Total Eclipse of 4/8/2024
A big challenge with the 2017 eclipse was lodging. Everybody in and near the eclipse path jacked up their prices, if you could find anything at all. I had been advising eclipse chasers to snap a hotel room on 4/8/23, since most hotels don't book more than a year in advance. However, a friend advised me to try Air B&B, which doesn't have a one-year window. So, I did. I'm very happy to say I got a 3-bedroom place in Waco for $175/night.
As a reminder, here is the eclipse path as it goes through the Dallas area. The closer you are to the green line, the longer it will last.
Please post your own plans in this thread. Let's try to do a WoV meet-up in Waco the day before.
Quote: WizardThe big day is just 13 months away! I consider the countdown to officially start at one year away, but consider this post the countdown to the countdown.
A big challenge with the 2017 eclipse was lodging. Everybody in and near the eclipse path jacked up their prices, if you could find anything at all. I had been advising eclipse chasers to snap a hotel room on 4/8/23, since most hotels don't book more than a year in advance. However, a friend advised me to try Air B&B, which doesn't have a one-year window. So, I did. I'm very happy to say I got a 3-bedroom place in Waco for $175/night.
As a reminder, here is the eclipse path as it goes through the Dallas area. The closer you are to the green line, the longer it will last.
Please post your own plans in this thread. Let's try to do a WoV meet-up in Waco the day before.
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Can Yvonne and I have the master bedroom? We’ll pay 40% of the Air B N B cost.
We are trying to figure out where the closest CZR property is in Texas ;)
We might try to stay just northwest of the path figuring we might need to drive to avoid clouds and there isn't much traffic up there. Of course, there aren't many good roads either. There is only one real road going through Andrews, but we ran into no traffic on our last eclipse.
Why go to Waco? The path of Totality is directly over Buffalo!Quote: SOOPOOCan Yvonne and I have the master bedroom? We’ll pay 40% of the Air B N B cost.
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Is it possible that an AirB&B can cancel your reservation when they see how much more they can get when the date approaches? (Canceling a reservation — sounds like a Seinfeld routine)
It is much more likely to be cloudy in Buffalo versus the Mexican desert. My sister went to remote Wyoming last time. I have not researched the weather data along the path. I might not commit to any one spot until the advanced weather forecast comes out.Quote: UP84Why go to Waco? The path of Totality is directly over Buffalo!Quote: SOOPOOCan Yvonne and I have the master bedroom? We’ll pay 40% of the Air B N B cost.
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Quote: UP84Why go to Waco? The path of Totality is directly over Buffalo!Quote: SOOPOOCan Yvonne and I have the master bedroom? We’ll pay 40% of the Air B N B cost.
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I think the ‘likelihood of cloud cover’ in Buffalo in April is quite high. I did take my two sons to North Carolina for the last one. It was a great trip. I think there were 10 or so of us from WoV who met up at that Cherokee Casino mentioned a few posts back.
I haven’t the slightest idea what if anything I’ll be doing for the eclipse coming up.
Quote: SOOPOOQuote: UP84Why go to Waco? The path of Totality is directly over Buffalo!Quote: SOOPOOCan Yvonne and I have the master bedroom? We’ll pay 40% of the Air B N B cost.
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I think the ‘likelihood of cloud cover’ in Buffalo in April is quite high. I did take my two sums to North Carolina for the last one. It was a great trip. I think there were 10 or so of us from WoV who met up at that Cherokee Casino mentioned a few posts back.
I haven’t the slightest idea what if anything I’ll be doing for the eclipse coming up.
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Our original thought was to visit Montreal, but we figured there's high probability of cloudiness.
Quote: smoothgrhIs it possible that an AirB&B can cancel your reservation when they see how much more they can get when the date approaches? (Canceling a reservation — sounds like a Seinfeld routine)
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I am worried about that, to be honest. I think the owner just didn't know about the eclipse. What I think I'll do is book some fully refundable hotel rooms as well, as a backup plan.
Quote: UP84The path of Totality is directly over Buffalo!
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You're right!
As has been mentioned, Buffalo in April has a high chance of being cloudy.
Somebody in my hiking club is going to Mexico for it, to maximize his chances of clear skies.
Best of luck.
We were about 30 miles east in Highlands, NC, and the clouds rolled in about 30 minutes before the eclipse! We jumped in the car and drove towards Franklin. We got to see a glimpse of it through a break in the clouds. We definitely want to be in a more arid area for the next one.Quote: MentalWe stayed the night before the 2017 eclipse in Harrah's Cherokee, spent the day in Totality Town (Andrews, NC) where the skies were clear
Not in Texas, but Harrah's Metropolis is in the totality path. I think it was in the 2017 path as well.Quote:We are trying to figure out where the closest CZR property is in Texas ;)
Hey, Wiz, no love for the annular eclipse (Oct.14) this year?
It appeared that downdrafts in Andrews kept the skies clear for us. Cumulus clouds were anchored on the peaks to the west.Quote: JoemanWe were about 30 miles east in Highlands, NC, and the clouds rolled in about 30 minutes before the eclipse! We jumped in the car and drove towards Franklin. We got to see a glimpse of it through a break in the clouds. We definitely want to be in a more arid area for the next one.Quote: MentalWe stayed the night before the 2017 eclipse in Harrah's Cherokee, spent the day in Totality Town (Andrews, NC) where the skies were clear
Not in Texas, but Harrah's Metropolis is in the totality path. I think it was in the 2017 path as well.Quote:We are trying to figure out where the closest CZR property is in Texas ;)
Hey, Wiz, no love for the annular eclipse (Oct.14) this year?
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Quote: JoemanHey, Wiz, no love for the annular eclipse (Oct.14) this year?
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To be honest, I didn't know about it. Here is the path.
I went to an annual eclipse in St. George several years ago.
Note how this one goes right over the four-corner memorial. Maybe I'll use this as an excuse to go there.
Quote: MentalThere is a town in Illinois that was right in the center of the 2017 and 2024 totality paths. I suppose the 2023 and 2024 paths intersect in some ranch in southern Texas.
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There was a piece about that on the Sunday Morning show shortly before the 2017 eclipse. There was a general store that had both eclipse lines (2017 and 2024) intersecting in the middle of the floor.
To be honest, I don't think annular eclipses are that big of a deal. Total solar eclipses are about 100x better.
The temperature drop will be similar, but you won't be able to look at an annular eclipse safely without proper eye protection. Getting good photographs will be much harder. You should still get the weird shadows before and after the moon passes the center of the sun.Quote: WizardQuote: MentalThere is a town in Illinois that was right in the center of the 2017 and 2024 totality paths. I suppose the 2023 and 2024 paths intersect in some ranch in southern Texas.
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There was a piece about that on the Sunday Morning show shortly before the 2017 eclipse. There was a general store that had both eclipse lines (2017 and 2024) intersecting in the middle of the floor.
To be honest, I don't think annular eclipses are that big of a deal. Total solar eclipses are about 100x better.
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Quote: MentalGetting good photographs will be much harder. You should still get the weird shadows before and after the moon passes the center of the sun.
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At the moment the moon is directly in alignment, the shadows of the leaves are little rings of light.
If you have your radio license, NASA is requesting help with ionosphere research during eclipses.
Quote: DieterIf anyone believes* the syzygy might affect the elements of random chance, I seem to recall that there are casinos in Buffalo, the south side of Indianapolis, Cape Girardeau, and Grant - all apparently in the path.
Best of luck.
As luck would have it, I live about halfway between the green line and the yellow line.
There is a Horseshoe in Shelbyville, IN. Which is fairly close to the green line.
Quote: IndyJeffreyQuote: DieterIf anyone believes* the syzygy might affect the elements of random chance, I seem to recall that there are casinos in Buffalo, the south side of Indianapolis, Cape Girardeau, and Grant - all apparently in the path.
Best of luck.
As luck would have it, I live about halfway between the green line and the yellow line.
There is a Horseshoe in Shelbyville, IN. Which is fairly close to the green line.
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Horseshoe Shelbyville is the one I was thinking of as "south side of Indianapolis". Shelby county is in the metropolitan statistical area.
I think there is a better edge to be had selling souvenir "I stood in the shade!" T-shirts. I'd suggest a concert tour style design, listing towns and times, with a graphic of Earth wearing sunglasses.
Quote: MentalThere is a town in Illinois that was right in the center of the 2017 and 2024 totality paths. I suppose the 2023 and 2024 paths intersect in some ranch in southern Texas.
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Mental,
Looks like San Antonio is where the two eclipse paths will cross:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2332/new-nasa-map-details-2023-and-2024-solar-eclipses-in-the-us/
Maybe you can hang out at the Alamo to see both!
At any rate, hotel rooms should be readily available. According to Google, the San Antonio Leisure and Hospitality industry reports there are 47,962 hotel rooms at 458 hotel properties.
Dog Hand
Quote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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Because each one is unique in how the eclipse presents itself and how it appears. No two eclipses are alike, and well worth reasonable efforts to partake. In addition, while eclipses are not rare and are easily predicted, they occur in places both well populated and off the beaten path and provide opportunity for travel and excursions to places one would never think to visit, if not to see an eclipse.
The universe (God, maybe, if you choose) has done a nice thing for us to view and enjoy.
Quote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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Have you ever had sex with a woman a second time?
Quote: SOOPOOQuote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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Have you ever had sex with a woman a second time?
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Sadly, they usually sober up before the second time with me.
Quote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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As I understand, the paths across the ground differ from event to event, and people rarely witness two events from the same position.
Quote: DieterQuote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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As I understand, the paths across the ground differ from event to event, and people rarely witness two events from the same position.It's not the kind of shadow I'm going to make special plans to see. I can take a 5 minute walk outside at night and get more or less the same feeling.
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If you haven’t experienced one, frankly, you don’t know what you are missing. I forget exactly what it was called, but the ‘dancing shadows’ was amazing. Plus the noticeable temperature change for the few minutes was great. The fact that I won a few hundred at the craps table was just an added bonus!
Quote: SOOPOOQuote: DieterQuote: DRichThis is probably going to sound niave on my part, but what is the attraction of seeing an eclipse after you have already seen one?
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As I understand, the paths across the ground differ from event to event, and people rarely witness two events from the same position.It's not the kind of shadow I'm going to make special plans to see. I can take a 5 minute walk outside at night and get more or less the same feeling.
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If you haven’t experienced one, frankly, you don’t know what you are missing. I forget exactly what it was called, but the ‘dancing shadows’ was amazing. Plus the noticeable temperature change for the few minutes was great. The fact that I won a few hundred at the craps table was just an added bonus!
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I am glad you enjoy eclipses.
I don't enjoy eclipses enough to drive more than about 20 minutes away for the experience. I've been known to go farther to get a fresh box of double decker Moon Pies, as a point of comparison.
Please park safely. The last eclipse I got near, a bunch of fools decided to park on the shoulder of the highway when the skies started to darken.
I imagine that some people truly don't enjoy solar eclipses, just as some people truly don't enjoy sex. Or don't truly enjoy snow skiing. I just feel overwhelmed by the bad fortune of some one having such a disability.
This isn't my picture but it shows what happens when a tree filters it:
Quote: billryanI'd rather see the Northern Lights than an eclipse, but different strokes.
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Do both. Just not on the same day.
Quote: JimRockfordCloud cover right now for the entire path from Mexico to New York. It’s a high risk time of year even in sunny Texas.
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Are cloud patterns correlated to phase of the moon?
Quote: DieterQuote: JimRockfordCloud cover right now for the entire path from Mexico to New York. It’s a high risk time of year even in sunny Texas.
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Are cloud patterns correlated to phase of the moon?
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It's possible
Dallas is also in the totality path, but not in the middle of it, like Waco. It's about 25% from the northern edge of the band. As a back-up, I reserved a fully-refundable room at the downtown Hyatt Regency. Two nights, with taxes & other #$%@ was $666 (yes, I have read Revelation chapter 13).
The salient point to this post is BOOK NOW!!!.
It looks like there are still some rooms in Dallas. Austin and San Antonio are just outside of the totality path.
Image source: https://nationaleclipse.com/maps/images/map_texas_2024.png
Quote: WizardMajor cities in the path, although some are very borderline: Mazatlan, Torreon, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Montreal.
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Remember, the closer you are to the edge of the path, the shorter the totality will last. If you're on the edge, it's "blink and you'll miss it."
At the moment, NASA has three "primary group viewing areas" planned; Kerrville, TX, Indianapolis, and Cleveland.
Checking some smaller cities in the path, I'm seeing $60 if I want a room tonight, or $600 if I want a room on April 7th.
Quote: MichaelBluejaySeems like there are still lots of rooms in Uvalde. Also, I'm sure there are lots of hotels along I-20 between Dallas and Tyler, which could get you right on the middle line. If not, just stay on the outskirts of Dallas or in Tyler (assuming rooms available), and then it's like a max 45-minute drive to the center line.
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If you stay around Tyler check out Stanley's BBQ.
Quote: DieterPretty sure the opportunity pricing is significant.
Checking some smaller cities in the path, I'm seeing $60 if I want a room tonight, or $600 if I want a room on April 7th.
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None of the casino hotels I checked are taking reservations yet.
p.s. Looks like Best Western also releases a month block of rooms at a time. I suspect they will release April 2024 on 4/30/23.
I hope Mission stumbles on this thread, given his expertise in hotel management.
p.p.s. Okay, keep an eye on Wyndham Hotels. You can currently book directly through 4/7/24. Maybe Monday morning they will update their system and accept bookings for 4/8/24.
