Eclipse Camping/Viewing Options: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming

EMSC

EMSC

Well-known member
Tony Crocker":25zffljf said:
Adam has concluded that dispersed camping on BLM land is the answer for the upcoming eclipse in Oregon.
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While I currently have a hotel room booked in Cheyenne, still an hour south of the eclipse, I am hoping to figure out a BLM dispersed site much closer or actually in the eclipse line. Been hard to scout anything out this summer though, even online. Too many biz trips, etc.. to get the time to focus on that.
 
EMSC":svb83lht said:
While I currently have a hotel room booked in Cheyenne, still an hour south of the eclipse, I am hoping to figure out a BLM dispersed site much closer or actually in the eclipse line.
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If you get up in wee hours in Cheyenne you should be OK finding a decent spot on the path. I do think I-25 south back towards Denver will be a cluster in the immediate hours after the eclipse. Recall that I-15 in Utah was bad heading from southern Utah back to SLC after the annular eclipse in May 2012.

So I think chilling in a dispersed campsite for the rest of eclipse day is a great idea. That's Adam's plan, because the three 2-lane roads (Hwy 26 toward Mt. Hood/Portland and Hwy 97 both north and south) out of Madras, Oregon also rate to be a big mess right after the eclipse.

We will be staying put in Teton Village after the eclipse, including eating in for an Iron Blosam type group dinner, to avoid traffic and crowd issues.
 
lono":pzk3kprq said:
I'm starting to get a little bit of interest in this eclipse thing.
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And I'm starting to think that...

Tony Crocker":pzk3kprq said:
. I do think I-25 south back towards Denver will be a cluster in the immediate hours after the eclipse. Recall that I-15 in Utah was bad heading from southern Utah back to SLC after the annular eclipse in May 2012.
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... is just one more reason to sit at home and watch a time lapse on YouTube.
 
Admin":1bftg687 said:
lono":1bftg687 said:
I'm starting to get a little bit of interest in this eclipse thing.
Click to expand...

And I'm starting to think that...

Tony Crocker":1bftg687 said:
. I do think I-25 south back towards Denver will be a cluster in the immediate hours after the eclipse. Recall that I-15 in Utah was bad heading from southern Utah back to SLC after the annular eclipse in May 2012.
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... is just one more reason to sit at home and watch a time lapse on YouTube.
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That's like saying watching a ski porn film is the same as skiing a powder day yourself. Actually worse, because there is only one more total solar eclipse in the continental US before 2044, and 4/8/2024 is less convenient and more problematic for weather for westerners. People do exert a lot of effort in terms of traffic and inconvenience for powder days, of which we get a few even in crappy years like 2014-15.

There are ways to do this minimizing cost and crowd issues, and no one is better situated than admin with his new toy plus extensive experience in dispersed BLM camping.
GetYourAssToTotalitySticker.png


As far as Lono is concerned, he lives in sparsely populated Montana, so driving to/from the path in Wyoming or Idaho rates to be far less busy than driving from the south.
 
Tony Crocker":2746x4pg said:
EMSC":2746x4pg said:
While I currently have a hotel room booked in Cheyenne, still an hour south of the eclipse, I am hoping to figure out a BLM dispersed site much closer or actually in the eclipse line.
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If you get up in wee hours in Cheyenne you should be OK finding a decent spot on the path. I do think I-25 south back towards Denver will be a cluster in the immediate hours after the eclipse.
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Not sure about the wee hours part, but definitely get out on the road on the early side of things. The only reason I booked a room in Cheyenne is to put me 90 minutes ahead of the Denver hordes day tripping the whole way (as my back-up plan at least in case I can't pull off camping). I sit in Paris at the moment which is kinda nice I guess (already my 2nd trip this summer to here), but have zero days camping this summer due to travel and other commitments, so that kinda stinks. I'm home for all of 6 days before I'm on my next series of planes scattered over ~10 days though. Not an easy, relaxing summer for me.
 
Admin":86jowjx8 said:
lono":86jowjx8 said:
I'm starting to get a little bit of interest in this eclipse thing.
Click to expand...

And I'm starting to think that...

Tony Crocker":86jowjx8 said:
. I do think I-25 south back towards Denver will be a cluster in the immediate hours after the eclipse. Recall that I-15 in Utah was bad heading from southern Utah back to SLC after the annular eclipse in May 2012.
Click to expand...

... is just one more reason to sit at home and watch a time lapse on YouTube.
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Agree with you here! Not to diss anyone who is "into" eclipses........BUT they never seemed like that big a deal to me. Yea, the moon blocks the sun for a few minutes and it turns dark during the day, and then the sun re-appears and the light comes back and it's over! I certainly wouldn't spend money and travel any great distance to see one (especially if I had already seen one). Plus, no way to tell with advance planning IF it will be clear where you plan to observe the eclipse. Just my two cents on the topic.
 
berkshireskier":2bftgrje said:
I certainly wouldn't spend money and travel any great distance
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This is exactly the point. August 21, 2017 IS the best opportunity between 1979 and 2045 for at least 2/3 of the US to see a total solar eclipse at modest cost within easy travel distance. April 8, 2024 is more convenient for those in the Northeast and Texas.
 
Tony Crocker":2o1ortmu said:
berkshireskier":2o1ortmu said:
I certainly wouldn't spend money and travel any great distance
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This is exactly the point. August 21, 2017 IS the best opportunity between 1979 and 2045 for at least 2/3 of the US to see a total solar eclipse at modest cost within easy travel distance. April 8,2024 is more convenient for those in the Northeast.
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And some of us simply don't care enough to put up with the hassle.
 
Tony Crocker":119ur6sp said:
admin":119ur6sp said:
I'd love to witness a total eclipse, but let's just say that I won't be flying to Australia for it.
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You'll get your chance in 5 years with a slightly shorter drive than this time [Lake Powell for the annular eclipse in May 2012].
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Shortly in advance of that 2012 annular eclipse,
Tony Crocker":119ur6sp said:
There are several links in my first FTO eclipse post from Egypt in 2006: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2009

It is often difficult to get people to see their first total eclipse. By observation of numerous "eclipse virgins" on the 2008 and 2010 trips, nearly all of them are quite eager to repeat the experience. It's the ultimate in what psychologists call intermittent reinforcement. There's lot going on in a very short period of time, always leaves you wanting more and it's always 1 to 2 1/2 years until the next one. Sort of like being a powder addict but only being allowed to ski the Catskills or Laurentians. :stir:

Due to cost/convenience I'm not pushing any of you here to travel to one until August 21, 2017. Since that one crosses the entire continental U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina, it should be accessible to nearly everyone with only modest effort. After then I'll be interested in your reactions.

Annular eclipses are much less interesting and I will certainly not oversell the experience.
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And immediately after Evren was unimpressed by his trip to Brian Head,
Tony Crocker":119ur6sp said:
Evren":119ur6sp said:
Well, normalize those numbers and you get a 10 for total eclipses, 0.000005 for partials, and 0.000009 for annulars.
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That is an exaggeration but the basic principle is correct. I was quite explicit in this regard leading up to this eclipse. It also reinforces the point that come 2017 people who are lazy and stay home because it's 90% or whatever there instead or driving a few hundred miles to get in the path of totality will continue to think that it's not a big deal.
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It looks like Grand Targhee /Driggs Idaho will get be a good place to be......Since I live in So Cal maybe the live streaming summit cam at Grand Targhee will be worth watching...If I remember
 
Tony Crocker":naxxpo0h said:
It is often difficult to get people to see their first total eclipse. By observation of numerous "eclipse virgins" on the 2008 and 2010 trips, nearly all of them are quite eager to repeat the experience.
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I recall seeing one once. I don't know the year or location other than it was probably in the northeast - likely NJ NYC metro area.
How could I find out where and when I might have been? I found some sites that allow you to plug in a location and the result is a table of events for a given century, and an indication of total, partial, and annular. But what if you don't know several of the variables?
 
Marc_C":2ao8ewky said:
Tony Crocker":2ao8ewky said:
It is often difficult to get people to see their first total eclipse. By observation of numerous "eclipse virgins" on the 2008 and 2010 trips, nearly all of them are quite eager to repeat the experience.
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I recall seeing one once. I don't know the year or location other than it was probably in the northeast - likely NJ NYC metro area.
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It is not difficult to figure out since the frequency of even deep partials in a specific location is low. You did not see totality in NYC unless you were around in 1925.

The most likely one you would remember is March 7, 1970: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html This was total along the east coast from Georgia to the Delmarva Peninsula, then offshore crossing only Nantucket Island (where Al Solish saw it while at MIT) and then hitting land again in Nova Scotia. 96% in NYC.

July 10, 1972 was total mostly in the Arctic but the afternoon path came south across the Gaspe Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and out to sea across Nova Scotia. http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html 79% in NYC, this was the Carly Simon "You're So Vain" eclipse.

The above are the only two total solar eclipses in the eastern half of the US/Canada during our lifetimes. Wherever MarcC was in NY/NJ, he saw a partial eclipse.

May 30, 1984 was a very deep (99.7%) annular eclipse on a track somewhat similar to 1970: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html
I was on a trip to NYC at the time, where it was 94%. It was in the middle of a 3-day deluge of rain with some flooding in northern NJ. The only evidence of the eclipse in NYC was that the street lights went on for maybe half an hour.

The May 10, 1994 annular eclipse http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html followed a SW to NE path similar to the upcoming April 8, 2024 total eclipse. http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html The 1994 annular was 88% in NYC, about the same as the May 20, 2012 annular was in SLC.

The facts and cliches about 99% vs. total eclipses are all true:
1) A 99% eclipse is 4,000x as bright as a total, which is why you don't see the corona, solar flares, etc.
2) A 99% eclipse is like almost winning the lottery.
3) A 99% eclipse is like a first date. A total is like your wedding night.

If you sit on your butts in SLC on August 21, you'll see 92% (yawn).

If you sit on your butts in SLC, you will see this total eclipse on August 12, 2045: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... mt=1&Mag=0
 
Tony Crocker":ew5141wm said:
It is not difficult to figure out since the frequency of even deep partials in a specific location is low. You did not see totality in NYC unless you were around in 1925.

The most likely one you would remember is March 7, 1970: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This was total along the east coast from Georgia to the Delmarva Peninsula, then offshore crossing only Nantucket Island (where Al Solish saw it while at MIT) and then hitting land again in Nova Scotia. 96% in NYC.

July 10, 1972 was total mostly in the Arctic but the afternoon path came south across the Gaspe Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and out to sea across Nova Scotia. http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... pFull.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 79% in NYC, this was the Carly Simon "You're So Vain" eclipse.

The above are the only two total solar eclipses in the eastern half of the US/Canada during our lifetimes. Wherever MarcC was in NY/NJ, he saw a partial eclipse.
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But I didn't say I definitely was in NYC/NJ, hence my question about not knowing exactly where or when. That July 10 1972 event could have had me in Acadia NP in Maine.

In any case, for the one coming up, I don't feel like driving the 6+ hrs round trip, dealing with what is expected to be heavy traffic, and I have eye surgery the next day. I'll watch the videos and view the NASA stills.
 
July 10, 1972 was not total in Acadia National Park, but July 20, 1963 was: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... mt=1&Mag=0

My understanding is that eclipse was clouded out in Acadia unless you were on top of Cadillac Mountain. Being there was Craig Small's first stroke of luck at age 16. He now has an perfect record of about 30 clear sky total solar eclipses, which I'm sure is a record.

MarcC":2ljrlg4w said:
I'll watch the videos and view the NASA stills.
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Just like watching a ski movie on a 3-foot LCC powder day.
 
Tony Crocker":2uyipdf9 said:
July 10, 1972 was not total in Acadia National Park, but July 20, 1963 was: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/so ... mt=1&Mag=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My understanding is that eclipse was clouded out in Acadia unless you were on top of Cadillac Mountain. Being there was Craig Small's first stroke of luck at age 16. He now has an perfect record of about 30 clear sky total solar eclipses, which I'm sure is a record.
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It could well have been 63 - I would have been 8 yrs old in July of that year, which seems about right. Since getting to the top of Cadillac is trivial, we likely would have.

MarcC":2uyipdf9 said:
I'll watch the videos and view the NASA stills.
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Tony Crocker":2uyipdf9 said:
Just like watching a ski movie on a 3-foot LCC powder day.
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I did just that when I had my appendectomy.
And no, not "just like" on two points:
1. 20 minute one-way drive time vs 3+ hrs.
2. an interest in eclipses far, far less than yours.
 
I was 9 years old in 1963, and because that eclipse crossed part of the continental US it got plenty of publicity, enough that we did a pinhole projection of the modest 25% here in SoCal. Mainstream media covered eclipses strongly in the 20th century, and we all know those media were followed more widely then vs. now in our much more fragmented media era. Every total solar eclipse in the continental US was a front page story in the NY Times.

There is no way MarcC would not have a vivid specific memory of the event if he were on Cadillac Mountain for that eclipse. Even if he were elsewhere in Maine and clouded out, he would remember for the publicity alone, which would have been off the charts in Maine. I also might add that Maine in 1963 is a rather good analogy to Jackson Hole in 2017, with the eclipse occurring during the height of tourist season. Traffic and cost issues could well have been even more extreme:
1) Maine was the only place in the continental US where the 1963 eclipse was total as opposed to 14 states across the entire country this time.
2) Maine is much closer to the dense Northeast population base than South Carolina is this time.
3) Where would you rather be in July/August, Maine or South Carolina?

MarcC":1ix2ru2f said:
And no, not "just like" on two points:
1. 20 minute one-way drive time vs 3+ hrs.
2. an interest in eclipses far, far less than yours.
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Both of which are offset by frequency, a few times every year vs. once in a lifetime for most people. The people in SLC are luckier. MarcC can stay put and see it from home when he's 92.

MarcC's circumstances may be different from others. For those equipped for dispersed camping, cost and crowds are non-issues.
 
Tony Crocker":5vpbbdtk said:
There is no way MarcC would not have a vivid specific memory of the event if he were on Cadillac Mountain for that eclipse.
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I do.
It got really dark for a couple of minutes. Lights came on. People had these pinhole cards that projected the image onto the ground. Some animals freaked.
Then it was over.
Eh.
(I think that may also describe a recent "camping" trip by Admin when Mrs. Admin wasn't there the first night but Dale was!)

Tony Crocker":5vpbbdtk said:
MarcC's circumstances may be different from others. For those equipped for dispersed camping, cost and crowds are non-issues.
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As I mentioned, I have surgery the next day, so staying till Tuesday to beat the crowds on the roads isn't an option. Also, being an hourly contractor at the moment means a lost day of billable hours, which is not insignificant at Chicago market rates for my profession.
 
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