technically not an eclipse and meant as a joke, but the item being "eclipsed" is what disappears from view. Since the sun disappears due to the earth blocking my view of it, just as the moon blocks it, it's still another form of solar eclipse.
Again, my post was meant as a joke and not to be taken seriously. ;-)
As was my response!
It is a little further from Boise, where I'm spending the night before, but it is more on the way to South Sister, the third highest peak in Oregon, which I plan to climb the next day.
Quote: AyecarumbaDo tell. Note the use of the term "totality". Not a second before nor after.
This site says it takes 8 minutes for the sun's rays to reach your eyes.
https://phys.org/news/2013-04-sunlight-earth.html
The point made back when I was as I say, an eclipse viewer, we were(if memory serves) warned not to ever look directly at the event without protection. Back then, we used some sort of reflection thing a ma jig. I'm also searching my mind for specific memory of a group of Peruvian Indians who suffered blindness because of staring at an eclipse.
Bottom line, I think we need an answer to the question you and I are discussing. Can you safely look with the naked eye at an eclipse when in "totality"? I remain convinced the time it takes the rays to reach here makes that unwise. God Bless You and OO.
Quote: NokTangThis site says it takes 8 minutes for the sun's rays to reach your eyes.
https://phys.org/news/2013-04-sunlight-earth.html
The point made back when I was as I say, an eclipse viewer, we were(if memory serves) warned not to ever look directly at the event without protection. Back then, we used some sort of reflection thing a ma jig. I'm also searching my mind for specific memory of a group of Peruvian Indians who suffered blindness because of staring at an eclipse.
Bottom line, I think we need an answer to the question you and I are discussing. Can you safely look with the naked eye at an eclipse when in "totality"? I remain convinced the time it takes the rays to reach here makes that unwise. God Bless You and OO.
Direct observation during totality is safe without eye protection. The moment when the sun's disc moves from partially to totally covered is special, as it gets very dark, very quickly. The amount of light from the sun's corona surrounding the Moon is equivalent to a full moon, so it is quite safe. This from NASA:
Quote: NASA Eclipse WebsiteLooking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality (https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe (link is external)).
The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” (example shown at left) or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. To date four manufacturers have certified that their eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard for such products: Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17.
Quote: NokTangBottom line, I think we need an answer to the question you and I are discussing. Can you safely look with the naked eye at an eclipse when in "totality"? I remain convinced the time it takes the rays to reach here makes that unwise. God Bless You and OO.
The eight minutes has nothing to do with it. It will probably just confuse you more to explain why. The important thing is that direct sunlight should not hit your eyes not matter how long it look to reach earth. For about two minutes on 8-21-17, if you're in the right place, the moon will block out direct sunlight that would otherwise damage your eyes. It does not matter that said sunlight took 8 minutes to reach here.
I was at the 2009 eclipse and I and everybody else looked directly in the direction of the sun because it was completely behind the moon. It was dark outside during this time. You could see the stars and planets. The city turned on the street lights for about five minutes in the middle the day.
Quote: NokTangAn intelligent set of replies without name calling, labeling, personal attacks, and all the rest those in denial of the election results lash out at me. Thanks and have a nice day. God Bless You and your Eyes too. OO.
No problem NokTang! Here is a helpful graphic from the NASA website:
Note that the "Glasses Off" segment of the event will only last ~2 minutes depending on your location. Also note that you must be in the path of totality in order to experience it. Everyone outside of the path that will be completely covered by the shadow of the Moon will only experience a partial eclipse, if any at all, and should only look directly at the event with appropriate safety filters.
In the hope that we have clear skies in Andrews on the day of the eclipse, I have just ordered some glasses from Eclipse2017.org. These glasses are described as cardboard frames with polymer optics, conforming to ISO 12312-2:2015 for direct viewing of the sun. They are manufactured by Rainbow Symphony, Inc. in Reseda, California.
There was a minimum order of 3 pair and a notable quantity discount. I ordered 15 pair, which should be more than enough for everyone who participates here at WoV and who has told me they are coming to Cherokee/Andrews for the event. If I have mis-estimated the size of our group, then someone might miss out, but I think we should be covered.
Quote: Boz... locals are freaking out over the amount of people they are expecting. ... They just don't have the infrastructure to handle it.
I expect we will have "Jackson Holes" across the entire path of the eclipse. Unable to get hotel rooms in the direct path (because those rooms were grabbed earlier), many plan to stay within about 100+ miles of full eclipse and drive to the "totality" area a few hours before the eclipse occurs.
Doc sez he plans to drive from Cherokee to Andrews, NC, which would normally take about an hour. Most of that highway is a 2-lane rural road. There are dozens of "raft adventure" companies ferrying kayaks and buses full of customers clogging the roads almost every morning in August. (Highway signs tell drivers of this "hazard.") Now, add LOTSA other "eclipse" visitors running late and trying to hurry. Add to that just one small car crash. Ugh! IMHO, it won't be pretty between Cherokee and Andrews, NC. But, that's probably what will happen across the entire eclipse path.
If I were planning to do the Cherokee-to-Andrews shuffle on 21-August, I'd try to leave as soon as it was (barely) light enough to see the highway (say, 6 am or so). Hopefully, get to Andrews before the rafters and kayaker buses clog the roads and before the "It's only a 2-hour drive to Andrews (or wherever)" folks get on the road. Find a parking lot (church, maybe) close to a restaurant (food & bathroom). And, marvel as reports of snarled Interstate traffic fill the news.
I think there are going to be a LOT of disappointed people who hope to see the full totality of the eclipse, but wind up "stuck" somewhere en route. As Boz sez, "They just don't have the infrastructure to handle it."
Quote: DocThis post addresses a combination of two topics mentioned previously in the thread: (1) the small group of us eastern-time-zone folks who have decided to meet up in Cherokee, NC for the casino action there and to view the eclipse down the road in Andrews, NC and (2) the availability of appropriate eye-wear for viewing the partial-eclipse portions of the event.
In the hope that we have clear skies in Andrews on the day of the eclipse, I have just ordered some glasses from Eclipse2017.org. These glasses are described as cardboard frames with polymer optics, conforming to ISO 12312-2:2015 for direct viewing of the sun. They are manufactured by Rainbow Symphony, Inc. in Reseda, California.
There was a minimum order of 3 pair and a notable quantity discount. I ordered 15 pair, which should be more than enough for everyone who participates here at WoV and who has told me they are coming to Cherokee/Andrews for the event. If I have mis-estimated the size of our group, then someone might miss out, but I think we should be covered.
Thanks Doc! I will definitely be there with my two sons and possibly another Atlantan.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4597164/NOAA-reveals-cloudiness-map-historic-2017-Eclipse.html
